EIVA, Conference Carolinas champions to meet in 2014 NCAA play-in match

The pairings for the inaugural NCAA men’s volleyball play-in match in 2014 is set.

NCAA committee member Ron Shayka confirmed to Off the Block via email Monday that the 2014 conference champions from the EIVA and Conference Carolinas will play each other for the final spot in the four-team NCAA Tournament.
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NCAA semifinals postmatch news conference: BYU vs. Penn State

For the first time in almost a decade, BYU is back in the national championship match.

The No. 1 seed BYU overcame a five-point deficit in the third game to complete the sweep against the No. 4 seed Penn State in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Following the match, the coaches and players from both BYU and Penn State addressed the media in a postmatch news conference. Check out what each team had to say about the semifinal match.
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Q&A with Penn State at men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament media day

Penn State coach Mark Pavlik and several Nittany Lion players participated in the NCAA Tournament media day on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Penn State after winning its 15th consecutive EIVA championship during the weekend to qualify for the NCAA Tournament will play the No. 1 seed BYU in the semifinals Thursday.
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EIVA announces Player of the Year, all-conference teams

For the first time in more than five years, a non-Penn State player has earned EIVA Player of the Year of the Year honors.

George Mason outside attacker Mark Jones and Penn State outside attacker Aaron Russell were selected as the 2013 Uvaldo Acosta Memorial EIVA Co-Players of the Year, the league announced Friday afternoon.
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The challenge to grow the college men’s volleyball game

[Editor’s note: This article was written by Joe McIntyre, who agreed to have the article be published on Off the Block. McIntyre, the 2011 EIVA Reporter of the Year, is a recent Penn State graduate and a former college volleyball reporter for The Daily Collegian.]

If the entrance doors are open, the sounds echoing from the gym can be heard for what seems like miles. The smacking and walloping of a volleyball, the grunting and feet-slamming on the court when a player finally lands after reaching sometimes more than 12 feet in the air.
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Q&A with Penn State at the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament

Penn State coach Mark Pavlik and several Nittany Lion players participated in the men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament media day on Wednesday.

The No. 4 seed Penn State will play the No. 1 seed UC Irvine in the semifinals on Thursday. Check out the transcript from Penn State’s news conference.
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VIDEO: Penn State coach Pavlik discusses upcoming EIVA season

The EIVA season is about to begin for the team with the greatest conference dynasty in NCAA volleyball history.

No. 5 Penn State will begin its attempt to win its 14th consecutive EIVA regular season title as it opens the conference season against Rutgers-Newark on Friday and NJIT on Saturday.

Check out this video interview with coach Mark Pavlik as he discusses the upcoming EIVA season.
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Projected preseason top 10 national rankings: No. 4 Penn State

Penn State is projected by Off the Block to be No. 4 in the preseason national rankings.

Off the Block throughout December will reveal its projected men’s volleyball preseason top 10 national rankings and will profile a top-10 team each day. The Off the Block projected preseason rankings were created independently of the AVCA Coaches Poll and the Volleyball Magazine Top 10 Media Poll.

The college men’s volleyball season begins on Jan. 3 and concludes with the Final Four in May.
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5 storylines for men’s volleyball fans to follow this NCAA women’s volleyball season

With the start of the NCAA women’s volleyball season today, it means the men’s volleyball season is about four months away from beginning.

It’s still the offseason, but men’s and women’s volleyball do not exist completely separate of each other — and there are plenty of tie-ins for the college men’s volleyball fan to follow during the 2011 women’s volleyball season.

Check out the top five storylines for the college men’s volleyball fan to follow this women’s volleyball season.
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