April 14, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball closes out regular season play this weekend with matches at Ball State and IPFW. The Nittany Lions take on the Cardinals on Friday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. and face the Mastodons on Saturday, April 16 at 7 p.m.
Penn State Preview
The ninth-ranked Nittany Lions closed out their regular season home slate with a 3-1 victory against nationally-ranked Ohio State. Penn State improved to 21-5 overall. Sophomore Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) led PSU with 3.50 kills per set and redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) was not far behind with 2.75 kills per set. Redshirt junior setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 9.00 assists per set and sophomore Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) and Sunder averaged 0.75 aces per set. Senior Alan Mars (Rochester, N.Y.) was a wall at the net with 1.25 blocks per set. Penn State hit .337 against the Buckeyes and averaged 11.00 kills, 8.75 assists, 2.75 aces, 6.25 digs and 2.38 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Ball State
Penn State owns a 59-19 record against the Cardinals. The squads first met in 1977 and have faced each other every year since. The Nittany Lions and the Cardinals met twice this season so far. Penn State defeated Ball State on Jan. 15, 3-0, at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational and against on March 18, 3-0, at home in Rec Hall.
Scouting the Cardinals
The Cardinals are 17-10 overall this season. Ball State has won three of its last five matches, most recently defeating IPFW, 3-1, on April 9. The win secured the Cardinals the No. 3 seed in the MIVA tournament.
Penn State vs. IPFW
The Nittany Lions have compiled a 40-13 all0time record against the Mastodons dating back to 1984. The squads met earlier this season on March 19 with the Nittany Lions earning a 3-0 sweep.
Scouting the Mastodons
IPFW heads into this weekend with a 15-10 overall record and hosts Saint Francis on April 15 prior to taking on the Nittany Lions. The Mastodons have won four of their last five matches with their most recent loss coming at the hands of Ball State on April 9. The Mastodons finished their conference schedule with a 5-7 record.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions have a much-deserved weekend off having earned a bye in the EIVA Quarterfinals. Penn State hosts the EIVA Semifinals and Final on April 28 & 30 at Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.