EIVA RELEASE
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's volleyball team was selected second in the 2019 preseason Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) coaches' poll released Tuesday afternoon.
In the poll, the Nittany Lions tied George Mason with the most first-place votes with three while also compiling the second-most points in the poll, 53, behind only Princeton who gained 56 points as the preseason favorite.
The full poll is listed below:
1. Princeton (2 first-place votes) – 56 points
2. Penn State (3) – 53 points
3. George Mason (3) – 51 points
4. NJIT – 47 points
5. Harvard – 29 points
6. St. Francis – 25 points
7. Charleston W.V. – 17 points
8. Sacred Heart – 10 points
The coaches were also asked to list a pair of players as EIVA Players To Watch from each team. Penn State's selections were redshirt juniors Calvin Mende and Henrik Falck Lauten.
Mende is a two-time All-EIVA First Team selection and a two-time Volleyball Magazine All-America Honorable Mention.
Falck Lauten is set to play his first season in the blue & white as an outside hitter after taking a redshirt last season.
The Nittany Lions will begin the 2019 season on the road in a non-conference matchup against Ohio State Jan. 5.
Penn State's EIVA slate will start Jan. 20 at St. Francis.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 15-11 season in 2018 with a 10-4 mark in conference play. Penn State has finished in first place in the EIVA standings 22 of the last 24 season since Mark Pavlik was named head coach in 1995.
To stay up to date with the latest news on Penn State men's volleyball, follow the Nittany Lions on Twitter @PennStateMVball, like the Penn State Men's Volleyball page on Facebook, and follow the team on Instagram @pennstatemvball.
