UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 9 Penn State Men's Volleyball is set for two matches against the top-ranked team in the nation this week. The Nittany Lions travel to Columbus to take on No. 1 Ohio State on Thursday at 6 p.m., and then host the Buckeyes at Rec Hall on Sunday at 3 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
#9 Penn State (4-2, 0-0 EIVA) at #1 Ohio State (6-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 25
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: Covelli Center (Columbus, Ohio)
Live Stream: B1G+
Stats: Live Stats
#1 Ohio State (6-0, 0-0 MIVA) at #9 Penn State (4-2, 0-0 EIVA)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 28
Time: 3 p.m.
Place: Rec Hall
Live Stream: B1G+
Stats: Live Stats
PARKING
• Parking for all Penn State Athletics' non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. 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.
• Parking For men's volleyball matches, fans are asked to park in the Nittany Deck or West Deck. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $6.00 through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle and is cash only/can be purchased on the ParkMobile app.
•Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State and Ohio State will play for the 122nd time in program history. The teams first played in 1978.
- The Nittany Lions are 15-22 against the Buckeyes on the road and 34-12 at home.
- Penn State won six of the past seven matchups, including two of three last season. The most recent win was in the quaterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Toby Ezeonu has hit .517 while averaging 1.76 kills and 0.86 blocks per set in six career matches against Ohio State. Owen Rose has hit .652 while averaging 1.15 kills and 1.31 blocks per set in three career matches.
- John Kerr had a breakout performance in a 3-1 win over the Buckeyes early last season. He hit .545 with 21 kills, one ace, five blocks and four digs in a road victory.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- Ohio State is 6-0 following five-set wins over then-No. 1 UCLA and then-No. 13 USC at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Austin, Texas last week.
- The Buckeyes are one of just 10 remaining unbeaten teams in the country.
- Jacob Pasteur, a first-team AVCA All-American and reigning MIVA Player of the Year, ranks fourth in the nation in points/set (5.06) and sixth in kills/set (4.19).
THREE STRAIGHT NO. 1
- Penn State is set to play the top-ranked team in the nation in three consecutive matches. The Nittany Lions played then-No. 1 UCLA last week in Austin, Texas, and now have the two matches this week against new No. 1 Ohio State.
- The Nittany Lions have never played the No. 1 ranked team in consecutive matches, let alone three in a row.
- Penn State has played the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in back-to-back matches on seven occasions.
PENN STATE NOTES AND STATS
- Toby Ezeonu ranks second in the nation in hitting percentage (.548).
- John Kerr ranks third in the nation in both points/set (5.14) and kills/set (4.39).
- Will Kuhns is coming off a great performance against UCLA last match. The senior provided a spark off the bench with a career-high nine kills on .400 hitting.
- Thursday marks Penn State's first true road match of the season. The Nittany Lions opened the season with four straight wins at Rec Hall before dropping a pair of neutral-site matches.
- Sunday's match at Rec Hall is the team's annual Wear White Match. All fans are encouraged to wear white.
UP NEXT
- Penn State travels to play Ball State on Feb. 2, and Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 3
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.