STATE COLLEGE, Pa., October 15, 2002 - The Penn State men's volleyball team will face several perennial powerhouse teams, both home and on the road, during the upcoming 2003 season. The Nittany Lions will travel to tournaments at the University of Hawaii, BYU and Long Beach State for non-conference clashes while hosting the Penn State Invitational in early February along with several EIVA conference matchups throughout the season.

"Our schedule this season includes some real tough road matches in front of hostile crowds," said head coach Mark Pavlik, who is beginning his ninth season at the helm of the Nittany Lion men's volleyball program. "But, with this team's experience and maturity, those challenges will make us more battle-tested at the end of the season and into the postseason.

The Nittany Lions begin the season by participating in the Outrigger Invitational, Jan. 15-17, in Honolulu, Hawaii with foes yet to be announced. From Hawaii, Penn State returns home for two EIVA Tait division matchups in NYU (Jan. 24) and St. Francis (Jan. 28). On Friday, Jan. 31, the Ramblers of Loyola (Ill.) come to Happy Valley and the annual Alumni match will take place the next day on Feb. 1.

Rec Hall hosts the Penn State Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7-8, whose participants include Rutgers-Newark, Lewis and Springfield. The Nittany Lions then hit the road for seven consecutive matches, including contests at IPFW, Ohio State and five different EIVA schools. On Tuesday, March 4, Penn State returns home for a 7:30 p.m., contest with perennial foe George Mason before embarking on a road trip which includes matches at BYU (March 7-8) and Long Beach State (March 14-15).

A match with Ohio State on Friday, March 28 begins a five match homestand for the Lions before they end the regular season on the road at George Mason on Saturday, April 12. The EIVA quarterfinal takes place on Saturday, April 19 with the semifinal and final taking place on April 24-26 at a site yet to be determined. The NCAA Semifinal and Final will be held on May 1-3 with Long Beach State as the host institution.

2003 Penn State Men's Volleyball Schedule

January
15-17 Wed-Fri. at Outrigger Invitational Honolulu, Hawaii TBA
24 Fri. New York University* University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
28 Tues. St. Francis* University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
31 Fri. Loyola (Ill.) University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.

February
1 Sat. Alumni University Park, Pa. 3:00 p.m.
4 Tues. Juniata* University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
7-8 Fri.-Sat. hosts Penn State Invitational
7 Fri. vs. Springfield University Park, Pa. 8:00 p.m.
8 Sat. vs. Lewis University Park, Pa. 8:00 p.m.
15 Sat. at IPFW Ft. Wayne, Ind. 7:00 p.m.
16 Sun. at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio 7:00 p.m.
21 Fri. at New York University* New York, N.Y. 7:00 p.m.
25 Tues. at St. Francis* Loretto, Pa. 7:00 p.m.
28 Fri. at Rutgers-Newark* Newark, N.J. 7:00 p.m.

March
1 Sat. at Concordia* Bronxville, N.Y. 6:00 p.m.
2 Sun. at Princeton* Princeton, N.J. 4:00 p.m.
4 Tues. George Mason* University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
7 Fri. at BYU Provo, Utah 9:00 p.m.
8 Sat. at BYU Provo, Utah 9:00 p.m.
14-15 Fri.-Sat. at Long Beach Invitational
14 Fri. vs. TBA Long Beach, Calif. TBA
15 Sat. vs. TBA Long Beach, Calif. TBA
23 Sun. at Ball State Muncie, Ind. 7:00 p.m.
26 Wed. at Juniata* Huntingdon, Pa. 7:00 p.m.
28 Fri. Ohio State University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
29 Sat. Rutgers-Newark* University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.

April
4 Fri. Princeton* University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
5 Sat. Concordia* University Park, Pa. 4:00 p.m.
11 Fri. IPFW (Senior Night) University Park, Pa. 7:30 p.m.
12 Sat. at George Mason* Fairfax, Va. 8:00 p.m.
19 Sat. EIVA Quarterfinal TBA TBA
24 Thur. EIVA Semifinal TBA TBA
26 Sat. EIVA Final TBA TBA

May
1 Thur. NCAA Semifinal Long Beach, Calif. TBA
3 Sat. NCAA Final Long Beach, Calif. TBA

* indicates EIVA Tait division match
All times Eastern
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