UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 5, 2007 ¨C The seventh-ranked Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team (3-2) opens up Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) action on Tuesday, Feb. 6 against local rival Juniata (3-1) at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. 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 a 3-2 overall record after defeating No. 11 Ohio State in four games Thursday night (30-32, 31-29, 30-27, 30-26). Senior outside hitter Alex Gutor (Kiev, Ukraine) leads the team with 5.62 kills per game as sophomore opposite Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) adds in 4.12 kpg and sophomore middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) provides 2.81 kpg. Junior setter Luke Murray (East Petersburg, Pa.) dishes out 13.25 assists per game as senior libero Ryan Walthall (Irvine, Calif.) tops the squad with 2.44 digs per game. Holt heads the blocking chart with 0.88 blocks per game as Murray and freshman middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) average 0.69 bpg and Anderson provides 0.62 bpg. As a team, Penn State is hitting .311 with 16.25 kills per game, 1.56 service aces per game, 10.62 digs per game and 2.22 blocks per game.

Scouting Juniata
The Eagles come into the contest with a 3-1 overall record after outlasting New York University (30-18, 33-31, 27-30, 28-30, 15-11) and sweeping Springfield (30-20, 30-23, 30-22) last weekend at home. Senior opposite Nate Ocasio leads the squad with 4.73 kills per game as junior outside hitter Matt Fritz and senior middle hitter Jeremy Barndt provide 3.33 and 3.20 kpg, respectively. Sophomore setter Matt Werle directs the offense with 13.80 assists per game as six players average more than 1.00 digs per game, led by senior libero Casey Dale with 1.80 dpg. Barndt tops the blocking list with 1.27 blocks per game while Werle provides 1.07 bpg. As a team, Juniata is hitting .331 with 16.93 kills per game, 1.73 service aces per game, 8.33 digs per game and 2.00 blocks per game.

The Series: Penn State vs. Juniata
Penn State leads Juniata, 28-0, in a series that began in 1993. The last meeting was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-23, 30-28, 30-22) on March 1, 2006 in Huntingdon, Pa. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a four-game Penn State win (30-23, 22-30, 30-18, 30-18) on Feb. 3, 2006.

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