#6 - Matt Proper Position: Opposite Height: 6-7 (201cm) Weight: 216 lbs (98kg) Hometown: Meadville, Pa. College: Penn State Birth Date: Oct. 20, 1983

PERSONAL: Born Matthew Wes Proper on October 20, 1983 in Meadville, Pa.… Parents are Wendell and Sherry Proper… Has one older brother: Andy… Attended Maplewood High School in Guys Mills, Pa., from 1996-2002 where he played both volleyball and basketball… Maplewood won the boys’ volleyball state championship in 2000 and Matt was all-state in 2001-02. Played for Tool City Volleyball Club in Meadville… Attended Penn State University from 2002-2006 and has a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology… His favorite book is The Bible… Enjoys Reggae music and surfing… Says the most defining moment in his life was doing a cannonball off the 7-meter high-dive at Penn State.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2008 – Played professionally for Perugia in Italy’s Serie A League. 2007 — Helped the U.S. men win the bronze medal at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS: 2006 – As the team co-captain, Matt helped the Nittany Lions advance to their first national title match in 11 years with 22 kills on .452 hitting in the national semifinal win over then-No. 1 UC Irvine… Penn State lost to UCLA in the final… NCAA Division I Championship All-Tournament Team… Big 10 Medal of Honor (given to a graduating student of each university who demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics)… AVCA Second Team All-America… AVCA/Sports Import Division I/II National Player of the Week (Feb. 8)… Volleyball Magazine Player of the Month (April, 2006)… Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) All-East First Team… Hawaii Outrigger All-Tournament Team… First men’s volleyball player to receive the Ernest B. McCoy Academic/Athletic Award… Two-Time All-EIVA Player of the Week… EIVA Championship All-Tournament Team… Matt ended the year ranked 16th in the nation with 4.23 kills per game at a .373 clip… Also led the Nittany Lions in kills and points per game… Led the team with 34 service aces on the season. 2005 – AVCA Second Team All-America… ESPN Second Team Academic All-America… AVCA/Sports Import Division I/II National Player of the Week (Feb. 10)… EIVA All-East First Team… EIVA Championship All-Tournament Team… EIVA Player of the Year… Academic All-EIVA Team… Three-Time All-EIVA Player of the Week… Golden Dome Classic All-Tournament Team and MVP… Volleyball Hall of Fame Classic Tournament MVP… Ended the year with 4.04 kills per game, hitting .327 on the season… Led the team in kills and points per game with 4.04 and 5.03, respectively… Also led the team in aces with 33 for the season. 2004 – EIVA All-East First Team… Volleyball Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team… Played in all 30 matches, hitting .264 with 3.14 kills per game… Led the team with 32 aces. 2003 – Played in 26 matches and 47 games as a true freshman… Hit .358 on the season with 2.15 kills per game.