Oct. 15, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's volleyball team is set to host a three-day tournament at Rec Hall on Oct. 18-20. Joining the Nittany Lions for the Penn State Fall Ball Invitational are Ohio State, Laval and Russia State University.
"We are excited to host our first international fall tournament this week," said head coach Mark Pavlik. "Not only will our fans get a sneak peak at the 2013 edition of the Penn State men's volleyball team, but we will get a chance to compete for three consecutive nights and give our team opportunities to gain some insight and information on where we are at this time, as well as where we'll need to be by next May.
"We are looking to making this a staple event in the fall to give our fans something to look forward to in our preseason. It should be a fun three days with some outstanding teams playing great volleyball. We look forward to seeing our fans in Rec Hall for the first time this year!"
Tickets for the event can be purchased through the Athletic Ticket Office at the Bryce Jordan Center or by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Attendees can also purchase tickets at the Rec Hall ticket office prior to the events. Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for all three days, which includes six total matches.
"It's always good to play anyone other than yourselves, but this is an exciting opportunity for our athletes to play international volleyball," said assistant coach Jay Hosack. "The teams we are going to play are very good, and it will be a nice gauge for us to see how we are progressing in the fall. I am looking forward to seeing how we react against good competition this early in the year."
Matches are set for 5 and 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, but 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. On Oct. 18, Laval faces Russia State in the early match, followed by Penn State and Ohio State at 8 p.m. On Friday, Ohio State and Laval meet at 5 p.m. with Penn State taking on Laval in the evening match. The final day of competition sees the Buckeyes challenging Laval at 2 p.m. and Russia playing Penn State in the tournament finale at 4 p.m.
Penn State, led by veteran head coach Pavlik in his 19th season at the helm, returns nine letterwinners from the 2012 season. Leading the group are two first-team All-EIVA selections, including sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) and redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.), as well as second-team All-EIVA picks junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) and redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.). Other top returners include, seniors Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.), Kyle Mars (Rochester, N.Y.) and Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.), junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.), redshirt junior Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) and redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Kyle Gregan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.).
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2013 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.