UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team makes its annual trip to New England for a pair of conference matches against EIVA opponents Sacred Heart and Harvard this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22.
The Nittany Lions will face Sacred Heart Friday evening at 6 p.m. before heading to Harvard for Saturday's match beginning at 4 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
#9 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-6, 2-0 EIVA) vs. Sacred Heart Pioneers (4-4, 0-3 EIVA)
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Location: Fairfield, CT
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Video: NEC Front Row
Stats: Live Stats
Penn State vs. Harvard Crimson (8-3, 2-1 EIVA)
Date: Saturday, February 8
Location: Rec Hall South Gym
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Video: ESPN-Plus ($)
Stats: Live Stats
Weekend Game Notes: Penn State Game Notes
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE PIONEERS AND CRIMSON
Penn State is 16-2 all-time against Sacred Heart dating back to their first matchup in the 2004 season. The Nittany Lions have won four-straight against the Pioneers, including a pair of 3-0 wins in 2019.
The Nittany Lions also have a strong record against Harvard all-time at 18-3 overall dating back to 2000. PSU won both matchups last season against the Crimson, including a 3-1 win on the road in March 2019.
RECAP – PRINCETON & NJIT
The Nittany Lions started their EIVA schedule hot with a pair of wins against #11 Princeton (3-1) and NJIT (3-0).
Penn State snapped a five-match losing streak to the Tigers by winning three sets in a row after losing game one. PSU hit .481 and .464 in sets three and four to clinch the match and had a huge spark off the bench from Bobby Wilden in those two sets.
In match two, Brett Wildman carried the Nittany Lions offensively in the first set and he and the Nittany Lions swept a talented NJIT squad in three. Penn State was efficient offensively once again, hitting no less than .333 as a team in all three sets.
NITTANY LION NOTES
- Penn State moved back into 9th place in the in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll after sweeping its opening conference weekend at home 2/14-15.
- Sophomore Brett Wildman won his second EIVA Offensive Player of the Week award this season after two 17-kill matches last weekend. Not only was the 34 kills his most in a two-match span this season, he also hit .490 combined (34-7-55) for both matches, including a single-game best .560 (17-3-25) against NJIT last Saturday.
Brett Wildman with EIVA award number 2️⃣!
— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) February 17, 2020
His performance this weekend (34 kills hitting .490) wins him Offensive Player of the Week honors from the league!
📰: https://t.co/TWqHqIZbfF#WeAre pic.twitter.com/kBjPJJbuzp
- Penn State has been great at the serve and-pass game this season, leading the EIVA with 77 aces (2nd: 60, Charleston) while only giving up 46 aces by opponents (serve-receive percentage: .943 vs. .902 for opponents).
NEXT UP
Penn State takes a quick mid-week trip to Loretto, Pa. to face local rival St. Francis next Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m.
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.