April 4, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 12th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team is back at home for the first time since February when it hosts Lees-McRae on April 5. Action is set for 7 p.m.
Penn State's six seniors and senior manager will be honored prior to the match for their contributions to the program. In addition, Penn State is hosting a silent auction to benefit "EIVA Rallies" from 5-8 p.m. Following the match, members of the Navy Wounded Warriors seated volleyball team will challenge members of the Penn State women's volleyball team to a seated volleyball match.
Nittany Lion Preview
The Nittany Lions concluded their month long road trip with wins at Princeton (3-1) and George Mason (3-2) on March 29-30. The wins secured at least a share of the 2013 EIVA title. Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) led Penn State with 3.89 kills per set, while redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) posted 3.50 kills per set. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) dished out 10.78 assists per set and Russell led the team with 0.44 aces per set. Redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) was Penn State's top defender with 2.11 digs per set and senior Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.) put up a team-best 1.12 blocks per set.
At Saint Francis, Penn State hit .237 and averaged 12.33 kills, 11.78 assists, 1.00 aces, 8.00 digs per set and 2.17 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Lees-McRae
This is the second meeting between Penn State and Lees-McRae. The Nittany Lions won the first meeting between the squads on Feb. 19, 2011 3-2 (24-26, 25-12, 25-23, 22-25, 15-9).
Scouting the Bobcats
Lees-McRae is 17-11 overall in 2013, including 11-1 at home and 6-8 on the road. The Bobcats are 1-3 in their last four matches, ending a three-match losing streak with a 3-0 sweep of King on April 2.
Junior outside Jose Ribas leads LMC with 3.07 kills per set. Junior setter Randy Ramirez is averaging 9.64 assists per set this season and has guided the Bobcats to a .231 hitting percentage. He also averaged a team-high 0.31 aces per set. Junior opposite John Lucas averages 1.47 digs per set, while sophomore middle Joshua Jones is impressive at the net with 1.12 blocks per set
What's Next?
Penn State's visit home is brief as the Nittany Lions take to the skies to visit California on April 12-13. Penn State faces Concordia on Friday before taking on No. 4 UC Irvine on Saturday.
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.