Feb. 26, 2015
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's volleyball (4-0, 2-0) continues its seven-match road swing with a pair of EIVA conference matches this weekend. The Nittany Lions travel to Sacred Heart (4-6, 1-2) Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. before heading to Harvard (8-4, 2-1) to take on the Crimson Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Fans can listen to a live audio stream of both matches available, here.
PSU enters the weekend looking to remain unbeaten in conference play as the Nittany Lions have already defeated Saint Francis and George Mason in straight sets earlier this season. Penn State went 0-2 last week with rematches against two challenging opponents. The Nittany Lions fell to No. 2 Lewis and top-ranked Loyola Chicago in four sets on the road.
QUICK SETS
* The Nittany Lions own an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series against Harvard, having captured straight set wins against the Crimson in both meetings a year ago.
* Penn State has never lost to Sacred Heart, having claimed wins in all eight outings against the Pioneers, including two in 2014.
* PSU entered the week averaging 9.71 digs per set as a team, which ranks seventh nationally and second in the conference. Redshirt senior Connor Curry is leading the team with 2.50 digs per frame, which is slotted ninth nationally and is tops in the EIVA standings.
* The Nittany Lions are also ranked among the top 15 nationally in kills per set, averaging 12.54, which leads the EIVA and ranks 11th in the country. Senior Aaron Russell's contributing a team-high 4.48 kills per set, which ranks third nationally and second in the league.
* Penn State received a pair of votes in this week's AVCA Top 15 Coaches' Poll. Presently, the Nittany Lions have now seen or will see a total of 11 teams from the top 15 at some point during the regular season.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Four weeks ago, sophomore Chris Nugent highlighted the weekend with a pair of career high performances. In his first career start against Mount Olive, Nugent led the offense with a match-high 16 kills on .500 hitting, adding three aces, five digs and two blocks to earn Mike Anderson Penn State Player of the Match honors. The next night, he set another career-high mark with a match-high seven aces against Saint Francis. Against Erskine, he tied for first on the team with 12 kills, while also adding two aces and a career-high five blocks. Since earning his first start, he's ranked third on the team with 2.00 kills per set and second in aces per set (0.44) with 12 aces on the year.
Redshirt freshman Aidan Albrecht has also seen increased action on the court since stepping into the middle position after an injury sidelined starter Matt Seifert. He made his collegiate debut in the 2015 EIVA opener against Saint Francis, before posting a career-high four blocks against Erskine. Against George Mason he tallied a career-high five kills.
AVCA DI-II COACHES' POLL UPDATE: FEBRUARY 23
Penn State received a pair of votes in this week's AVCA Poll, since slipping out of the top 15 a month ago. Presently, the Nittany Lions have now seen or will see a total of 11 teams from the top 15 at some point during the regular season.
PAVLIK APPROACHING CAREER MARK
In his 21st year at the helm of the program, head coach Mark Pavlik has amassed 486 career victories. His all-time mark puts him just 14 shy of the milestone 500 career-wins plateau.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
The Nittany Lions own an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Crimson. Last year, PSU powered past Harvard in straight sets in both regular season outings. Penn State has won its last three in a row against Harvard since surrendering its first loss to the Crimson in program history in the final regular season outing in 2013.
Penn State holds a perfect 8-0 lead in the all-time series against Sacred Heart, having never lost to the Pioneers. Having swept SHU in both meetings last year, the Nittany Lions have not dropped a single set against the Pioneers since 2004.
PENN STATE PARTICIPATING IN EIVA RALLIES! CAMPAIGN
Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik helped raise awareness for the EIVA's "EIVA Rallies!" campaign by wearing a fedora in the Nittany Lions' EIVA opener against travel partner, Saint Francis. Each year, Penn State men's volleyball participates in the annual campaign, which benefits the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During the EIVA Rallies! silent auction, PSU raised nearly $700 to donate to the cause on behalf of the Nittany Lions.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is one of the largest and oldest private cancer centers. Throughout its history, the center has dedicated more than 100 years to patient care and innovative research.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Nittany Lions have a bye week on deck, before heading to the west coast for a spring break trip. First up, Penn State travels to USC to take on the Trojans Tuesday, March 10. Then it's off to the Asics Tournament to square off against CSUN Friday, March 13 and tournament host Long Beach State Saturday, March 14.