LOS ANGELES – The Penn State men's volleyball team heads to California for the second time this season for the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge featuring the Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes, USC Trojans, and UCLA Bruins.
Penn State will face host USC Friday evening at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET) before taking on UCLA Saturday evening at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). All matches will be played at USC's Galen Center.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Penn State (8-8) at #11 USC (9-7)
Date: Friday, March 8
Time: 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET
Stats: LIVE STATS
Video: PAC 12 LIVESTREAM
Penn State vs. #5 UCLA (14-4)
Date: Saturday, March 9
Time: 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET
Stats: LIVE STATS
Video: PAC 12 LIVESTREAM
AGAINST THE TROJANS AND BRUINS
The Nittany Lions have faced their Southern California counterparts several times in program history. Penn State trails the all-time series against the Trojans 10-18, but the Nittany Lions have won the last four matches against USC, including the most recent three which were all in the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge.
UCLA holds a 30-6-1 all-time mark over Penn State and are riding a seven-match win streak over Penn State since 2011. The Nittany Lions last defeated the Bruins in 2008 at the Hawai'i Outrigger Invitational.
FALCK LAUTEN FINDING A GROOVE
Henrik Falck Lauten is quickly becoming one of Penn State's go-to offensive players and he has put up big numbers in the last few matches for the Nittany Lions. Last Saturday against NJIT, Falck Lauten set a season high with 18 kills while hitting .538 (18-4-26) for the match, also a season best.
The redshirt junior leads the Nittany Lions in kills (134) and points (161.0) this season while also ranking second on the squad in digs (70) and third in blocks (30).
BRASWELL VERSUS THE WEST
Redshirt junior Luke Braswell has had some of his best individual efforts of his career when playing against USC or UCLA. In his last two matches against the Trojans, Braswell has 122 total assists over ten sets, including a career-best 62 assists on Jan. 8, 2017. Braswell also set a career high in service aces with three against UCLA Jan. 7, 2017.
Braswell set a season high last time out against NJIT with 47 assists.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The 11th-ranked Trojans enter this weekend winners of two-straight games, both played against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) opponents. USC beat Concordia 3-2 and then-#4 Pepperdine in four sets.
The Trojans are led by redshirt senior outside hitter Jack Wyett who has a team-best 181 kills this season, including a season-high 21 last match against Pepperdine. Senior outside hitter Ryan Moss is second on the team with 172 kills and 199.5 points.
The fifth-ranked Bruins have won four in a row all against conference opponents, including a three-set sweep of USC two weekends ago. Over those four matches, UCLA has dropped just three sets.
Redshirt junior Brandon Rattray leads the Bruins with 192 kills despite playing in just 15 matches this season. His teammate, junior middle blocker Daenan Gyimah, is second on the team with 190 kills while hitting .518 for the season.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions have two more road matches against ranked opponents on horizon for next weekend, March 15-16. Penn State travels to Purdue Fort Wayne next Friday before facing off with Ball State Saturday. Both matches are schedule for 7 p.m.
