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Mark Selders

Men's Volleyball Set For Ranked EIVA Showdown

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 10 Penn State men's volleyball team looks to defend its home court in a big EIVA series against 12th-ranked George Mason this weekend, Feb. 26-27.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
No. 12 George Mason (7-1, 4-0 EIVA) vs. No. 10 Penn State (8-2, 5-1 EIVA)
Dates: Friday, Feb. 26 | Saturday, Feb. 27
Times: 7 p.m. | 7 p.m.
B1G+ Stream: Match 1 | Match 2
Live stats: Both matches
Game Notes: Penn State Game Notes
 
THE MATCHUP
Penn State leads the all-time series 108-17 over George Mason. The last eight matches between the two have been split 4-4 with the set counts at 18-16 in favor of the Patriots.
 
The Nittany Lions broke into the top 10 in the AVCA Top 15 this week, marking their 15th-straight week ranked dating back to the preseason 2020 poll. This is their first match against another ranked opponent in the 2021 season.
 
NITTANY LION QUICK BITS

  • Junior opposite hitter Cal Fisher is one of the best servers and point scorers in the nation. His .694 aces per set leads the country among players with at least 2 matches played this season. Fisher also has double-digit points in every Penn State win this season.
  • Penn State duo Michael Valenzi and Sam Marsh won the EIVA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards last week. Valenzi had 17 kills and Marsh had 8 blocks in the Feb. 21 win at SHU. 
  • Junior Brett Wildman had a season-high 17 kills in his last match played Feb. 6 against Saint Francis.
  • Junior setter Cole Bogner has at least 30 assists in all but the first of PSU's wins this season. He ranks fourth among active NCAA setters with a 9.13 career assists/set average. 
  • When PSU has won this season, its largely due to its passing. RS junior Will Bantle has a .935 serve-receive % on a team-high 154 attempts. He also ranks fifth among active NCAA players with 1.94 digs per set in his career.

 
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.