State College, Pa.- The No. 3 Penn State men's volleyball team will face second-seeded Brigham Young in the 2001 NCAA semifinal on Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) from The Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. In the first semifinal, top seed UCLA will face Ohio State at 5:00 p.m. (PT). On Saturday, May 5, the winners will meet at 4:00 p.m. (PT) to determine the 2001 NCAA Champion, to be shown live on ESPN2.

Penn State (24-7, 13-1 EIVA) earned an automatic berth in the Final Four by winning the EIVA title, defeating Concordia 3-0 in the title match. Brigham Young (21-4, 14-3 MPSF), who spent much of the season as the nation's top-ranked team, fell in the MPSF Tournament, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. The contest between the Nittany Lions and the Cougars will be a rematch of the national semifinals during the 1999 Final Four in Los Angeles. This will be the first time the two teams have met since the Cougars' 3-1 win on May 6, 1999 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. The Lions are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA tournament, including their third-straight showing at the Final Four. Penn State has posted a 10-14 (.417) record at the NCAA tournament, including a 2-0 run during the 1994 tournament to win the National Championship.

In the other semifinal, top seed UCLA, the MPSF Champion, will face #4 Ohio State. Penn State has faced both teams this season, splitting with Ohio State and dropping a five-game decision to UCLA at the Outrigger Invitational in Hawaii.

-LIONS-