UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Men's Volleyball opens the 2024 season Thursday at Rec Hall with a match against Central State at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions follow that with another home match against Lewis on Saturday at 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Penn State (0-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. Central State (0-0, 0-0 SIAC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 4
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Rec Hall
Live Stream: B1G+
Stats: Live Stats
Central State (0-0, 0-0 SIAC) vs. Lewis (0-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Date: Friday, Jan. 5
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: Rec Hall South Gym
Stats: Live Stats
Penn State (0-0, 0-0 EIVA) vs. Lewis (0-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 6
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: Rec Hall
Live Stream: B1G+
Stats: Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY - CENTRAL STATE
- Penn State and Central State will play for the second time in program history.
- The Nittany Lions won the first ever meeting between the teams by a 3-1 score last season at Ohio State's Covelli Center.
- Owen Rose hit .786 with 11 kills and seven blocks in last season's win. Michael Valenzi led all players with 13 kills and added six digs. Ryan Merk finished with a team-high 12 digs.
SCOUTING CENTRAL STATE
- Central State enters its third season after beginning its men's volleyball program in 2022.
- The Marauders established themselves as a solid program early, going 31-28 overall and 17-3 in the SIAC through their first two seasons.
- Sophomore Victor Scherer was the SIAC Libero of the Year last season. The Marauders also return first-team All-SIAC honorees Cameron Lee, a 6-1 outside hitter, and D'Aaron McCraney, a 6-9 middle blocker.
SERIES HISTORY - LEWIS
- Penn State and Lewis will play for the 39th time. The Lions lead 22-16 in a series that began in 1994.
- Lewis has been a tough opponent for Penn State, winning five of the past six matchups, including the most recent in 2021. The Nittany Lions won in five sets the year before.
- Penn State is 9-5 against the Flyers in State College.
- Only three current Penn State players have played against Lewis -- Toby Ezeonu, John Kerr, and Michal Kowal. Kowal hit .333 with nine kills and six digs in the 2021 match.
SCOUTING LEWIS
- Lewis was picked fourth out of nine teams in the MIVA Preseason Poll.
- Max Roquet, a 6-8 outside hitter, was voted Preseason All-MIVA. He was a second-team All-MIVA selection last season.
- The Flyers went 17-13 overall and 7-7 in the MIVA last season.
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 three seasons and won the EIVA Tournament title last season.
- Toby Ezeonu, a senior middle blocker, and Michal Kowal, a senior outside hitter, were named EIVA Preseason Players to Watch.
- Ezeonu and redshirt sophomore libero Ryan Merk were selected as Preseason All-Americans by Off the Block.
- Mark Pavlik enters his 30th season as the head coach of the Penn State men's volleyball team. He holds a career record of 656-218, including an impressive 319-24 mark in EIVA play.
UP NEXT
- Penn State hosts Lees-McRae on Thursday, Jan. 11, and King University on Saturday, Jan. 13.
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.