March 14, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 13 Penn State men's volleyball team continues its month-long road trip with a visit to No. 9 Ohio State on Saturday, March 16. This is the third meeting between the two squads in 2013 and the series is tied at 1-1. Action is set for 7 p.m.
Links to live stats and live video can be found at GoPSUsports.com.
Nittany Lion Preview
It was a tough weekend on the road for the Nittany Lions on March 9-10. Penn State suffered a 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-29, 25-27, 11-15) loss at IPFW before falling 3-1 (20-25, 17-25, 25-18, 20-25) to Ball State. Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) led the Nittany Lions with 3.78 kills per set, while junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) averaged 2.33 kills per set and redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) hit 2.57 per set. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) paced the offense with 11.11 assists per set, while redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a team-best 2.33 digs per set. Aaron Russell was second on the team with 1.89 digs per set, while redshirt freshman Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.) put up 0.56 blocks per set.
For the weekend, Penn State hit .242 and averaged 12.44 kills, 11.89 assists, 1.33 aces, 9.56 digs and 1.33 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State has a 68-26-1 record against the Buckeyes. The two squads have already met twice in 2013. In the Hawaiian Outrigger Invitational, the Nittany Lions defeated the Buckeyes soundly, 3-0 (26-25, 25-17, 25-22), on Jan. 12. However, Ohio State visited Penn State less than a month later on Feb. 9 and swept the Lions, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 26-24).
Scouting the Buckeyes
The ninth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are 14-3 overall and an impressive 7-1 in the MIVA. The Buckeyes opened their season with a 3-0 sweep of Saint Francis on Jan. 5 before going 1-2 at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational. From there the Buckeyes won 10 straight matches before Lewis handed them a 3-0 loss on March 2. Ohio State is coming off two 3-0 sweeps of Grand Canyon on March 8-9 heading into this weekend.
Redshirt sophomore opposite Andrew Lutz and sophomore outside Michael Henchy are Ohio State's top hitters with 3.67 and 3.46 kills per set, respectively. Redshirt sophomore Peter Heinen is averaging 11.29 assists per set as the starting setter, while sophomore libero Brennan Anderson has a team-best 3.33 digs per set. At the net, senior middle Grayson Overman is averaging an impressive 1.15 blocks per set so far this season.
What's Next?
Penn State remains on the road with a visit to EIVA foe Saint Francis on March 23. The Lions close out their month of travel with visits to Princeton and George Mason on March 29-30.
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.