Jan. 26, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 8 Penn State men's volleyball is set to travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the defending NCAA Champion Buckeyes.
The Nittany Lions will square off against Ohio State (4-2) Sunday, Jan. 28 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Fans can catch a live video stream of the matchup against Ohio State courtesy of Buckeye Vision at Ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
Live stats for the match will be provided as well.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
Ohio State is fresh off a sweep of St. Francis (Pa.) and four of their first six games in the 2018 season.
All-American Nicolas Szerszen leads Ohio State in kills collecting 92 through six matches while teammate Jake Hanes is close behind with a season total of 61.
Sanil Thomas leads the Buckeyes in assist with 257, Szerszen and Thomas are a close 1-2 in digs with 41 and 40, respectively, while Blake Leeson is the team leader in blocks with 18 total.
Ohio State is currently tied for third-place in the MIVA with a record of 4-2 overall and 0-0 in MIVA play while entering the match as the T-No. 3 team in the nation (AVCA).
PENN STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Penn State is currently ranked in the top-25 in five different team categories including a top-five ranking in hitting percentage - .346 (3rd).
Individually, Jalen Penrose is ranked No. 4 in the nation in aces per set (0.60) followed closely by Aidan Albrecht at No. 11 in 11th averaging 0.50 aces per set. Luke Braswell is 11th in the nation in assists per set averaging 10.06.
NITTANY LIONS No. 8 IN LATEST AVCA POLL
Penn State enters week three at the No. 8 team in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association DI-II (AVCA) poll.
Penn State (3-1, 0-0) is coming off a 1-1 weekend vs. No. 2 UCLA and No. 13 USC on the road.
Long Beach State remained the No. 1 team in the nation receiving 23 of 26 first-place votes with a record of 7-0, followed by UCLA (1) at No. 2 (7-0), Hawai'i (1) at T-No. 3 (6-0), Ohio State (1) at T-No. 3 (3-2) and BYU (5-1) rounding out the top-five.
PAVLIK KNOWS HOW TO WIN
In his 24th year at the helm of the program, head coach Mark Pavlik has amassed over 500 wins. Pavlik currently stands at 546-173 for his career.
FRESH FACES ON THE COURT IN 2018
The defending EIVA regular and tournament champion men's volleyball team returns a core group of 15 letter winners and four starters this year while welcoming five freshmen and one transfer to the roster.
The new additions include 6-5 Outside Hitter Will Bantle from Pacific Palisades, Calif., Louis Murray, a 6-2 Libero from Los Angeles, Calif., Mathew Gagnon, a 6-5 Outside Hitter from Cranberry Township, Pa., Jack Goedken, a 6-4 Outside Hitter from Carlsbad, Calif. and Henrik Falck Lauten, a 6-5 Outside Hitter from Drammen, Norway.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Penn State will host matches Friday, Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 as the Nittany Lions host Ball State and Fort Wayne, respectively, with Friday's match set for a 7 p.m. and Saturday's match slated for a 4 p.m. first serve in Rec Hall.