UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's volleyball team wraps up its 2019 home regular season slate with two matches this weekend against EIVA opponents. The Nittany Lions face Charleston (W.V.) Friday evening and No. 15 George Mason Saturday night with first serve both nights scheduled for 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Charleston (9-16, 1-9 EIVA) vs. Penn State (12-12, 8-2 EIVA)
Date: Friday, April 5
Time: 7 p.m.
Stats: Live Statistics
Video: LionVision
#15 George Mason (14-7, 7-3 EIVA) vs. Penn State
Date: Saturday, April 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Stats: Live Statistics
Video: LionVision
Weekend game notes: Penn State Game Notes
OPENING SERVE
The Nittany Lions lost in straight sets to George Mason back in late February but turned things around two days later with a sweep of Charleston in their previous matches against both of their upcoming weekend opponents. An injured Penn State squad fell victim to the Patriots on the road before finding its groove two days later to beat the Golden Eagles on their home floor.
Penn State is riding a current season-long four match winning streak which began March 19 against Ohio State and has catapulted the Nittany Lions from fourth place in the EIVA standings to second place and only one match out of first place with four matches remaining in the season. Last week, Penn State defeated Saint Francis 3-0 on Tuesday and followed up with wins at Harvard 3-1 and Sacred Heart 3-0.
Charleston has been eliminated from postseason play in the EIVA with a 1-9 mark in conference play and a 9-16 overall record. In a pair of nonconference matches last Friday at Lourdes, the Golden Eagles swept Lawrence Tech before dropping in straight sets to the host, Lourdes.
George Mason is ranked #15 in the AVCA National Coaches Poll and is coming off a weekend split at home last weekend with a four-set loss to EIVA leader Princeton and a four-set win over NJIT. They sit just behind Penn State in the EIVA standings in third place with a 7-3 record.
SENIOR DAY
Penn State will honor its three seniors, Matthew McLaren, Lee Smith, and Frank Melvin, prior to Saturday's match against George Mason. Here's what Coach Pavlik had to say about all three of them earlier in the week:
- "Matt has taken his engineering mind to the team. He received the ultimate compliment of being named captain by his teammates. When he says something, his team listens. He walked on and took advantage if the opportunities he's had made a great career for himself."
- "Lee might have had some of the worst luck the past few years with injuries, but he has always been engaged and involved and he's been that way every day. He is always looking to find a way to help and bring what he can to the team in whatever capacity he can."
- "Frank is the ultimate student athlete. He does anything we ask of him in practice and plays any position (he'll probably want to set after reading this). He'll graduate with his business degree and do big things."
HOT ROD McLAREN
Redshirt senior Matthew McLaren was also recognized this past week for his play on the court as the EIVA's Offensive Player of the Week. McLaren was Penn State's go-to option for its three wins last week with 34 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. He set a season high with 18 kills at Harvard with a .500 hitting percentage.
McLaren leads the Nittany Lions in conference play with 78 kills in eight matches while swinging .320.
DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH
As has been the case all season long, the Nittany Lions have had big performances from multiple players throughout their lineup during its four-match win streak.
- In addition to McLaren's performance of late, Jason Donorovich has at least five kills in four-straight matches and 11 blocks in that span.
- Cole Bogner (81 assists) and Luke Braswell (53 assists) have both had effective stretches at the setter position, allowing the Nittany Lions to rotate lineups throughout the match.
- Brett Wildman led Penn State in its latest win over Sacred Heart with 11 kills and has posted 15 digs over the last four matches.
- Henrik Falck Lauten managed back-to-back eight dig matches against Ohio State and Saint Francis while also pitching in offensively with 25 kills in the last four matches.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions conclude the regular season with a pair of road matches next weekend. They'll play NJIT April 12 at 6 p.m. followed by a match with Princeton April 13 at 7 p.m.