Feb. 4, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following another undefeated weekend at home, the No. 12 Penn State men's volleyball team looks to extend its winning streak, hosting No. 14 Ohio State in a midweek matchup set for Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:15 p.m. in Rec Hall.
EIVA OPENER IN REVIEW
Penn State opened a two-match homestand with a dominant straight set victory against Mount Olive Friday night. The next evening, the Nittany Lions returned to the court to claim a 3-1 win against in-state foe, Saint Francis in the 2014 EIVA opener.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE AVCA COACHES POLL - WEEK FIVE UPDATE
Following a 2-0 weekend at home, PSU remains No. 12 in the latest AVCA DI-II Top 15 Poll. The Nittany Lions have now spent the last four weeks at the No. 12 position. Additionally, Penn State is the only EIVA team to be represented in the AVCA poll.
PENN STATE VS. OHIO STATE
The Nittany Lions own a 69-27 advantage in the all-time series against the Buckeyes, having already swept OSU once this season. Ohio State is one of Penn State's oldest non-conference rivals having first squared off against the Nittany Lions in 1978. More recently, PSU and Ohio State have met 26 times in the last 10 years, with Penn State winning 18 of the matchups.
PSU AND OSU IN THE OUTRIGGER INVITE ...
Earlier this season, the Nittany Lions picked up a 3-0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-19) win against the Buckeyes in the Outrigger Invitational hosted by Hawaii. Redshirt junior Nick Goodell led the way with 13 kills, adding seven digs and two aces. Junior Aaron Russell and senior Peter Russell also added double-digit kills, with 10 and 12, respectively.
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SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State is an even 4-4 on the year after dropping an MIVA conference match on the road at Loyola. The loss at Loyola moved Ohio State to 2-1 in conference play, snapping a two-match winning streak. Andrew Lutz and Michael Henchy are leading the Buckeyes offense with 2.70 kills or more each. Lutz's leading the way with 3.52 per frame, while also averaging 1.04 digs per set. Averaging 1.96 kills per set, Driss Guessous is another offensive option for OSU, as his .526 hitting clip ranks first on the squad.
RUSSELL EARNS ANOTHER EIVA WEEKLY HONOR
After helping the Penn State men's volleyball team to an undefeated weekend at home, junior Aaron Russell was named the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week. The honor is his second conference offensive player of the week award of the 2014 season.
Against Mount Olive, he registered five kills, two digs, two blocks and two aces. The next night, Russell played a key role in the Nittany Lions' 3-1 EIVA conference opening victory against Saint Francis. Russell notched his second double-double of the season with 16 kills and 11 digs. He also added a team-high four aces in the win.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Nittany Lions will jump right back into action, hosting Erskine and Pfeiffer in a pair of non-conference matchups this weekend. Penn State takes on Erskine Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in main gym, before hosting Pfeiffer Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in south gym. Admission to both events is free of charge.