UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The third-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team looks to stay hot as it goes on the road for a non-conference match at Saint Francis on Saturday. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m., and will stream on NEC Front Row.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
#3 Penn State (8-1, 0-0 EIVA) at Saint Francis (2-7, 1-0 NEC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: DeGol Arena (Loretto, Pa.)
Watch: NEC Front Row
Stats:Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY - SAINT FRANCIS
- Penn State is 50-3 in the all-time series with Saint Francis. The teams first played in 1994.
- The Lions have won 10 straight matches in the series dating back to 2017.
- Penn State swept Saint Francis twice last season, once on the road and once at home. Brett Wildman hit .537 and averaged 4.17 kills/set over the two wins. He added seven aces. Toby Ezeonu hit .619 and averaged 2.33 kills/set. The Lions hit .393 over the two matches behind 12.33 assists/set from Cole Bogner.
- The Lions are 21-1 in road matches against the Red Flash.
SCOUTING SAINT FRANCIS
- Saint Francis is 2-7 overall and 1-0 in the NEC following back-to-back wins over Alderson Broaddus and Fairleigh Dickinson. Both matches were decided by 3-0 scores.
- Nathan Zini ranks second in the NEC in kills/set (3.44). Thomas Leahey, a State College native, ranks second in blocks/set (0.89).
- The Red Flash received six first-place votes and were picked as the favorite to win the conference in the NEC Preseason Poll. It is the inaugural season for the conference, which has First Point Collegiate Volleyball as its corporate sponsor.
PENN STATE NOTES & STATS
- Penn State is ranked third in the country and is 8-1 following wins over then-No. 10 USC (3-1) and then-No. 2 UCLA (3-1) at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge last weekend. The Lions have played top-10 opponents in each of their past five matches and went 4-1 during that stretch.
- Cal Fisher made an immediate impact after making his collegiate debut following a return from an injury. He was named the Off the Block National Opposite of the Week and the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week after hitting .397 and averaging 4.38 points/set last in the two big wins.
- Hawaii and Long Beach State are the only teams ranked ahead of Penn State in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
- Six of the Lions' nine opponents this season were ranked at the time of the match. They are 5-1 in those contests.
- Brett Wildman recorded his 1,000th career kill in the opening set of the win over USC.
- Penn State ranks first in the EIVA and fifth in the nation in assists/set (12.06). Individually, Cole Bogner ranks second in the EIVA and fourth nationally at 10.44 assists/set.
- Owen Rose leads the EIVA and ranks sixth in the nation in blocks/set (1.18).
UP NEXT
- Penn State opens EIVA play with home matches against Princeton on Feb. 17-18. The Tigers, who won the 2022 EIVA Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, are 3-6 following a 3-2 loss to CSUN in their most recent match.
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.