Jan. 8, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The seventh-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team is back in action in 2013. The Nittany Lions open the 2013 season against No. 5 UCLA in the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational. Penn State also faces Hawaii and No. 10 Ohio State.
Action begins on Thursday, Jan. 10 against the Bruins at 9 p.m. ET. Penn State faces Hawaii on Friday, Jan. 11 at midnight ET and the Buckeyes on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 9 p.m.
Nittany Lion Preview
Head coach Mark Pavlik, in his19th season leading the men's volleyball program, welcomes back 10 letterwinners, including six returners with starting experience for the 2013 season. Top returners include first team All-EIVA honorees redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) and sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.), and second team All-EIVA picks redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) and senior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.). Other returning starters include junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) and senior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.). Joining them are seniors Kyle Mars (Rochester, N.Y.) and Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.), redshirt junior Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) and sophomore Kyle Gregan (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Newcomers include freshmen Matt Callaway (Wheaton, Ill.), Zack Parik (Woodridge, Ill.) Andrew Roberts (Grantville, Pa.) and Spencer Sauter (Woodridge, Ill.), and junior Matt Kapusta (Bethel Park, Pa.).
The Nittany Lions are coming off a season where they posted a 23-6 record, won their 28th ECVL/EIVA title and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time.
Penn State vs. UCLA
The Nittany Lions own a 6-26-1 record all-time against the Bruins. The two squads last met in 2011, first on Jan. 13 in the Outrigger Invitational, which UCLA won 3-1, and again on March 9 in Los Angeles with UCLA stealing a 3-2 victory.
Scouting the Bruins
UCLA opened 2013 at the Asics Invitational hosted by UCSB on Jan. 4-5. The Bruins defeated UCSB, 3-2 and UC San Diego, 3-2. However, UCLA suffered a 3-2 setback to defending national champs UC Irvine. The Bruins host CS-Northridge on Jan. 8 before traveling to Hawaii.
Penn State vs. Hawaii
Hawaii has a 12-7 lead in the series with the Nittany Lions. Penn State last met the Warriors in the 2011 Outrigger Invitational on Jan. 14. The Lions won the match, 3-2.
Scouting the Warriors
The Warriors are 0-2 so far this season after traveling to BYU for back-to-back matches on Jan. 4-5. The Cougars swept Hawaii in the first match, 3-0, before earning a 3-1 win on Jan. 5. The Warriors face Ohio State on Jan. 10 before meeting the Nittany Lions on Jan. 11.
Penn State vs. Ohio State
The Nittany Lions are 67-25-1 all-time against the Buckeyes dating back to 1978. Penn State and Ohio State met twice in 2012. The Nittany Lions swept OSU, 3-0, in the Lions' season opener on Jan. 14 and earned a 3-2 win against the Buckeyes at home in Rec Hall on March 3.
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State opened the 2013 season against Saint Francis on Jan. 5 winning 3-0. The Buckeyes face Hawaii (Jan. 10) and No. 5 UCLA (Jan. 11) before meeting the Nittany Lions on Jan. 12. The Buckeyes visit PSU on Feb. 9 and the Nittany Lions visit Columbus on March 16.
Penn State hosts No. 13 Lewis on Friday, Jan. 18 in its home opener at Rec Hall. Action is set for 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions remain at home for seven additional matches.
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.