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Feb. 10, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's volleyball (3-6, 1-0) is set for a home-and-away series this week, traveling to Ohio State (8-2, 4-0) Wednesday, Feb. 11 for a midweek matchup against the Buckeyes at 7 p.m. before returning home to host EIVA conference opponent George Mason (2-6, 0-0) Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in south gym at Rec Hall.
Fans will be able to stream Wednesday's match at OSU live via BTN Plus with a paid subscription. Fans may also tune into a live audio stream of both matches available here.
In its only match last weekend, PSU downed non-conference Erskine in straight sets. With the win, the Nittany Lions stretch their winning streak to three straight, having knocked off all three teams by way of a 3-0 score.
QUICK SETS
* Penn State and Ohio State will square off for the first of two meetings slated for the 2015 regular season. Overall, Penn State owns a 70-28 mark in the all-time series against the Buckeyes.
* The Nittany Lions also captured wins in all three meetings against George Mason in 2014. After defeating the Patriots in both regular-season outings, PSU topped GMU in the EIVA semifinals before moving on to win Penn State's 16th straight EIVA conference crown.
* After helping the team to a pair of wins against Mount Olive and Saint Francis, senior Aaron Russell earned EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors. The award is the first of the season for Russell, who previously earned EIVA Offensive Player of the Week accolades four times in 2014.
AVCA DI-II COACHES' POLL UPDATED: FEBRUARY 9
Penn State received six votes in this week's AVCA Poll, since slipping out of the top 15 two weeks ago. Presently, the Nittany Lions have now seen or will see a total of 11 teams from the top 15 at some point during the regular season.
RUSSELL NAMED EIVA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping the team to a pair of wins against Mount Olive and Saint Francis, senior Aaron Russell earned EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors. The award is the first of the season for Russell, who previously earned EIVA Offensive Player of the Week accolades four times in 2014. The award also marked the second consecutive week the Nittany Lions have earned one of the two EIVA Weekly honors.
Russell led the team with 4.17 kills per set during the 2-0 week, averaging a squad-best .513 hitting percentage. Defensively, he finished second on the team in blocks per set (0.83), while also tying for second on the team in digs per set (1.83). Against Mount Olive, he tallied eight kills, eight digs and two aces in the 3-0 victory, before highlighting the weekend with a match-high 17 kills on .625 hitting in the 2015 EIVA opener against Saint Francis.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
Penn State and Ohio State will square off for the first of two meetings slated for the 2015 regular season. Last year, PSU went 2-1 against the Buckeyes, capturing one win on the road at the Outrigger Invitational and one at home before dropping a 3-1 decision on the road in Columbus. Overall, Penn State owns a 70-28 mark in the all-time series against Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions captured wins in all three outings against George Mason in 2014. After defeating the Patriots in both regular-season outings, PSU topped GMU in the EIVA semifinals before moving on to win Penn State's 16th straight EIVA conference crown. In the all-time series, Penn State holds a 95-14 advantage in the all-time series, having won the last 16 consecutive matches.
STEPPING UP!
Two weeks ago, sophomore Chris Nugent highlighted the weekend with a pair of career high performances. In his first career start against Mount Olive, Nugent led the offense with a match-high 16 kills on .500 hitting, adding three aces, five digs and two blocks to earn Mike Anderson Penn State Player of the Match honors. The next night, he set another career-high mark with a match-high seven aces against Saint Francis. Against Erskine, he tied for first on the team with 12 kills, while also adding two aces and a career-high five blocks.
Redshirt freshman Aidan Albrecht has also seen increased action on the court. He made his collegiate debut in the 2015 EIVA opener against Saint Francis, posting two kills and two blocks. He made his second career start against Erskine last week, notching two kills and a career-high four blocks.
RALLYING FOR A CAUSE
Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik helped raise awareness for the EIVA's "EIVA Rallies!" campaign by wearing a fedora in the Nittany Lions' EIVA opener against travel partner, Saint Francis. Each year, Penn State men's volleyball participates in the annual campaign, which benefits the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During the EIVA Rallies! silent auction, PSU raised nearly $700 to donate to the cause on behalf of the Nittany Lions.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is one of the largest and oldest private cancer centers. Throughout its history, the center has dedicated more than 100 years to patient care and innovative research.
PAVLIK APPROACHING CAREER MARK
In his 21st year at the helm of the program, head coach Mark Pavlik has amassed 485 career victories. His all-time mark puts him just 15 shy of the milestone 500 career-wins plateau.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Next up, Penn State hits the road for a seven-match road swing. The Nittany Lions will kick off the road trip at with round two of matches against Lewis and Loyola. PSU takes on the No. 2 Flyers Friday, Feb. 21 in Monroeville, Ill., before heading to Chicago to square off against the top-ranked Ramblers Saturday, Feb. 22.