April 27, 2011
Championship Central
Complete release in pdf format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 10th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (22-6) is once again serving as the host of the EIVA Championship on Thursday, April 28 and Saturday, April 30. The top-seeded Nittany Lions are set to take on No. 4 seed Rutgers-Newark on April 28 at 8 p.m. in the EIVA Semifinals. No. 2 seed George Mason takes on No. 3 seed Springfield in the earlier match at 5:30 p.m. in Rec Hall. The winner of the two matches will meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Tickets for the match are on sale now and are $8 for adults and $5 for youth and groups of 15 or more. Groups tickets are available for $4 per person in advance. Tickets can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office during normal business hours or by calling 814-865-5555. All students with a valid id from a participating institution will be admitted for free.
Penn State's match on Thursday will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com, while the George Mason/Springfield match will be available via Penn State All-Access. Should Penn State advance to the EIVA Final, the match will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com. Live stats will be available for all three matches at GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Preview
The 10th-ranked Nittany Lions closed out their regular season slate with matches at Ball State and IPFW on April 15-16. The Lions improved to 22-6 overall after a 3-0 setback to Ball State and a 3-2 triumph against IPFW. Penn State had a bye in the EIVA Quarterfinals on April 23 after winning its 27th EIVA/ECVL Championship Title on April 2. In the final weekend of regular season action for Penn State, redshirt junior Joe Sunder pounded a team-best 4.62 kills per set. Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas averaged 11.12 assists per set, while senior Dennis Del Valle registered 2.50 digs per set. Sunder and Goas were a strong presence at the net with 0.62 blocks per set each.
Penn State vs. Rutgers-Newark
Penn State owns an 81-24-1 record against the Scarlet Raiders. This will be the third meeting between the Nittany Lions and Rutgers-Newark this season. Penn State is 2-0 against the Scarlet Raiders in 2011 having defeated RN on Feb. 11, 3-1, and sweeping the Scarlet Raiders on March 26.
Scouting the Scarlet Raiders
Rutgers-Newark earned the No. 4 seed in the EIVA Tournament. Prior to taking on the Nittany Lions, the Scarlet Raiders faced Saint Francis in the EIVA Quarterfinals and came away with a 3-0 victory. Rutgers-Newark is 17-11 overall this season. The Scarlet Raiders finished EIVA play with a 4-6 record.
Penn State vs. Potential EIVA Championship Opponents
George Mason
Penn State has taken on George Mason twice this season, defeating the Patriots 3-0 both times. The Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the EIVA Tournament and defeated NYU, 3-1, to advance to the semifinals. George Mason owns a 17-10 overall record and finished with an 8-2 record in the EIVA.
Springfield
The Nittany Lions have taken on the Pride two times in 2011, defeating Springfield 3-0 on Jan. 22 and 3-1 on March 5. The Pride is 17-14 overall this season and closed out the regular season conference schedule with a 4-6 record. To reach the EIVA Semifinals, the No. 3 Pride defeated Juniata, 3-2.
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.