UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's volleyball program welcomes seven incoming freshmen to the roster for the 2019-20 school year and the 2020 volleyball season.
Joining the program will be setter/opposite, Jack Driscoll, outside hitters, Gabe Hartke, Tim Herget, Jack Howard, John Kerr and Jack Shampine, and middle blocker, Andrew Watts.
"This incoming class is a very athletic group and we believe their best volleyball is still ahead of them," said head coach Mark Pavlik. " Their physicality should play very well for us going forward. Not only are we really excited about the talented players that they are, we're also proud of the great young men they are and the great families they come from."
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 15-15 season in 2019 with a second-place finish in the EIVA Tournament, narrowly missing out on the NCAA Tournament after a five-set loss to Princeton in the conference title match. Departing Nittany Lions from the 2019 squad include outside hitters Matthew McLaren, Lee Smith and Frank Melvin, all of whom graduated last May.
Here is a breakdown of Penn State's newest student-athletes:
Jack Driscoll
Position: Setter/Opposite
Hometown: Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.
High School: Sachem High School North
Driscoll was chosen a First Team 2018-19 AVCA All-American as a setter and opposite at Sachem High School North. He was also named to the New York All-State Team and selected the Long Island Suffolk County Player of the Year his senior year.
A versatile athlete, he set his school's single-season school record with 368 kills in 2018 while also excelling as a setter during his high school career. He was named team captain his junior and senior seasons.
Driscoll also played for the Long Island Academy Volleyball Club from 2016-19 with current teammate, Andrew Watts.
Driscoll will enroll in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
Gabe Hartke
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Barrington, Ill.
High School: Barrington Community High School
Hartke was named a 2018-19 AVCA Second Team performer as an outside hitter at Barrington Community High School. He was also named IHSA Second Team All-State and the Daily Herald Northwest Suburban League Co-Player of the Year in his senior season.
A three-time team captain, Hartke helped the Broncos to four-straight regional championship (2016-19) and back-to-back sectional titles in 2018-19.
Hartke played club volleyball for Adversity 18 Adidas in 2018-19 and Pipeline Volleyball Club in 2017-18.
Hartke intends to major in biomedical engineering with a focus in pre-medicine.
Tim Herget
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Darien, Conn.
High School: Darien High School
Herget was named the Hearst Connecticut Media Group Boys Volleyball MVP twice in 2016 and 2017. In those two seasons, he helped lead Darien to back-to-back Class L Connecticut State Championships.
In his four seasons playing for the Blue Wave, Herget's class compiled an 86-11 record, including a 25-1 mark in his senior season.
After his graduation in 2017, Herget spent the last two years on a mission trip in Chile for teh Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
He will enroll in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
Jack Howard
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Northbrook, Ill.
High School: Loyola Academy
Howard played with the USA Volleyball A1 Training Team for three seasons (2017-19) and was a standout at Loyola Academy where he was named 22nd Century Media Player of the Year in 2019. He was selected to the 2019 Pioneer Press All-Area First Team and was a four-time member of the Chicago Catholic League All-Conference Team.
Howard totaled 1,154 kills at opposite hitter in his career, which ranks 14th all-time in Illinois for kills in a high school career. He also earned academic all-conference awards in 2018 and 2019.
He played club volleyball for Adversity Volleyball Club for two seasons (2017-18, 2018-19).
Howard intends to major in biology.
John Kerr
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Derry, Pa.
High School: Derry Area High School
Kerr is a three-time member of the All-WPIAL Team (2018-19 First Team, 2017 Third Team) as an outside hitter for Derry Area High School. Chosen his team's captain his senior year, Kerr completed his volleyball career with 1,012 kills, 330 digs, 111 blocks, and 33 aces.
Kerr also excelled on the basketball court where he set multiple school records for the Trojans. He is the school's all-time leading shot blocker (204) and set the school's single-season high with 106 blocks his senior year. He also averaged 16.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 5.6 blocks per game in 2019.
Kerr intends to major in accounting.
Jack Shampine
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown: Glenview, Ill.
High School: Glenbrook South High School
Shampine was named a 2018-19 AVCA Second Team All-American as an outside hitter, opposite, and middle blocker for Glenbrook South High School. He was selected CSL Conference Player of the Year and named to the Chicago Tribune All-Area Team as a senior.
Shampine played club volleyball for the Division 1 Volleyball club for three seasons (2017-19).
He will enroll in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
Andrew Watts
Position: Middle Blocker
Hometown: Northport, N.Y.
High School: Northport High School
Watts was named to Volleyball Magazine's 2019 Fab 50 Players to Watch List and participated in USA Volleyball Boys Youth Holiday Training Program in 2017 and 2018. He also played for the USA Volleyball A1 Training Team in 2017.
Watts was named to the 2018 Newsday All-Long Island Team as a middle blocker at Northport High School. He was chosen to back-to-back Suffolk County All-Star teams in 2017 and 2018 while also being named team captain and team MVP both seasons.
He played club volleyball for Long Island Academy for four seasons 2016-19 along with Penn State teammate, Jack Driscoll.
He will enroll in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
For more information on Penn State men's volleyball, follow the Nittany Lions on Twitter @PennStateMVBALL and Instagram @pennstatemvball and "like" the Penn State men's volleyball page on Facebook.
