The collegiate men's volleyball landscape is quite different than most other college sports. There are only a few schools that compete, and there are only three major conferences that earn tournament berths. Only four schools play in the NCAA Tournament, and other than the three automatic berths, the fourth spot almost always goes to a western university. Because of this, the regular season does not have the same meaning for the Penn State men's volleyball team that it does for other sports. Last Sunday, the Nittany Lions took on Ohio State, and the feeling in Rec Hall was different--this match mattered.
Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik has been associated with the university for most of his life. Pavlik, who graduated from Penn State in 1982, played as a setter for the volleyball team. After graduating, Pavlik served as an assistant coach at Penn State for five years before taking over the head coaching job. Pavlik earned his 400th victory as head coach earlier this season, and under his guidance, the Nittany Lions won the 2008 National Championship. Onward State got a chance to talk with Pavlik about a variety of subjects ranging from the state of men's volleyball to what kind of dinosaur he would like to be.
The Penn State men’s volleyball team won their 13th-consecutive EIVA regular season title and 27th overall with a sweep of George Mason last Saturday. The Nittany Lions also earned hosting rights to the EIVA Semifinals and Championship, which will take place on April 28 and April 30, respectively.
The Penn State men’s volleyball team traveled to New Jersey last weekend and came away with two sweeps over conference foes. With the victories, the Nittany Lions are just one win away from their 27th EIVA regular season title. Penn State will hope to earn that win against George Mason on Saturday.
The Penn State football team suffered two big blows this week, as Curtis Drake and Pete Massaro both went down with leg injuries in spring practices. Both players were expected to be big contributers in the 2011 season. Drake suffered a fracture to his left tibia in practice last Thursday, and Massaro suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Friday.
The Penn State men’s volleyball team won two matches last week as the team enters the final portion of their regular season schedule. The Nittany Lions next face three crucial conference matches that will determine their seeding in the EIVA Conference Championship. Next weekend, Penn State faces off with Princeton and Rutgers-Newark.