Penn State Volleyball on espn2

by spakajewia on May 7, 2009 12:45 AM EDT

The national semifinal is on the deuce Thursday night at 9:00 eastern. They're playing the final four in Provo, UT for god knows what reason.

Telling people from the rest of the country that I played on a boys high school volleyball team my favorite bizarre aspects of being from Pennsylvania.

OSU is in the other semifinal game, but Ohio doesn't have anywhere near our volleyball creds.

I happened to be in State College last year just after the men won the national championship and saw a couple of really tall guys leave a house in west college that seemed to be the volleyball house. They were clearly going to get laid.

Let's win it again this year.

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im in.

go nitts.

we didnt have high school boys teams here in NOVA. but i played J.O.’s (Jr. Olympics), so seeing PSU volleyball play at such a high level is great.

let’s repeat in boys as well!

"I was looking for four things. Honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness and a man of character. Joe Paterno has all of that." - Derrick Williams

by Stately NOVA Lion on May 7, 2009 8:42 AM EDT reply actions

Hey, I actually get ESPN2

Now I have to figure out how to get the wife distracted long enough to watch the game!

by RNF18 on May 7, 2009 9:15 AM EDT reply actions

A distracted wife sounds hot!

"Even though it was bouncing, I knew it was so soft that it was just going to stay in," Battle said. "Then I ran around like a lunatic."

by bconway6 on May 7, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm sorry, did you say something?

My mouth just started watering and I have a hunger for bacon!

by RNF18 on May 7, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Decisions decisions

The Office….volleyball

volleyball….The Office

I’m torn.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on May 7, 2009 9:16 AM EDT reply actions

if you have DVR it's an easy choice!

"I was looking for four things. Honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness and a man of character. Joe Paterno has all of that." - Derrick Williams

by Stately NOVA Lion on May 7, 2009 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

DVR is an amazing invention. Plus, you can watch most shows on the interwebs nowadays anyway (and basically w/o commercials).

by Screen Name 20 on May 7, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions

Oooooorrrr Grey's Anatomy!!

Uh, you need to get yourself a Lazy Boy for your upstairs game room because we can only record two things while watching one of them downstairs, right?

by PSUWifey on May 7, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Mike

I’ve gotta say, I’m very jealous! My wife hates sports and it’s a battle just to watch a game. You’re a lucky man!

by RNF18 on May 7, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus,

most wives don’t encourage acquiring extra lazyboys! (at least according to every standup comedian I hav ever seen)

In recruiting slang I think PSUWifey qualifies as a good get!

"Even though it was bouncing, I knew it was so soft that it was just going to stay in," Battle said. "Then I ran around like a lunatic."

by bconway6 on May 7, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

And as good as she is on the field

She’s even better in the classroom! A true Penn Stater.

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 7, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow, I was getting really nervous for a moment there

by RNF18 on May 7, 2009 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Me too. LOL

by PSUWifey on May 7, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Seconded,

I thought there for a minute that was the last we were going to hear from THE J to the P

"Even though it was bouncing, I knew it was so soft that it was just going to stay in," Battle said. "Then I ran around like a lunatic."

by bconway6 on May 7, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Although I like to play with fire occasionally

I really hate getting burned.

Never bite the hand that feeds you. Let that be a lesson in discretion to you younguns!

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 8, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions

They’re playing the final four in Provo, UT for god knows what reason.

Because BYU is the host school? They tend to rotate this stuff around, y’know. Rec Hall will be the host site in 2011, for example.

And FWIW BYU has won the men’s volleyball championship 3 times, so it’s not like they don’t have tradition in the sport.

Telling people from the rest of the country that I played on a boys high school volleyball team my favorite bizarre aspects of being from Pennsylvania.

to be honest, I’ve never understand why men’s volleyball isn’t more popular. I know a few people who enjoy playing the game recreationally and growing up in the suburbs, it was pretty common to put up a volleyball net in the backyard and have friends of both genders get together and play. I mean, spiking is a pretty cool sports move. So why don’t more schools sponsor the sport or more guys play competitively? Is it because the tall guys tend to play basketball?

by Laaaaazzz on May 7, 2009 9:45 AM EDT reply actions

I played in HS

and I get what the original poster was saying. There is a big difference between 12 dudes playing volleyball in a HS gym with (at least in my HS) 11 people watching and a smorgasboard of chicks and dudes in the ball in a backyard somewhere.

That being said, I’m actually going to be in the Boston area tonight for Night 1 of a bachelor party. Tonight is the titty bar and my friends made fun of me when I wondered if the bar will have a TV. Which one of us is in the wrong (keep in mind I’m engaged with an appreciation for volleyball…though not that I don’t like to see women naked).

by Jeff Junstrom on May 7, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

typo

*hitting the ball, not in the ball

by Jeff Junstrom on May 7, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions

You sound hot

Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno

by ReadingRambler on May 7, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions

Wait a minute, check that!

Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno

by ReadingRambler on May 7, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions

You didn't see me posting anything in this thread!

No homo!

Have a "great HD day!" - Jay Paterno

by ReadingRambler on May 7, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions

[Opens door, stumbles upon RR’s surprising comments and retreats slowly and quietly]

by Screen Name 20 on May 7, 2009 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey is that an

Apple Pie???

One man doing the work of 100's for the good of 1000's

by rahpsu92 on May 7, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn't know that BYU had a tradition in volleyball

but I do know they host the event at Rec Hall every now and again.

I played hoops and volleyball.

Organized volleyball—as opposed to beach volleyball—requires a lot of structure: coaches who know what they’re doing, other schools to play against, interested students, etc. I imagine its hard to get going.

I’ve just never quite understood why it is so popular in PA. Boys high school vb is good in CA, FL, and PA…Florida and California make sense, PA’s an anomoly.

I wouldn't trust old rooster me neither.

by spakajewia on May 7, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

VB (un)popularity

I play in a few fairly competetive rec VB leagues with a lot of good (and tall) players. The vast majority did not play on a college team, just HS or club. To be honest, it’s still a fairly new HS sport in NJ and more schools are finally adding it – but usually just a girls team. I think there are just too many other sports that are offered for boys.

Go State, beat USC!!!!!!!!

"The sea was angry that day, my friends." G. Costanza

by NJ lion on May 7, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions

They ain’t got the tradition (in volleyball) to hold our nuts!

"I never really felt like they wanted to tackle me" - Tony Hunt

by BSmith717 on May 7, 2009 9:51 AM EDT reply actions

Spake, I'm from PA

and didn’t have a mens vball team. Gawd, I wish they had. Our spring mens sports were baseball or track, that’s it. I gotta think there were heaps of good athletes on the sideline in the spring who gladly would’ve played.

What season did your team play in?

Hey, this game is fun too and you can make it fun. --j. odrick
But I’m biased towards tailgating, as you may imagine. -ts
Ignore the accolades – just enjoy the games. -bb&w

by jtothep on May 7, 2009 10:56 AM EDT reply actions

We played in the spring

There’s some nasty athletes who play vb incidentally. You could make the argument that beach volleyball is the most athletically challenging sport: two players cover the same area normally covered by six; you have to jump in sand (which is crazy difficult), and the guys who do it are freaks of nature: 50 inch verticals, and solid arm strength.