UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The fourth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team hosts another top-10 series at Rec Hall this Thursday and Saturday, Jan. 13 and 15, when the Nittany Lions welcome No. 6 Grand Canyon to Rec Hall.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Thursday, Jan. 6 | Saturday, Jan. 8
Place: Rec Hall Main Gym
Times: 7 p.m. both nights
Stats: Matches 1 & 2
Stream ($): B1G+
Game Notes: Penn State Game Notes
Admission: FREE for all home regular season matches!
PARKING INFORMATION
All Penn State Athletics non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Complimentary parking will no longer be issued for season ticket holders.
Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Season packages will be available for general parking for most sports, and information on VIP parking options available for select events will be released later.
Please visit the 2022 Men's Volleyball Parking page for additional information.
Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436.
MASKING AT REC HALL
For the 2022 season, all guests must wear face coverings in accordance with state, local and University regulations.
MATCH NOTES AND INFORMATION
- Penn State bumped up one spot to fourth in the AVCA poll this week and also ranked fourth in the first Off the Block media poll. PSU ranked 5th in the preseason AVCA poll, its highest preseason ranking since 2010. The Nittany Lions finished the 2021 season with a nation-best 22 wins and their 32nd EIVA Tournament title.
- PSU opened its 2022 season with a pair of impressive 3-0 sweeps of then-No. 6 BYU Jan. 6 & 8 at Rec Hall. Penn State had 9.0 team blocks in last Thursday's match and Toby Ezeonu led the Nittany Lions with 10 kills in his first career start at home. On Saturday, PSU hit .403 as a team and Cal Fisher aced six serves to power the second-straight sweep.Cal Fisher was named the Off the Block national opposite of the week for his efforts against BYU. He had 15 kills at a .500 H%, 8 service aces, 10 digs, and five blocks in the series.
- The Nittany Lions were chosen as the unanimous preseason favorite in the preseason EIVA coaches poll. Mark Pavlik's chosen players to watch are senior OH Brett Wildman and sophomore MB Toby Ezeonu. Penn State returns its entire starting lineup and regular rotation of players from its 2021 NCAA Tournament campaign. That includes three Off the Block Preseason All-Americans in senior S Cole Bogner, OPP Cal Fisher, and OH Brett Wildman. PSU also welcomes back 2021 All-EIVA performers in senior L Will Bantle and MB Sam Marsh.
- Head coach Mark Pavlik became the fifth coach in men's volleyball history to reach 600 career wins March 27 vs. SHU. His 606 wins are the most among active DI-II men's coaches.This will be the first-ever matchup between Penn State and Grand Canyon in the programs' history. The Nittany Lions' series against the Lopes is its first of two matchups that will mark the first time Penn State has played a new opponent, with the other being PSU's matches against St. Francis Brooklyn.
- According to this week's AVCA poll released on Monday, Jan. 10, the Nittany Lions are slated to begin the season against six-straight opponents who are ranked in the top 15. PSU travels to UCLA next weekend for the B1G-Pac12 Challenge to face #12 USC and #2 UCLA. They'll follow with another pair of matches in California against (RV) UC Santa Barbara and #5 Long Beach State.
- The Lopes began their season with a pair of four-set victories over 14th-ranked McKendree to begin their 2022 season. Head Coach Matt Werle is a native of Meadville, Pa. and played his collegiate volleyball at nearby Juniata College. GCU will have an exhibition match at Juniata Friday evening.
- GCU is led by outside hitters Camden Gianni and Christian Janke. Gianni is a 2022 Off the Block preseason All-American and Janke was OTB's national outside hitter of the week last week for his 21-kill performance last Friday vs. McKendree.
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.