March 16, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The eighth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (13-3, 6-0 EIVA) is back in action on Saturday, March 17 at Saint Francis. The Nittany Lions challenge the Red Flash at 7 p.m. in SFU's Maurice Stokes Athletics Center.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions are now 13-3 overall after a tough trip to California where Penn State suffered a 3-2 loss to Pepperdine and a 3-0 setback to USC on March 8-9.
Redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led the Lions with 28 kills, while junior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) posted 17, redshirt freshman Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) tallied 14 and freshman Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) recorded 13. Redshirt senior setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 85 assist and was third on the team in digs with 11. Sunder had a team-high 18 digs and redshirt freshman Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) registered 17. Junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) was the team leader in blocking with five.
For the weekend, Penn State hit .183 and averaged 12.12 kills per set, 11.62 assists per set, 1.12 aces per set, 8.00 digs per set and 1.38 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Saint Francis
Penn State is 28-0 all-time against the Red Flash in a series dating back to 1995. The Nittany Lions won both meetings in 2011. Penn State defeated the Red Flash, 3-1, on Jan. 21 and again on Feb. 23.
Last three meetings:
2/23/11, A - W, 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-18)
1/21/11, H - W, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22)
3/19/10, A - W, 3-0 (30-19, 30-19, 30-26)
Scouting the Red Flash
Saint Francis is 9-10 overall this season and 4-2 in EIVA action. Despite opening the season 1-6, the Red Flash went on to win its next five matches defeating Mt. Olive, Juniata, NJIT, Rutgers-Newark and Sacred Heart. Harvard ended Saint Francis' streak as they lost 3-0 to the Crimson. However, the Red Flash rebounded with a 3-2 victory against George Mason on Feb. 24. Since then the Red Flash has won two of its last five matches, most recently earning a 3-2 come-from-behind win against Pfeifer on March 6.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions continue traveling with a trip to NJIT and Rutgers-Newark on March 23-24. Penn State then visits Princeton and George Mason on March 30-31 before returning to Rec Hall on April 7-8.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.
Penn State men's volleyball is on Twitter. Follow @PSUVolleyball to get the inside scoop.