No. 16 Men's Volleyball Welcomes Merrimack to Rec Hall FridayNo. 16 Men's Volleyball Welcomes Merrimack to Rec Hall Friday

No. 16 Men's Volleyball Welcomes Merrimack to Rec Hall Friday

The Nittany Lions have won six straight matches

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Series Breakdown

_Ath_Chip_282Reversed.png VS. Merrimack_Warriors.svg

SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State and Merrimack will meet for the third time in a series that began in 2023.
• The Nittany Lions are 2-0 in the all-time series with the Warriors, winning 3-0 in 2023 and 3-1 in 2025. Both matches were played at Rec Hall.
• Sean Harvey hit .538 with seven kills, two blocks, and one ace in last season’s win over Merrimack.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MERRIMACK

Year Winner Score Location
2023 Penn State 3-0 Rec Hall
2025 Penn State 3-1 Rec Hall

 

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PENN STATE VS. EIVA
• Penn State is 324-38 all-time against current members of the EIVA.
• The Nittany Lions have won at least 87 percent of the matches in the series with all six teams.
• Penn State has won its most recent match against all of the EIVA teams except Charleston.

Team Record Last Played Score
Charleston 20-1 2025 L, 1-3
George Mason 122-18 2025 W, 3-2
Harvard 30-4 2026 W, 3-1
NJIT 56-3 2025 W, 3-0
Princeton 71-10 2025 W, 3-0
Sacred Heart 25-2 2025 W, 3-2
Total 324-38    
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STREAKS TO WATCH

Sean Harvey
• 5 straight matches with at least one ace

Tristan Hassell
• 4 straight matches with at least one ace

Ryan Merk
• 106 straight starts at libero
• 6 straight matches without allowing an ace
• 81 straight serve receptions without an ace

Owen Rose
• 8 straight matches with at least 1.00 blocks/set
• 79 straight starts at middle blocker

Michael Schwob
• 5 straight matches with at least one ace

Team
• 6 straight wins
• 8 straight wins against EIVA opponents

Match Notes

OPENING NOTES
• Penn State, competing in the 50th season in program history, takes a six-match winning streak into a non-conference matchup with Merrimack on Friday at Rec Hall.
• The winning streak includes two wins over Saint Francis, two over Princeton, and two over Harvard.
• Penn State is 65-8 at Rec Hall since the start of the 2021 season.

PENN STATE RECORD AT REC HALL SINCE 2021
2026: 7-2
2025: 6-2
2024: 15-0
2023: 11-2
2022: 13-1
2021: 13-1
Total: 65-8

PAVLIK'S LAST SEASON
• Mark Pavlik announced prior to the season that this season, his 32nd as the head coach of Penn State, will be his last.
• Pavlik is just the third head coach in the 50 seasons of Penn State men’s volleyball. 

PAVLIK'S RESUME
• 2008 National Champion
• 1x AVCA National Coach of the Year
• 25 EIVA Tournament titles
• 27 EIVA regular season title
• 10x EIVA Coach of the Year
• 704 wins ranks fourth in the history of collegiate men's volleyball and first amongst current coaches.

IN THE POLL
• Penn State was ranked No. 16 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and has been ranked in each of the first eight polls of this season.
• The Nittany Lions have appeared in the Coaches Poll for a total of 616 of the 652 weeks since the rankings debuted in 1986. That stands as the fifth most of any program in the nation.

CAREER HIGHS SET LAST WEEK
vs. Harvard - Friday
Gaige Gabriel - aces (3)
Sean Harvey - aces (5)
Tristan Hassell - blocks (4)
Owen Rose - blocks (14)

CONFERENCE LEADERS
• Penn State leads all EIVA teams in aces/set (1.47), assists/set (11.33), blocks/set (2.91), hitting percentage (.275), kills/set (12.08), winning percentage (.714), and opponent hitting percentage (.204).
• Individually, Ryan Merk ranks first in the EIVA in digs/set (2.33). Owen Rose ranks first in blocks/set (1.37).

SCOUTING MERRIMACK
• Merrimack is 4-8 overall following a 3-2 win over LIU in its most recent match.
• The Warriors rank fifth in the nation in digs/set (10.22). Kyle Standage ranks second individually in that category with 2.88/set.
• Dallas Birkenbeuel is one of the busiest players in the country, ranking third in attacks/set (9.71).