Jan. 15, 2016
By Jack Milewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Revenge won't be on the mind of the Penn State Nittany Lions men's volleyball team as they head to Lewis for their match Saturday against the Flyers.
"They knocked us out of the tournament last year, but we knocked them out the year before," said Head Coach Mark Pavlik. "So in that respect, it's a draw."
Already in this early 2016 season, the Penn State team has faced ranked opponents USC (No. 13), UCLA (No. 2) and Loyola (No. 6), three of the top teams in the nation. The first three matches for Penn State have been hard fought contests and the match against Lewis should be no different.
"Every season is obviously different," said Pavlik. "But the guys who have been in this program for a few years now know that this will be a battle, it always is. History doesn't really enter in to my thinking, it wont score us any points."
This entire 2016 season will be a battle for the Penn State team as the Lions are not only once again one of the top programs in the nation, but they also have a little extra pressure on them as they will be the hosts for the 2016 Men's Volleyball Collegiate National Championship.
"I think this group of guys wants to walk out of their own locker room for the last match of the season," said Pavlik. "I think that serves as motivation enough. I believe we are the flagship for Pennsylvania volleyball on the men's side and the community always rally's around us come the end of the season and I expect that to be the case come May as well."
Though each season possesses its own type of adversity, Penn State has already faced some in having to replace star outside hitter Aaron Russell. However, Pavlik has taken a matter of fact approach to the situation saying graduation and losing players like that is all part of the collegiate game.
"I think you're always game planning for something like that in a sense," said Pavlik. "I didn't wake up yesterday and realize suddenly that Aaron was gone. It's tough to see a guy like that go, but you have to game plan and understand what you need to do in terms of recruiting and coaching so that you don't really take any steps back when someone leaves."
Although Russell may be gone, Penn State has some young talent that has already shown itself in these early matches in the form of Jalen Penrose and Chris Nugent. Penrose secured 17 kills in the first two matches of the season and possess the athleticism to be a dynamic player for a few years. Nugent is another solid figure who can play all six rotations effectively and thinks the game extremely well.
"I think Nugent has handled himself very well and has played like a seasoned veteran," said Pavlik. We really like his consistency as a player. I also really like the physicality that we have got from Jalen. He is going to score a lot of points for us and the opponents and that's something we have to address, but I really liked how he has played."
Penn State is set to face its fourth ranked opponent in their fourth game of the season when they take on Lewis. First serve is set for just after 7 p.m. on Saturday as the Nittany Lions look to notch a weekend split following Thursday's 3-0 decision at Loyola.