Penn State Update - 5/2/2009

I missed last week's Penn State update due to the NFL draft but I'm back this week to give you the lowdown on all Nittany Lion athletes not running around for Joe Paterno.

• Since my last update, the men's volleyball team has stretched their winning streak to 11 matches. The defeated Ohio State in the regular season finale and George Mason in the EIVA Championship opener. The team, ranked 5th in the nation, plays Juniata tonight for the EIVA Championship. Regardless of the outcome of that match, the team is off to Provo, UT for the NCAA Championships which start Thursday and conclude next Saturday.
• Last weekend were the Penn Relays where the track and field team put on a stellar show. Today is the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, OH. Next Saturday is their last regular season event, the Penn State Open.
• The men's tennis teams three match win streak came to an end on April 19 when they lost, 5-2, to Northwestern in the regular season finale. The Big Ten Tournament started on Thursday and the Nittany Lions easily dispatched Purdue 4-0 in Ann Arbor, MI. Unfortunately the next day the team was swept by Illinois. Next weekend are the NCAA Regionals.
• The women concluded their regular season with two straight match losses at Wisconsin and at Northwestern, running their losing streak to five. The Big Ten Tournament began - and ended - for them on Thursday. The team fell to Minnesota, 4-0, in Madison, WI. Their season is over.
• The men's lacrosse team has extended their winning streak to five games after defeating Rutgers 9-4 on April 18 and St. Joseph's 17-6 on April 25. They play at Georgetown todat at 1 PM in the regular season finale.
• The women's lacrosse team started a wins treak of their own on April 19 when they hosted and vanquished Ohio State, 13-9. Last weekend they traveled to Johns Hopkins and won 12-11. Last night, in the American Lacrosse Conference Championships, the women beat Ohio State once more (11-7). Today the women play #1 Northwestern at 2 PM for the Championship. The ALC Championship are being played at Penn State this year. Home field advantage! Regardless of today's result, the women will travel somewhere next Sunday for the first round of the NCAA Championships.
• The men's golf team lead at the Boilermaker Invitational after one day of play but fell to, and finished in, second when all was said and done on April 19. Yesterday the Big Ten Championships began. After one day of play the team is tied for 6th. Play resumes today and concludes tomorrow.
• The women's golf team finished day one of the Lady Buckeye tied for 9th and finished in the same spot on the 19th of April. Last weekend, while I was home in Sinking Spring, PA, the women were here in West Lafayette, IN for the Big Ten Championships. The team was last reported to be in 11th place. Not good. Next weekend are the NCAA Regional Championships.
• After beating Indiana on April 17th the baseball started to slide. They lost five straight between April 18 and April 26, two to Indiana and all three to Illinois. They beat La Salle on April 29 but were absolutely hammered by Michigan State last night, 12-1. They continue their series with Michigan State today and tomorrow at 1:05 PM. Including the two remaining games versus Michigan State the team has only nine games left on their regular season schedule.
• The softball team had a double header at Minnesota on April 18th and the teams traded 1-0 victories. The team then split their two game series at Maryland before being swept by Purdue (2-0, 3-2). They had a double header this past Wednesday at Michigan State. The ladies took the opener 6-3 but fell in the night cap 3-2. They host Indiana today in a double header and conclude their regular season next Saturday.