Jan. 24, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's volleyball team (4-1) continues play at home on Jan. 25-26. The Nittany Lions host EIVA foes Sacred Heart and Harvard at Rec Hall.
Nittany Lion Preview
The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team is back in action on Friday and Saturday to continue its string of eight straight home matches. The Nittany Lions host Sacred Heart on Friday at 7 p.m. in the main gym of Rec Hall and Harvard on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the South Gym.
The Nittany Lions improved to 4-1 with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-19) win against Loyola-Chicago on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Penn State was led by senior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) who averaged 3.33 kills per set. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) dished out 12.00 assists per set to help Penn State hit .494 against the Ramblers. Russell also led the team in aces with 1.00 aces per set and digs with a 2.33 digs per set average. Senior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) was a wall at the net with 1.67 blocks per set.
Against Loyola-Chicago Penn State hit .494 with 14.67 kills per set, 13.00 assist per set, 1.67 aces per set, 8.67 digs per set and 2.33 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Sacred Heart
Penn State is a perfect 4-0 all-time against the Pioneers since first meeting in 2004. Last season, the Nittany Lions visited the Pioneers on Feb. 18 and earned a 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-15) win. Penn State hosted SHU on April 6 and again won, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-15).
Scouting the Pioneers
The Pioneers opened 2013 with challenging matches against Grand Canyon, IPFW and Ball State. Sacred Heart is 0-3 so far and is chasing its first wins of the season when it visits Penn State (1/25) and Saint Francis (1/26) for EIVA play.
Penn State vs. Harvard
The Nittany Lions are 5-0 against the Crimson since 2000. In 2012, Penn State swept Harvard on the road with set scores of 25-20, 25-23, 25-17. However, Harvard was a force to be reckoned with on April 6 when it visited Rec Hall. The Crimson forced a five set match winning the first two sets before Penn State rallied to win three straight for the home victory.
Scouting the Crimson
Harvard is 2-0 this season with convincing 3-0 sweeps of Stevens and NYU on Jan. 18-19, respectively. The Crimson visit Saint Francis on Friday, Jan. 25 before arriving in State College. Harvard closed out 2012 with an 18-6 record and its first-ever national ranking at No. 15.
What's Next?
Penn State continues its home stand with non-conference matches against Pfeiffer on Feb. 1 and Mount Olive on Feb. 2. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. starts.
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.