FAIRFAX, Va. – Penn state men's volleyball continues play in the National Collegiate Championship with a semifinal match against second-seeded Hawaii at George Mason's EagleBank Arena on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The match will stream on NCAA.com.
The Nittany Lions enter Thursday at 27-3 overall and ranked No. 3 in the nation, while the Rainbow Warriors are 28-2 and were ranked No. 1 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll.
The winner of Thursday night's match will take on the other semifinal winner between UCLA and Long Beach State in the National Championship on Saturday at 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Penn State (27-3, 10-0 EIVA) vs. Hawaii (28-2, 9-1 Big West)
Date: Thursday, May 4
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: EagleBank Arena (Fairfax, Va.)
Watch: NCAA.com
Stats: Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State is 10-16 in the all-time series with Hawaii. The teams first played in 1995.
• The Lions defeated the Rainbow Warriors 3-1 in March while winning the title at the Outrigger Challenge in Honolulu. Tony Ezeonu hit .533 with 10 kills and five blocks in that win. Cal Fisher hit .385 with 12 kills and 10 digs.
• Penn State is 2-3 against Hawaii in national tournament matches. The Lions won a semifinal match against the Warriors in 1995, while the Warriors won semifinal matches in 1996 and 2002. The other two times the teams met in the national tournament came in the opening round, with Penn State winning in 2015 and Hawaii winning in 2017. George Mason marks the sixth different location the teams will meet all-time in the national tournament.
SCOUTING HAWAII
• Hawaii is ranked No. 1 in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll and enters the national tournament at 28-2 overall.
• The Warriors earned an automatic bid to the event after taking down UC Irvine in the championship match of the Big West Tournament.
• Senior setter Jakob Thelle was named the National Player of the Year on Wednesday.
• Hawaii is the two-time defending national champion.
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State advanced to the semifinal round with a 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 26-24) win over Ohio State on Tuesday.
• Cal Fisher was outstanding against the Buckeyes, hitting .533 with 18 kills, three aces, seven digs, and a career-high seven blocks.
• Michal Kowal made his national postseason debut and came through with nine kills on .500 hitting in addition to six digs.
• Contributing with big defensive performances for the Lions were Owen Rose with eight blocks and Ryan Merk with 10 digs.
PENN STATE IN NC TOURNAMENT
• Penn State is making its 33rd appearance in the National Collegiate Championship.
• This is the Lions' 23rd appearance in the tournament in Mark Pavlik's 29th season as head coach.
• Penn State won the 1994 national title over UCLA at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Lions won the 2008 title with a victory over Pepperdine at UC Irvine.
• Pavlik's 29 appearances in the national championship tournament are three more than the other six qualifiers' head coaches combined.
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