Courtesy: Penn State Athletics
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s volleyball team is set for a trip to Europe Aug. 6-16 that will include visits to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia with a slate of several exhibition matches against various national teams and other local squads.
“This European trip is one where we give our guys the opportunity to experience a different culture and we do it through sport and a game everyone loves,” said Nittany Lion head coach Mark Pavlik. “The people we are going to be involved with speak that language of volleyball. I am really excited about the opportunity we are able to give this current group as a kickoff to our 2018-19 season.”
Penn State’s travel party includes 17 returning lettermen from the 2018 season. The Nittany Lions departed State College early Monday morning with their first stop outside the United States in Venice, Italy.
The team will spend a day sightseeing in Venice on Aug. 7 before bussing into Slovenia on Aug. 8. The three-day stop in Maribor features Nittany Lion exhibition matches against various national teams from Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Switzerland/Luxembourg.
Zagreb, Croatia, is the team’s next stop over two days, Aug. 11-12, where a visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park and another exhibition match against the Croatian National Team are on the docket. On Aug. 13, the team will return to Slovenia to visit Bled and the capital Ljubljana where ACH Ljubljana will be the squad’s final scheduled opponent of the tour.
The Nittany Lions wrap up the trip by spending the last three days in Italy, specifically in Verona and Bologna, before returning home from Venice on Aug. 16.
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