UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., February 15, 2007 ¨C The fifth-ranked Penn State men¡¯s volleyball team (6-2, 3-0 EIVA) hosts Ball State (6-4, 1-0 MIVA) Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall. Admission to all fans is free and Gametracker will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com.

Previewing Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the match with a 6-2 overall record after defeating EIVA Tait foes Juniata (30-28, 30-21, 30-23), No. 15 Saint Francis (30-21, 30-26, 30-26) and George Mason (31-29, 23-30, 30-18, 30-25) last week. Senior outside hitter Alex Gutor (Kiev, Ukraine) and sophomore opposite Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) lead the team with 4.88 and 4.54 kills per game, respectively, as sophomore middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) chips in 2.85 kpg. Junior setter and EIVA Player of the Week Luke Murray (East Petersburg, Pa.) directs the offense with 13.15 assists per game as senior libero Ryan Walthall (Irvine, Calif.) tops the defense with 2.85 digs per game. Holt leads the team with an average of 1.00 blocks per game as Anderson and freshman middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) both chip in 0.77 bpg and Murray adds 0.69 bpg. As a team, Penn State is hitting .327 with 16.35 kills per game, 1.42 service aces per game, 10.15 digs per game and 2.42 blocks per game.

Scouting Ball State
The Cardinals come in to the weekend with a 6-4 record after defeating both Rutgers-Newark (30-27, 30-18, 30-18) and Springfield (30-25, 30-19, 30-24) last weekend in Springfield, Mass. Senior outside hitter Nick Meyer leads the team with 4.87 kills per game as sophomore outside hitter Todd Chamberlain chips in 3.13 kpg. Freshman setter Jeff Schmitz directs the offense with 13.22 assists per game and junior libero Ian Peckler tops the defense with 2.58 digs per game as Chamberlain adds in 2.29 dpg. Sophomore middle hitter Ryan Clarke heads the blocking charts with 1.35 blocks per game. As a team, Ball State is hitting .277 with 15.24 kills per game, 1.30 service aces per game, 11.06 digs per game and 2.95 blocks per game.

The Series: Penn State vs. Ball State
Penn State leads Ball State, 50-19, in a series that began in 1977. The previous meeting this season was a three-game Nittany Lion victory (30-28, 30-22, 30-22) on Jan. 12, 2007 in Muncie, Ind., to open the season for Penn State. The last meeting in Rec Hall was a three-game Cardinal win (30-22, 30-28, 30-28) on Jan. 14, 2006.

The Nittany Lions next take to the road, traveling to Princeton on Friday, Feb. 23.

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