March 21, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 13 Penn State men's volleyball team continues its month-long road trip with a visit to EIVA foe Saint Francis on Saturday, March 123. This marks the second meeting between the two squads this season. Action is set for 7 p.m.
Links to live stats can be found at GoPSUsports.com.
Nittany Lion Preview
The NIttany Lions were last in action on March 16 at Ohio State. Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) led the Lions with 4.67 kills per set, while senior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) had 4.33 kills per set. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) dished out 9.67 assists per set and redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a team-high 2.00 digs per set.
At Ohio State, Penn State hit .168 and averaged 13.00 kills, 12.33 assists, 0.67 aces and 8.00 digs per set.
Penn State vs. Saint Francis
The Nittany Lions are a perfect 31-0 all-time against the Red Flash. This is the second meeting this season between Saint Francis and Penn State. The two squads met earlier on Feb. 8 in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions won, 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-17). Redshirt freshman Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.) led Penn State with 10 kills on .769 hitting. The Nittany Lions hit .455 in the match.
Scouting the Red Flash
Saint Francis has an 8-12 record this season and is 5-4 in EIVA play. The Red Flash has won three of its last five matches, including wins against EIVA foes George Mason, NJIT and Rutgers-Newark. Most recently Saint Francis suffered 3-0 setbacks to both Loyola-Chicago and then No. 7 Lewis on March 15-16.
Junior outside Logan Patterson leads the Red Flash with 3.94 kills per set, while junior setter Michael Krepp is pacing the offense with 9.51 assists per set. Saint Francis is hitting .218 for the season. Defensively, senior libero Nick Bancroft is averaging a team-high 2.58 digs per set, and senior middle Adam Roche is a wall at the net with 1.24 blocks per set.
What's Next?
Penn State closes out its month on the road with a trip to Princeton and George Mason on March 29-30. The Nittany Lions will have played eight straight matches on the road. Penn State returns home on April 5 to host Lees-McRae on Senior Night.
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.