March 20, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 14 Penn State men's volleyball team (14-5) wraps up its non-conference slate this weekend traveling to No. 1 Loyola Chicago (17-1) and No. 10 Lewis (14-5) in the final stretch of a seven-match road swing. The Nittany Lions take on the top-ranked Ramblers Friday, March 21 at 8 p.m. ET before facing the Flyers Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m. ET.
ACTIVE ANKLE IN REVIEW
The Nittany Lions opened the Active Ankle Classic with a straight-set victory against RV Cal State Northridge, but fell short in the final match of the event, dropping a 3-0 decision to tournament host, No. 2 Long Beach State. Redshirt sophomore Matt Seifert and redshirt freshman Matt Callaway each earned all-tournament team honors for their performances.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE AVCA COACHES POLL - WEEK 11 UPDATE
Following a 1-1 weekend on the west coast, PSU has remained No. 14 for the second consecutive week in the latest AVCA DI-II Top 15 Poll. Two weeks ago, PSU moved back to No. 12 after spending one week at No. 10. Prior to the No. 10 positioning, the Nittany Lions were slated No. 12 for six consecutive weeks. Additionally, Penn State is the only EIVA team to be ranked within the top 15.
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PENN STATE VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO
The Nittany Lions hold a slim 10-7 advantage in the all-time series against the Ramblers. The series includes a 3-2 mark in the last five outings, with Penn State claiming the eventual victory in the last three consecutive matches. PSU has also recorded a pair of straight-set victories against the Ramblers both on the road and at home in the last two years.
PENN STATE VS. LEWIS
PSU is 17-8 all-time against the Flyers since the first meeting between the two teams in 1994. Within the last 10 years, Penn State has compiled a 9-2 record against Lewis. The most recent loss to the Flyers occurred on the road in 2012. The four-set setback snapped an eight-match winning streak involving the two teams that stretched back to 2004.
SEIFERT AND CALLAWAY EARN ACTIVE ANKLE ACCOLADES
Redshirt sophomore Matt Seifert and redshirt freshman Matt Callaway each earned a spot on the Active Ankle All-Tournament team. Seifert closed out the week ranked third on the squad with 14 kills, on a team-high .591 hitting clip. He highlighted the weekend with 10 kills on 14 perfect swings in the match against then-No. 2 Long Beach State.
Callaway finished the 1-1 weekend on the road with a second-best .471 hitting clip after putting up three kills against the Matadors and seven against the 49ers. He also concluded the weekend with a team-high 0.50 blocks per set, highlighted by a multi-block performance in the win against CSUN.
CALLAWAY TABBED NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORABLE MENTION
Redshirt freshman Matt Callaway garnered more recognition as he was selected as one an Off The Block/Springbak honorable mention national freshman of the week. The honor marks the third time this season that he's been featured as either the Off The Block/Springbak freshman of the week or an honorable mention pick.
AMONG THE TOP SERVERS IN THE NATION
Junior Aaron Russell continues to impress from the service line, as his 0.52 aces per frame currently ranks second nationally. His team-high mark also leads the conference. In 2013, Russell tallied 40 aces on the year, which ranks 10th all-time on the single-season record list. With 34 aces on the year, he's just six shy of matching his 2013 single-season mark. On the career all-time list, his 99 aces is now tied with Jose Quinones (1999-02) for seventh all-time.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Next up, Penn State returns home to close out its regular season home slate. The Nittany Lions will welcome EIVA conference foes Princeton and George Mason to the court in Rec Hall for a pair of 7 p.m. matches March 28-29.