UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State men's volleyball is set for another weekend of EIVA competition as it travels for a pair of matches at NJIT. The Lions play the Highlanders on Friday at 6 p.m., and on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both matches are at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
#3 Penn State (11-1, 2-0 EIVA) at NJIT (5-7, 1-0 EIVA)
Match One
Date: Friday, Feb. 24
Time: 6 p.m.
Place: NJIT Wellness and Events Center (Newark, N.J.)
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: Live Stats
Match Two
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: NJIT Wellness and Events Center (Newark, N.J.)
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State is 50-2 in the all-time series with NJIT. The teams first played in 1977.
- The Lions have won four straight matches in the series, including both matchups last season.
- Toby Ezeonu hit .531 with 20 kills and 13 blocks over the two wins over the Highlanders last season. Cal Fisher combined for eight aces over the two matches.
- NJIT's two wins in the series came in 1998 and 2021.
SCOUTING NJIT
- NJIT is 5-7 overall and 1-0 in the EIVA following three straight losses to No. 15 CSUN (3-2), No. 4 Long Beach State (3-0) and No. 4 Long Beach State again (3-0).
- Martin De Chavarria ranks third in the conference in blocks/set (1.00). The senior middle blocker was a second-team All-EIVA selection in each of the past two seasons.
- The Highlanders finished second in the conference regular season standings in each of the past two seasons.
PENN STATE NOTES & STATS
- Penn State is ranked third in the country and is 11-1 following five-straight wins over then-No. 2 UCLA, then-No. 10 USC, Saint Francis, and Princeton twice.
- Toby Ezeonu is coming off a big weekend that resulted in him earning the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week award. He hit .484 with 17 kills and 11 blocks over the two league wins over Princeton. He excelled offensively in Friday night's sweep, hitting .529 with 11 kills and two blocks. He then led the defensive effort in Saturday's sweep, totaling a career-high nine blocks in addition to six kills on .429 hitting.
- Hawaii and UCLA are the only teams ranked ahead of Penn State in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
- The Lions were ranked No. 4 in the first five AVCA Polls of the season. They were ranked No. 3 in the most recent three polls.
- Five different Penn State players have won an EIVA weekly award this season. John Kerr and Cal Fisher each won one Offensive Player of the Week honor, while Owen Rose, Michal Kowal, and Ezeonu each won one Defensive Player of the Week award.
- Penn State ranks first in the EIVA and 10th in the nation in assists/set (11.58). Individually, Cole Bogner ranks second in the EIVA and ninth nationally at 10.02 assists/set.
- Ryan Merk leads the conference in digs/set (1.89). Ezeonu is second in hitting percentage (.423), Rose is second in blocks/set (1.17), Brett Wildman is third in aces/set (0.45), and John Kerr is third in kills/set (3.06).
UP NEXT
- Penn State heads to California for non-conference matches at Concordia on March 4 and at UC Irvine on March 5.
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