Penn State commit Gaige Gabriel talks with SV Sports

After visiting Penn State, committing to the Nittany Lions was a pretty easy decision for Gaige Gabriel. "It's a family. They treated me like I was on the team already, and it just clicked. It's my dream school," he said. Gabriel is a 6'8 junior at Exeter High School. He was recently selected by USA Volleyball for the National Team Development Program. The goal of the NTDP is to provide better opportunities to compete with the best athletes from across the country, while learning from the top coaches in the game. "When I got that news, it was a wake up call that it's not play time anymore. It's time to really get to work," emphasized Gabriel. The all-county selection piled up 333 kills and 128 digs as a sophomore. Gabriel finished with 203 kills and 43 blocks as a freshman for the Eagles. Exeter fell to Wilson 3-1 in the Berks County semifinals last year. Gabriel has high hopes for this season. He replied, "It's a different beast. We have a different mentality than last year." Gabriel received several Division I offers including Ohio State, but his first offer came from Penn State. The Nittany Lions have captured two national titles in men's volleyball and reached the NCAA Tournament 22 times. Mark Pavlik leads all active DI coaches in wins. He's in his 29th season as Penn State's head coach. Gabriel also talked with SV Sports' Paul Roberts about his favorite movies, musical performers, and teachers.