UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State men's volleyball returns to the EIVA portion of its schedule this weekend as it travels to take on Harvard. The Nittany Lions play the Crimson on Friday at 7 p.m., and again on Saturday at 3 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
#3 Penn State (18-3, 4-0 EIVA) at Harvard (7-11, 0-4 EIVA)
Match One
Date: Friday, March 31
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Cambridge, Mass.
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: Live Stats
Match Two
Date: Saturday, April 1
Time: 3 p.m.
Place: Cambridge, Mass.
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State is 21-3 in the all-time series with Harvard. The teams first played in 2000.
- The Lions have won five straight matches in the series. Their last loss to the Crimson came in 2018.
- Brett Wildman has totaled 43 kills (2.69/set) and 19 digs (1.19/set) while hitting .323 in five career matches against the Crimson.
- Penn State is 8-2 when playing on the road against Harvard.
SCOUTING HARVARD
- Harvard is 7-11 overall and 0-4 in the EIVA. The Crimson snapped a three-match losing streak with a 3-0 win over American International College in their most recent contest.
- Zach Berty ranks second in the EIVA and 12th nationally with 0.47 aces/set. The freshman has 26 aces through 16 matches played.
- Harvard has played EIVA matches against Charleston and Princeton this season. The Crimson were swept twice by the Eagles and dropped a pair of 3-1matches to Princeton.
PENN STATE NOTES & STATS
- Penn State dropped two spots to No. 3 in the AVCA Coaches Poll following a 3-2 loss to Ohio State in its most recent match. The Lions have been ranked in the top three for eight consecutive weeks.
- The Lions have won 22 straight EIVA regular season matches. The streak includes four matches this season, all 16 last season, and the final two of the 2021 season. The last EIVA regular season loss came at George Mason on April 3, 2021.
- Two Penn State players have a chance to reach career milestones by the end of their final season. Cole Bogner is 220 assists away from reaching 4,000 for his career, while Cal Fisher needs 72 kills to reach 1,000. At minimum, the Lions have six regular season matches and one EIVA Tournament match remaining. Brett Wildman already eclipsed the 1,000-kill milestone earlier this season.
- The Lions rank first in the EIVA and ninth nationally in assists/set (11.70). Bogner leads the way, ranking first in the conference and sixth nationally at 10.19 assists/set.
- Toby Ezeonu leads the nation in hitting percentage at .505. He was the NCAA leader in the category last season at .528.
UP NEXT
- Penn State continues EIVA play with matches at George Mason on April 7-8. The Patriots are 9-12 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
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.