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Feb. 19, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's volleyball (4-7, 2-0) is set to hit the road for the first two matches of a seven-game road trip. The Nittany Lions take on No. 2 Lewis (11-1, 3-0) Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. ET before traveling to No. 1 Loyola (10-0, 3-0) to square off against the top-ranked Ramblers Saturday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. ET.
PSU will meet both Lewis and Loyola for the second time this season, having lost a pair of close four set matches at home against both teams earlier this season.
The Nittany Lions went 1-1 last week, rebounding from a 3-0 loss at No. 12 Ohio State with a straight set victory against George Mason at home in Rec Hall to move to 2-0 in the EIVA standings.
QUICK SETS
*The Nittany Lions head to Chicago with an 11-9 edge in the all-time series against Loyola, looking to snap a three-match losing streak against the Ramblers.
*Penn State also leads the all-time series against the Flyers with a 19-9 advantage, having captured wins in two of the last three meetings.
*With matchups set against the top two ranked teams, PSU will have squared off against a team ranked within the AVCA Top 15 in three of the last four matches.
*The Nittany Lions enter the week averaging 12.81 kills per set, which leads the EIVA conference and ranks 10th nationally. Penn State also leads the league with 12.14 assists per set, which is slated eighth nationally.
*Defensively, the Nittany Lions are averaging 10.05 digs per frame, which ranks second in the conference and fourth in the country.
LAST TIME OUT: LEWIS AND LOYOLA
Penn State travels to Lewis also leading the all-time series against the Flyers with a 19-9 advantage. PSU was upended by Lewis earlier this season, falling in four sets at home. Powered by a match-high 23 kills from Aaron Russell, Nick Goodell (17) and Matt Callaway (11) also contributed double digit kills.
The Nittany Lions head to Chicago with an 11-9 edge in the all-time series against Loyola, having lost the last three straight against the Ramblers. Earlier this season, PSU came up short in a 3-1 loss in its home opener. Nick Goodell, Spencer Sauter and Aaron Russell all led the offense with double figure kills, led by 19 from Goodell.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Three 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. Since earning his first start, he's ranked third on the team with 2.30 kills per set and second in aces per set (0.52) with 12 aces on the year.
Redshirt freshman Aidan Albrecht has also seen increased action on the court since stepping into the middle position after an injury sidelined starter Matt Seifert. He made his collegiate debut in the 2015 EIVA opener against Saint Francis, before posting a career-high four blocks against Erskine. Against George Mason he tallied a career-high five kills.
AVCA DI-II COACHES' POLL UPDATE: FEBRUARY 16
Penn State received eight votes in this week's AVCA Poll, since slipping out of the top 15 three 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.
PAVLIK APPROACHING MILESTONE MARK
In his 21st year at the helm of the program, head coach Mark Pavlik has amassed 486 career victories. His all-time mark puts him just 14 shy of the milestone 500 career-wins plateau.
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.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Next up, Penn State continues its seven-match road swing. In week two of the road trip, the Nittany Lions travel to Sacred Heart Friday, Feb. 27 for a 7 p.m. match, before heading to Harvard to take on the Crimson Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.