The No. 9 Nittany Lions will host Laval University of Quebec -- Canada's top-ranked squad -- in a Friday, Saturday double feature. Meanwhile, Penn State will be hosting a boy's bid volleyball tournament , featuring some of the East Coast and Midwest's top club teams, including three PSU 2010 recruits.
We also have some fun with Penn State's head guy and ask him to describe some of his current players in one word. Apparently, it's harder than it sounds.
Check it out:
Pavlik on Laval men's volleyball:
Pavlik on this weekend's Nittany Ninvitational:
Pavlik does his best to describe some of his players.. in one word:
-Kaplan
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After a week's hiatus, we're back with A Monday Minute. This week we have the soft-spoken Tomas Pereira, a junior outside hitter from Brasilia, Brasil.
In this week's segment, Periera gives us his take on coach Mark Pavlik's punchless joke about one of American's most celebrated generals and discusses why he loves Adrian Brody's oscar-winning World War II flick. Check it out: VN320063.mp3
-Kaplan
]]>Cal State Northridge repeats as No. 1 this week despite being upset by No. 7 Pepperdine.
The MPSF continues to show its balance and competitiveness, as UCLA is ranked No. 3 in the country with a 6-5 record.
Also announced Monday, Penn State sophomore Joe Sunder was named EIVA player of the week.
In four weeks of EIVA play this season, the Nittany Lions have taken home three of the player of the week honors. Will Price won it in week one and Edgardo Goas was honored the following week.
--Book
]]>Player of the Match: Max Lipsitz. The senior middle only played in the three victorious sets for the Nittany Lions, and his presence was vital for the victory. Lipsitz had 13 kills in his three sets of action on an impressive .450 hitting percentage. He also only had one service error on the day. He has been struggling with serving all season, and his improvement has been obvious recently. In addition to his kills, he picked up five block assists and a solo block.
Stat of the Match: 30. The number of points Springfield scored in the second set. The set win for the Pride was the first set Penn State has dropped to an EIVA opponent since March 8, 2008.
Surprise of the Match: Tom Comfort. The surprise with Comfort is that he only came in for one play in the match. Even when Pavlik put in a lot of reserve players in the second set, Comfort remained on the sidelines with his teammates. After the trip to Hawaii, it appeared like Comfort had a firm position in the starting lineup. Now it looks like he has some work to do to get another opportunity.
Quotable: "I know I'm loud. Once I'm out of the court I feel like nobody's actually talking or bringing the energy. It's just sad watching them play without energy." -Junior libero Dennis Del Valle on watching from the bench as his teammates lost the second set.
What's Next: The Lions will take on Canadian power, Laval Friday and Saturday at Rec Hall.
-Book
]]>***
Wolf at the line as Penn State is up 28-23. He hits it into the middle of the net and the Lions lead is again cut, this time to four. Lions look impatient, like they just want to close this one out.
***
After Springfield commits a hitting error to give the Lions a 21-19 lead, Sullivan tries to call a timeout. He's reminded by the line judge he already used the two allotted for him in this set.
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Net violation by Penn State and Pavlik calls a timeout with his team holding on to a 16-15 lead. This is by far the most mental mistakes Penn State has made all season. Springfield is playing well, but not exceptional. The Lions are clawing their own hole.
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Double contact by Goas and the point is awarded to Springfield, who is inching closer now trailing by just three. Lions are sloppy, but still maintain a lead.
***
A Lipsitz kill is negated by a Penn State net violation -- much to the senior captain's dismay -- and the Lions Lead is cut 13-9.
***
There's definitely some miscommunication on Penn State's end of the court. Del Valle cuts in front of Wolf as he sets up for a pass and the Lions scrambled for a long rally, which they eventually lost. PSU is up 12-4, but they don't look too crisp.
***
Penn State looking to run away with the fourth set and end this match on a (relatively) high note. They're up 10-3 after a Goas service ace.
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Lipsitz with a solo block to put the Lions up 6-1 and Springfield calls a timeout. Again.
***
Fourth set underway and a service ace by Wolf gives the Lions a 3-1 lead. Penn State is looking to build off of the momentum they spent nearly all of the third set trying to create.
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Set point and Pavlik substitutes freshman Tom Comfort in for Ian Hendries to serve. The frosh didn't see any playing time in last night's game after playing poorly in the Lions' road trip to Illinois. The Lions lose that point, but win the set on a Price kill. And we're on to the fourth, Lions up 2-1.
***
Price dishes it over the net and the ball falls on Springfield's blue point giving the Lions a 28-22 lead. That one gets the crow energized. Price seems to be getting the big plays in this third set. He's leading by example.
***
Price gets a kill to put Penn State ahead 24-21, followed by a Pride hitting error that increases the Lions' lead. Sullivan calls a timeout and Pavlik seems to be spending all of the break talking to his captain, Lipsitz.
***
Wolf and Lipstiz team up for a block to give the Lions a 19-17 lead and finally the team is showing emotion. They come in for a huddle and smiles are on each of the guys' faces -- even the normally reserved Wolf. Springfield calls a timeout hoping to kill any momentum.
***
Penn State up 16-13 after a Price kill. The team looks to be loosening up -- a bit. But they're still not at the level of composure they were at in the first set. They seem to be pretty shaken up from losing the second.
***
Mental mistakes by Penn State. A net violation, a miss-hit pass. No enthusiasm. They're down 8-9.
***
It's 5-5 to begin the third and there seems to be a lack of energy on the Lions' end of the court. Even when they score a point, there's not much celebration.
***
The Lions return to the starting lineup they began the first set with. That should speak volumes about their highly disappointing second set. The guys are pretty silent as they take the court.
***
Set, Springfield. The Lions quickly exit the gym in silence while a lone Springfield fan, standing on the top row of the bleachers wearing a maroon sweatshirt, raises his hands and lets out a huge scream.
***
Will Price starves one set point off with a kill.
***
Set point for Springfield, they're up 29-26.
***
Penn State hasn't dropped a set to an EIVA opponent since March 8, 2008 at Princeton. Springfield is three points away from ending that streak.
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Springfield has come alive. They lead 27-25 and their guys are pumped. Really pumped. They are lively. Mark Pavlik calls a timeout. And again, looks like he's sticking with the lineup.
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Pavlik calls a time out with his team up 23-22 after a pretty sloppy play. Wagner and Pereira had some miscommunication and it lead to an easy Springfield point. Pavlik doesn't make any substitutions, it looks like he just wants his guys to relax.
***
The Nittany Lion, who is having a ridiculously hectic day with five varsity teams hosting home matches today, has arrived. I don't know how he does it.
***
Turko and Wolf team up for a block and the Lions regain the lead 18-17. Turko, a freshman, is probably the most animated of the Lions after an individual achievement. He pumps his fist as his entire face broadens into a huge grin.
***
Tomas Pereria is subbed in for Joe Sunder as the Lions trail by one, 16-17.
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AJ Nally slides just inches away from the scorer's table as he tries to track down a Wolf serve. No such luck. Penn State up 13-11.
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Turko with a solo block and the Lions cut their biggest deficit of the afternoon -- two points -- in half. Springfield 9 Penn State 8.
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Springfield blocks a Price kill attempt and their guys cheer loudly. It's the Pride's first lead of the match, they lead the second set early 6-5.
***
Wolf, in his second career start, is showing the same composure he had in his impressive debut last night. The sophomore outside hitter had 3 kills on .500 hitting in the first set. He also equaled Del Valle for a team-high four digs.
***
Some substitutions for Penn State in the second set. The starting lineup: Price, Mars, Sunder, Wolf, Goas, Jesse Wagner and Nick Turko.
The first set stat that tells it all? Hitting percentage. The Pride hit a dismissal -.033 while Penn State was a ridiculous .548.
***
Overheard from from the press box: After PA announcer Dean DeVore tells the crow Penn State will be playing Laval College of Montreal next week, two cheerleaders walk past us.
One goes, "Montreal, is that like Canada?"
***
Mars blocks a Springfield kill attempt and the Lions win the first set 30-14. It's almost fitting that a Mars block ends the game as this first set was anything but predictable.
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Price rips the ball past Springfield's back court and the Lions are up 26-13.
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Penn State up 22-9. Mark Shipp is subbed in for the Lions. The sophomore is seeing the court for the first time this year. I'm not sure if Penn State expected to dominate this much this early. Springfield looks totally restless and completely frustrated.
***
Alan Mars is subbed in for Max Lipsitz. On Tuesday at practice, the team split up into two different drills. The outsides went with Jay Hosack on one court and the middles worked with Colin McMillan. Alan Mars, normally an outside, went with the middles. Before McMillan explained the drill, he brought the middles in and said, "OK, first things first. Guys this is Alan. Alan, this is the guys."
Definitely want to keep an eye on this storyline.
***
Penn State up 13-3 after Joe Sunder scores two consecutive points-- one on a kill and one on a block. The redshirt sophomore is showing composure, and is on track for another solid night. He had 15 kills on .565 in last night's win.
***
Penn State opens the game on a 9-1 run. After a Lipsitz kill, Springfield coach Charlie Sullivan takes a timeout. Sullivan looks to be trying to dissect a lot of things with his team in the short break, huddling his guys close and using a lot of hand motions. Mark Pavlik, however, doesn't say much to his squad. He shares a quick laugh with Wolf on the bench and says a few words to Hendries. There's not much he really has to tell his team right now. The Lions look sharp.
***
Looks like Dennis Del Valle forgot South Gym actually counts as a home match for the Lions. He accidentally put on his white jersey -- the libero is supposed to wear the opposite of his team -- and had to make a quick change before lineups were announced.
***
Hey folks, Emily Kaplan here to live blog today's match. It's Penn State vs Springfield in a matchup of two of the EIVA's top teams. Once again we're at Rec Hall's South Gym -- thanks, women's gymnastics -- and the stands are slowly filling up. Not expecting a huge crowd today, especially with some 14 inches of snow that pounded Happy Valley last night.
The Pride (3-3, 0-1 EIVA) are lead by junior middle blocker Cal Palumbo -- the reigning EIVA Player of the Week -- and senior outside hitter AJ Nally.
The No. 8 Nittany Lions, after seeing its six game winning streak snapped last weekend in a loss to then-unranked Loyola-Chicago, is looking to build off of last night's sweep of Rutgers-Newark.
Starting Lineups
Springfield
AJ Nally
Cal Palumbo
Jeff Gutmann
Mike Pelletier
Alex Harrison
Eric Shoemaker
Greg Falcone
Penn State
Max Lipsitz
Will Price
Joe Sunder
Ian Hendries
Edgardo Goas
Dennis Del Valle
Ryan Wolf
The Best of the Conference: All three EIVA Tait Conference Players of the Week will be on the court Saturday. Will Price and Edgardo Goas earned the honor the first two weeks of the conference season for the Lions, and Springfield's middle Cal Palumbo received the recognition last week when he hit an unbelievable .833 in two matches.
Storyline to Follow: Who will start in the now three person battle between Tom Comfort, Alan Mars and Ryan Wolf? We were as surprised as anyone to see Wolf get the start last night, but he sure made coach Mark Pavlik look like a genius. I would think Pavlik would play the hot hand and give Wolf his second career start, but then again we thought Mars would start last night.
Key to Victory: Show up. I don't think the Lions will look overly-impressive but they are just more talented than their opposition. Look for what Pavlik likes to call a typical workman like EIVA victory for Penn State.
Prediction: If the lack of energy of playing in their practice gym gets the best of the Lions, they might drop a set. But, they were able to handle it last night, and they'll handle it again. Penn State 3 Springfield 0.
--Book
Player of the Match: Ryan Wolf. In his first career start, the sophomore outside hitter posted 11 kills on .600 hitting. Not bad for a 6-foot-3 walk-on.
Stat of the Match: 5. The number of service errors Will Price recorded in the match. In the post-game press conference, the senior captain said playing in Rec Hall's South Gym -- which is much smaller than the Lions' usual home court down the hall -- could have been a factor.
Surprise of the Match: Ryan Wolf. The kid was on fire. Pavlik didn't have a choice but to keep him in the entire game. And his teammates were loving it. After each one of Wolf's 11 kills, the Lions on the bench jumped up and down chanting, "The lone Wolf," alluding to his normally reserved demeanor.
Quotable: "I'm keeping my options open." -- Wolf on whether his performance in tonight's game -- coupled with Pavlik's glowing endorsement -- will help him land a girlfriend in the near future.
What's next: The Lions will take on Springfield College at 4 tomorrow afternoon.
]]>A long history: Penn State holds a 77-23 record in this series, which dates back to 1977. However, this is the first time the teams are meeting since 2007 -- when the Lions beat the Scarlet Raiders twice in a home-and-home series. Rutgers-Newark's last victory over Penn State was March, 2004.
What to expect: Expect the Lions to come out strong. After nearly a week off since the Loyola loss, the team will be re-energized and ready to get back on track. Senior Will Price -- who had 22 kills against the Ramblers but hit just .220 -- will lead the way.
Killer Keller: The Scarlet Raider's best player is undoubtedly senior Jon Keller, this week's EIVA Hay Division Player of the Week. He leads the team in blocking (1.14 blocks-per-set) and is tied for first on the team in kills (52). Keller, the 2009 NCAA Div. I-II national leader in blocking average, hit .722 with an ace and seven assisted blocks in the Scarlet Raiders' 3-0 sweep of NYU last week. Keller is a Reading native and was teammates with Penn State's manager, Chris Birch, at Exeter Township High School.
Life's good on Mars: Redshirt junior Alan Mars should get the nod tonight over freshman Tom Comfort, who has struggled mightily since an outstanding debut at the Outrigger Invitational. Mars earned a starting spot in the Loyola match over the frosh, and the 6-foot-7 outside hitter seized the opportunity finishing the match with 13 kills on .381 hitting. Mars worked extremely hard this week to maintain the starting position. He came early to practice Tuesday to work on drills with setter Edgardo Goas.
Prediction: Penn State 3-0. No way the Lions are even dropping a set in this one.
]]>The duo, wide receiver Brett Brackett and another Penn State student competed in a dunk contest as part of Big Ten Network's "Hoops on Campus" program that will air tomorrow night.
Before the competition Brackett was casually chatting with volleyball coach Mark Pavlik, and he told the coach, "Your guys can jump out of the gym."
Lipsitz jumped out of the gym and walked away with a trophy for his efforts.
In the finals, Lipsitz stood at the free throw line facing away from the basket. He bounced the ball backwards through his legs in attempt to bounce it off the backboard and put the ball in the hoop.
On his third attempt, with the clock winding down, his bounce was perfect and the backboard did its best Edgardo Goas impression setting Lipsitz perfectly to do a reverse dunk.
The crowd and his teammates went crazy, Talor Battle was impressed and Mike Hall presented Lipsitz with his trophy.
The event seemed to be a fun break for the team as they all cheered on Lipsitz and Sunder.
Lipsitz will try to jump out of Rec Hall this weekend when he's back to receiving balls from Goas instead of the backboard.
--Book
]]>"He has such an easy-going personality," coach Mark Pavlik said. "And he just seamlessly fits into the team."
So much so, that Wolf's teammates actually have a hard time describing his role on the No. 8 Nittany Lions -- to them, he's just a silent fixture that holds the team together. Here, captain Max Lipsitz takes his best crack at describing the sophomore outside hitter:
Click here to download the mp3 file.
*****
At 6-foot-3, Wolf is somewhat undersized for an outside hitter. Star Joe Sunder stands at 6-foot-7, while starter Alan Mars is 6-foot-6. But Wolf's relatively small stature isn't something that stresses Pavlik out.
"Would i like him bigger? Yeah, of course," the head coach said. "But he's not bigger so I'm not going to worry about it."
*****
I asked Pavlik if there was ever a time he could remember being mad at Wolf. After sitting at his desk for three minutes with a blank expression, Pavlik called in assistant coach Jay Hosack.
"Hey, Jay!" Pavlik yelled across the volleyball office at Rec Hall. "Can you ever remember being mad at Wolfy?"
"Mad at Wolfy?" Hosack quipped. "How could we ever be mad at Wolfy? He does everything we ask."
-Kaplan
]]>Well, now you can see it for yourself. Looks like somebody caught match point on video (thanks Youtube!). Just by watching the 1:03 minute clip you can tell there's something magical about that building. Check it out:
-Kaplan
The Nittany Lions don't get many opportunities to play in five-set matches.
The loss to Loyola-Chicago was just the second five-setter the Lions have played this season. The first was a victory over Hawaii.
The stats tell a lot in the difference between wins and losses in these matches.
We will be taking a look at the hitting percentages of the Lions' most prolific hitters.
Against Loyola, outside hitters Will Price and Joe Sunder recorded 22 and 19 kills, respectively, and each hit just .220.
Against Hawaii, Price had 23 and Sunder had 19. Basically the same number of kills in each five-set match.
But against the Warriors in a winning effort, Price hit at an impressive .462 clip and Sunder hit just behind at .400.
So in essence the two had half the hitting percentage against the Ramblers.
The biggest difference between the matches was not Price and Sunder's production. As stated, the two produced the same amount in both matches. The biggest difference was against Hawaii, setter Edgardo Goas had a productive option at opposite to dish the ball to.
Against Hawaii, in his first career start, freshman Tom Comfort recorded 21 kills on an unbelievable .548 hitting percentage.
Since then the freshman's production has sharply declined and junior Alan Mars has been starting recently. Mars played pretty well against Loyola, picking up 13 kills on .381 hitting, but it was nothing like what the Lions got out of Comfort in Hawaii.
Regardless of who it is to step up, the Lions will need strong performances from Mars or Comfort in their more competitive matches. Price, Sunder and middle Max Lipsitz can carry the load in EIVA matches. They need another weapon in the losable ones.
-Book
]]>Senior captain Max Lipsitz recorded 14 block assists in the No. 8 Nittany Lions' two matches this weekend, marking his 365th career block assist and 389th total block. With that, he surpasses Sergio Pampena (363) for sole possession of fifth place in the Lions' all-time BA list and puts him just two total total blocks away from tying Ivan Contreras (391) for sixth place in that category.
Meanwhile, Dennis Del Valle dug 28 balls in the Lions' mini Midwestern road trip, upping his career total to 680. The junior libero is just 13 digs away from tying Jason Kepner (693) for fifth place on the all-time list.
Blocks Assists
1. Keith Kowal - 499
2. Max Holt - 444
3. Nate Meerstein - 413
4. Ramon Hernandez - 390
5. Max Lipsitz - 365
6. Sergio Pampena - 363
Total Blocks
1. Keith Kowal - 527
2. Ramon Hernandez - 497
3. Max Holt - 492
4. Nate Meerstein - 456
5. Sergio Pampena - 444
6. Ivan Contreras - 391
7. Max Lipsitz - 389
Digs
1. Ricky Mattei - 909
2. Ramon Hernandez - 820
3. Tony Mazzullo - 777
4. Ivan Contreras - 699
5. Jason Kepner - 693
6. Dennis Del Valle - 680
Check it out:
Pavlik on his team rebounding from the loss at Loyola-Chicago:
Pavlik on the discrepancies between the fans at Loyola-Chicago's Alumni Gym and the fans at Rec Hall:
Pavlik on the state of his favorite NHL team:
-Kaplan
The Lions (6-2) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end this weekend when they fell to previously unranked Loyola-Chicago in five sets at Alumni Gym. The Ramblers, who at 6-0 are the only remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division I-II, broke into this week's poll at No. 12.
St. Francis (Pa.) fell out of this week's poll after losing twice this weekend. The Red Flash (6-3) -- previously the only other ranked EIVA team -- were swept by Loyola-Chicago and dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 15 Lewis. Penn State topped Lewis 3-1 Friday night.
Southern California -- who dealt Penn State its first loss of the year-- was dethroned from the No. 1 spot it held all season. The Trojans were upset by then-No. 11 Pepperdine on Friday night in Malibu.
Cal State Northridge is now the top-ranked team in the county. The Lions travel to California to play the Matadors on April 10.
-Kaplan
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