UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The fourth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team is set to play two nationally-ranked opponents when it travels to Austin, Texas, for the First Point Collegiate Challenge this weekend. The Nittany Lions take on No. 5 Pepperdine on Friday at 5 p.m. ET, and play No. 8 Stanford on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Both matches will stream live on Volleyball World TV. A special discount code is being offered for the event. Fans can use the code FPCC1 to get one month of Volleyball World TV for free.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
No. 4 Penn State (4-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. No. 5 Pepperdine (4-0, 0-0 MPSF)
Date: Friday, Jan. 20
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Place: Austin Convention Center
Watch: Volleyball World TV
Stats: Live Stats
No. 4 Penn State (4-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. No. 8 Stanford (4-0, 0-0 MPSF)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Place: Austin Convention Center
Watch: Volleyball World TV
Stats: Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY - PEPPERDINE
- Penn State is 4-17 in the all-time series with Pepperdine. The teams first played in 1983.
- The teams haven't played each other since 2012. The Waves won that match 3-2 on their home court.
- Eleven of the matches in the series were played at a neutral site. Four were played at Penn State, while six were played at Pepperdine.
SCOUTING PEPPERDINE
- Pepperdine is ranked fifth in the nation and is 4-0 with wins over Lincoln Memorial, The Master's, Emmanuel, and Princeton. The Waves have yet to drop a set.
- Friday's match will be Pepperdine's first of the season outside of Malibu.
- The Waves rank first in the nation in hitting percentage (.420) and kills/set (14.50). Individually, Bryce Dvorak ranks second in assists/set (12.18), and Jaylen Jasper ranks second in kills/set (5.09).
- Pepperdine was picked second in the MPSF Preseason Poll.
SERIES HISTORY - STANFORD
- Penn State is 6-5 in the all-time series with Stanford. The teams first played in 1992.
- The teams last played each other in 2017. The Cardinal won that match 3-0 in State College.
- The Lions have won five of the last seven matches in the series.
SCOUTING STANFORD
- Stanford is ranked eighth in the nation and is 4-0 with two wins over Saint Francis and two wins over then-No. 10 UC Santa Barbara.
- Will Rottman ranks eighth in the nation in kills/set (4.00).
- Stanford was picked third in the MPSF Preseason Poll.
PENN STATE NOTES & STATS
- Penn State is ranked fourth in the nation and is 4-0 with wins over Central State (3-1), Ohio State (3-1), Daemen (3-0), and Merrimack (3-0. The Lions are off to a 4-0 start for the second-straight season.
- Owen Rose won an award in each of the first two weeks of the season. He was named the National Middle Attacker of the Week by Off the Block after the opening weekend. He was named the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week after last weekend's matches. Rose ranks second in the nation in blocks/set (1.86).
- Graduate setter Cole Bogner has guided Penn State to a .377 hitting percentage while averaging 9.79 assists/set through four matches. He has also contributed 12 kills on .556 hitting, four aces, 26 digs, and eight blocks.
- Brett Wildman is expected to make his season debut in Austin. He needs 19 kills to reach 1,000 for his career.
UP NEXT
- Penn State hosts No. 3 Long Beach State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Beach is 2-0 with 3-0 wins over King and Lindenwood.
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.