March 28, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 13 Penn State men's volleyball team (15-6, 9-1 EIVA) concludes its month-long road trip with visits to Princeton and George Mason on March 29-30. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. starts.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions were last in action on March 23 at Saint Francis. Junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) led the Nittany Lions with 4.33 kills per set, while sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) averaged 4.00. Senior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) added 3.67 kills per set. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) paced the offense with 12.00 assists, 0.67 aces and 1.00 blocks per set. On defense, redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) recorded a match-best 4.00 digs per set and redshirt freshman Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.) put up 1.00 blocks per set.
At Saint Francis, Penn State hit .412 and averaged 15.00 kills, 13.67 assists, 1.00 aces, 8.00 digs per set and 2.17 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Princeton
Penn State owns a 47-2 all-time record against the Tigers. The teams met earlier this season with the Lions coming away with a 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 27-25) win. Princeton has not won a match against PSU since the 1998 EIVA Semifinal.
Scouting the Tigers
Princeton has secured a 9-6 overall record this season and is 7-2 in the EIVA to sit at second place in the standings behind the Nittany Lions. Princeton hosts Saint Francis on Thursday before welcoming the Nittany Lions to its own Dillon Gym.
The Tigers are led by junior outside Pat Schwagler who is averaging 3.84 kills per set this season. Junior setter Davis Waddell guides the offense with 10.04 assists per set, while sophomore libero Tony Ensbury is the team's top passer with 2.22 digs per set. Senior middle Michael Dye leads the Tigers at the net with 1.05 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. George Mason
The Nittany Lions are 91-14 all-time against the Patriots. This is their second meeting in 2013. Penn State hosted George Mason on Feb. 22 and earned a 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22) victory. George Mason hosts Saint Francis on March 22 before taking on the Nittany Lions.
Scouting the Patriots
George Mason is 11-10 overall and 7-2 in the EIVA. The Patriots have won four of their last six matches, including a 3-1 win against Juniata and a 3-0 sweep of Lees-McRae most recently. Top players to watch for GMU include senior outside Mark Jones, who averages 3.50 kills per set, as well as senior outsides Michael Kvidahl and Andrew Dentler who each hit 3.17 kills per set. Senior setter Javier Perez paces the offense with 10.35 assists per set and senior outside Max McFarland is the Patriots top passer with 2.56 digs per set. Senior middle Piotr Dabrowski is impressive at the net with an average of 1.25 blocks per set.
What's Next?
For the first time in more than a month the Nittany Lions will be back in action in their home gym on April 5. Penn State hosts Lees-McRae at 7 p.m. on Senior Night. This is the final regular season match in the main gym. Penn State's home matches on April 19-20 will be played in the South Gym of Rec Hall.
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.