Jan. 19, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team is back on the road this weekend. The Nittany Lions travel to No. 14 Loyola on Friday, Jan. 20 before taking on No. 9 Lewis on Saturday, Jan. 21. Action is set for 7 p.m. both nights.
Nittany Lion Preview
The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team continues its road trip this weekend at No. 14 Loyola-Chicago and No. 9 Lewis on Jan. 20-21. Both matches are set for 8 p.m. starts.
The Nittany Lions opened 2012 with a convincing 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17) sweep of then No. 8 Ohio State in Columbus. Junior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) led the team with 4.00 kills per set, while redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) averaged 3.67 kills per set and sophomore Jace Olsen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) had 3.33 kills per set. Redshirt senior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) led the Lion offense with 13.33 assists per set and Olsen had 3.33 digs per set on defense. Junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) was a wall at the net with 1.67 blocks per set.
Penn State hit .236 against the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions averaged 13.67 kills per set, 13.33 assists per set, 2.33 aces per set, 10.67 digs per set and 3.17 blocks per set.
Penn State vs. Loyola
The Nittany Lions own an 8-7 record against the Ramblers dating back to 1996. Last season, Penn State hosted Loyola at Rec Hall with the Nittany Lions coming away with a 3-1 victory. Loyola's last win against Penn State was on Jan. 30, 2010 when the Ramblers earned a 3-2 triumph.
Scouting the Ramblers
Head coach Shane Davis returns all but one starter from 2011 as well as 11 letterwinners and eight newcomers. Loyola opened the season with six matches over two weeks in California. The Ramblers finished the trip 2-4 with wins against UC San Diego and Pacific.
Penn State vs. Lewis
Penn State is 16-7 all-time against the Flyers since 1994. Penn State welcomed Lewis to Rec Hall last season with the Nittany Lions winning convincingly, 3-0. Lewis last defeated the Lions in 2004 in a 3-1 victory at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational.
Scouting the Flyers
Lewis is 3-2 overall this season. The Flyers opened the season 1-1 after back-to-back matches with Pepperdine on Jan. 7-8. Lewis then traveled to the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational where the Flyers went 2-1 with wins against Hawaii (3-2) and Springfield (3-0) and a 3-1 setback to UCLA.
What's Next?
Penn State remains on the road traveling back to Columbus, Ohio for the Ken and Dave Dunlap Invitational hosted by Ohio State. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to face nationally-ranked Stanford and Pacific on Jan. 27-28. Both matches are set to begin at 5 p.m.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.