UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The fourth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team opens the 2023 season with a pair of matches in Columbus this weekend. The Nittany Lions play Central State on Friday at 7 p.m., and take on No. 13 Ohio State on Saturday at 4 p.m. Both matches are at Ohio State's Covelli Center.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
#4 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. Central State (0-0, 0-0 SIAC)
Date: Friday, Jan. 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Covelli Center (Columbus, Ohio)
Stats: Live Stats
#4 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 EIVA) at #13 Ohio State (0-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 7
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Covelli Center (Columbus, Ohio)
B1G+: Live Stream
Stats: Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY - CENTRAL STATE
- Penn State will play Central State for the first time in program history.
SCOUTING CENTRAL STATE
- Central State played its first season of men's volleyball in 2022.
- The Marauders had a solid first season, going 14-13 overall and 9-1 in the SIAC. They went on to win the inaugural SIAC Men's Volleyball Tournament.
- Central State returns SIAC Setter of the Year Marcus Franck and Libero of the Year Victor Scherer. Also returning are All-SIAC honorees D'Aaron McCraney and Cameron Lee.
SERIES HISTORY - OHIO STATE
- Penn State and Ohio State will play for the 119th time. The Lions lead 78-39-1 in a series that began in 1978.
- The Lions have won four straight matches in the series. Three of the four matches were played at Rec Hall.
- Penn State is 14-22 against the Buckeyes in Columbus.
- Toby Ezeonu hit .640 while averaging 2.57 kills/set in a pair of wins over Ohio State last season. Cole Bogner averaged 10.5 assists/set in the two wins.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- Ohio State enters the season ranked No. 13 in the Preseason AVCA Poll.
- The Buckeyes were picked third in the MIVA Preseason Poll. The Buckeyes received three first-place votes. Just three points separated the first-place team and third-place team in the poll.
- Samuel Clark and Jacob Pasteur were selected to the Preseason All-MIVA Team. Pasteur, a junior outside hitter, was a first-team All-MIVA selection last season. Clark, a senior middle blocker, earned a spot on the second team.
MATCH NOTES & STATS
- Penn State was picked as the favorite in the EIVA Preseason Poll. The Lions received five of a possible six first-place votes. They won the EIVA regular season title in each of the past two seasons.
- Toby Ezeonu, a junior middle blocker, and Cal Fisher, a graduate opposite hitter, were named EIVA Preseason Players to Watch.
- Two players on the Penn State roster combined to win the past three EIVA Player of the Year honors. Brett Wildman, a graduate outside hitter, earned the award in 2020 and 2022. Cole Bogner, a graduate setter, won the award in 2021.
- Mark Pavlik enters his 29th season as the head coach of the Penn State men's volleyball team. He holds a career record of 629-214, including an impressive 309-24 in EIVA play.
- Penn State came in at No. 4 in the AVCA Preseason Poll. The top five includes No. 1 Hawaii, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Long Beach State, and No. 5 Pepperdine.
UP NEXT
- Penn State hosts Daemen on Jan. 13, and Merrimack on Jan. 14.
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.