UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania – The Penn State men's volleyball team has a pair of important matchups ahead with two mid-season EIVA matches against conference-leading Princeton and NJIT Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, at Rec Hall.
Friday's match against Princeton will begin at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall's main gym. The match will be broadcast on BTN-Plus through the Fox Sports App.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will host NJIT in the South Gym also at 7 p.m. There will be no live video stream of the match.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Princeton (7-7, 5-0 EIVA) vs. Penn State (7-7, 4-1 EIVA)
Date: Friday, March 1
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Rec Hall
Watch: BTN-Plus Student U (Subscription required)
Statistics: Live Statistics
NJIT (4-7, 0-3 EIVA) vs. Penn State
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Rec Hall South Gym
Statistics: Live Statistics
OPENING SERVE
Penn State split its two road EIVA matches last weekend in Fairfax, Virginia and Charleston, West Virginia. The Nittany Lions lost in straight sets to #13 George Mason Friday evening, but bounced back with a sweep of their own against Charleston on Saturday. Penn State led Charleston in almost every team category including kills (33-26), blocks (13-10), and digs (26-17).
Princeton has won five-straight matches all against conference opponents to stand alone atop the EIVA standings. Last weekend, the Tigers defeated Harvard in four sets followed by a sweep of Sacred Heart. Juniors Parker Dixon and George Huhmann form one of the most formidable 1-2 punches in the conference and in the country on the attack.
NJIT is still searching for its first conference victory of the season after losing three in a row to EIVA foes. The Highlanders also made the New England trip last weekend and lost to Sacred Heart 3-1 before taking Harvard to a fifth set before losing 3-2. The Highlanders are the fourth best serving team in the country with 1.85 aces per set.
ALL-TIME LEDGER
The Nittany Lions hold a 59-5 all-time record over Princeton before Friday's match, but the Tigers won the last two matches to sweep the season series in 2018. Penn State has won 29-of-30 home games against Princeton.
Penn State has lost just once (42-1) to NJIT since 1977 and have won 27 straight over the Highlanders. Since 2014, the Nittany Lions have won 30 sets while dropping just seven in the matchup.
THE 1-2 BATTLE
Penn State and Princeton's match on Friday will feature the first and second place teams in the EIVA. Princeton's 5-0 record has them atop the standings while the Nittany Lions are close behind with a 4-1 conference mark.
These two teams were projected to finished 1-2 in the EIVA Preseason Coaches poll.
WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES ABOUT TO GET WILD
Penn State freshman outside hitter Brett Wildman was named to the United States Volleyball World University Games roster on Feb. 25.
Wildman is the youngest player on the roster and is the team's only true freshman. Wildman is also the lone representative of the EIVA on the quad. He ranks sixth on PSU with 46 kills and fifth with 58 points.
The tournament will be held July 3-11 in Napoli, Italy.
NITTANY NOTES
- Freshman Canyon Tuman set three new single-game bests Feb. 24 at Charleston with nine kills and six blocks while also sporting a perfect 1.000 hitting %. His nine kills without an error is the most by a Nittany Lion this season.
- Redshirt junior Calvin Mende returned to the Nittany Lions lineup Feb. 22 after being out over a month due to injury. In two matches at George Mason and Charleston, Mende led the Nittany Lions with 20 kills.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions make their second California venture of the season when they head to Los Angeles March 8-9 for the Big 10/Pac 12 Challenge. Penn State faces USC Friday and UCLA Saturday.
For more information on Penn State men's volleyball, follow the Nittany Lions on Twitter @PennStateMVBALL and Instagram @pennstatemvball and "like" the Penn State men's volleyball page on Facebook.