UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., January 31, 2007 ¨C The seventh-ranked Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team (2-2) takes on No. 11 Ohio State (7-0) Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall to open up the 2007 home slate. Admission to the contest is free and fans will receive the 2007 men¡¯s volleyball team poster along with the chance to win prizes from Damon¡¯s.

Livestats will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com.

Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the match with an even 2-2 record after falling to then-No. 2 Brigham Young (22-30, 23-30, 18-30) and sweeping then-No. 3 Hawaii (30-27, 30-24, 32-30) at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational last weekend in Honolulu. Senior Alex Gutor (Kiev, Ukraine) leads the team and ranks sixth in the nation with 5.25 kills per game as sophomores Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) and Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) chip in 3.83 and 2.67 kpg, respectively. Junior Luke Murray (East Petersburg, Pa.) directs the offense with 13.00 assists per game, a mark that is good for eighth in the country. Senior Ryan Walthall (Irvine, Calif.) tops the defense with 2.58 digs per game, which ranks third in the nation, as Murray and senior Aaron Smith (Forest, Va.) also break into the national stats with 2.00 (16th) and 1.92 (19th) dpg, respectively. Holt heads the blocking chart with 0.75 blocks per game while Anderson and freshman Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) chip in 0.67 bpg, respectively. As a team, Penn State is hitting .282 with 15.58 kills per game, 1.58 aces per game, 10.42 digs per game and 2.17 blocks per game.

Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes come into their first road contest with a 7-0 record after sweeping Rutgers-Newark (30-26, 30-28, 30-18) and defeating Carthage (30-24, 26-30, 32-30, 30-21) last weekend at home. Sophomore Robbie Klein and senior Sam Stevens lead the squad with 3.77 and 3.05 kills per game, respectively, as sophomore John Albertson (2.68 kpg), senior Dan Meske (2.59 kpg) and senior Layne Dreven (2.23 kpg) also average more than 2.00 kills per game, with Dreven¡¯s coming on a nation-best .697 hitting percentage. Junior setter Daniel Mathews directs the offense with 13.18 assists per game as Stevens leads the team with 1.91 digs per game. Albertson tops the squad and ranks sixth in the country with 1.50 blocks per game as Mathews sits second on the team and 10th in the nation with 1.41 bpg. As a team, Ohio State is hitting a nation-leading .429 with 15.95 kills per game, 3.14 aces per game, 7.55 digs per game and 2.82 blocks per game.

The Series: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Penn State leads Ohio State, 55-21, in a series that began in 1978. The last meeting was a five-game Penn State victory (30-24, 30-21, 28-30, 34-36, 15-12) on April 4, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio. The last meeting at Rec Hall was a four-game Nittany Lion win (25-30, 30-25, 30-20, 30-24) on March 22, 2006.

For more information on the Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.