PRINCETON, N.J. - Penn State looks to win the EIVA Tournament title for the 38th time in program history when it plays in the championship match against Princeton on Saturday at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will stream on B1G+ free of charge.
The Nittany Lions’ 37 EIVA Tournament titles are the most of any league member past or present. George Mason is second among active league members with four tournament titles.
Penn State is the three-time defending EIVA Tournament champion. Two of Penn State’s three straight titles came with wins over Princeton in the championship match.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Saturday, April 25 – 7 p.m.
No. 16 Penn State (21-7, 12-0 EIVA) vs. Princeton (9-14, 3-9 EIVA) | Live Stats | B1G+
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State and Princeton will meet for the 82nd time overall and the 20th time in the EIVA Tournament.
• The Nittany Lions are 71-10 in the all-time series with the Tigers. Penn State won both matches at Princeton during the regular season.
• Penn State is 16-3 against Princeton in the EIVA Tournament. The Nittany Lions are 6-1 against the Tigers in championship matches, winning in 1996, 1997, 2010, 2014, 2023, and 2025.
• The Nittany Lions are 35-4 all-time against the Tigers at Rec Hall.
• Tristan Hassell has hit .350 while averaging 3.50 kills/set and 0.50 aces/set in his two career matches against Princeton.
HOW WE GOT HERE
• Penn State earned the top seed and hosting rights for the EIVA Tournament after going 20-7 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the conference during the regular season. The Nittany Lions were led by EIVA Player of the Year Sean Harvey and had an additional six players earn All-EIVA honors — Ryan Merk (first team), Owen Rose (first team), Gaige Gabriel (second team), Matthew Luoma (second team), Michael Schwob (second team), and Tristan Hassell (honorable mention).
• The Nittany Lions then improved to 21-7 overall with a 3-2 win over Charleston in the semifinal round of the EIVA Tournament on Thursday. They won in five sets for the fifth-straight match.
• Sean Harvey hit .567 with 19 kills, seven digs, two blocks, and one ace in the semifinal win over Charleston. Tristan Hassell was right behind him, hitting .448 with 16 kills, three blocks, two digs, and one ace. Owen Rose joined the pair in double-digits with 10 kills on .353 hitting and added five blocks.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
• Princeton entered the last week of the regular season needing to sweep a two-match series with Harvard to get into the EIVA Tournament. The Tigers got it done against their rivals, winning 3-2 in the first match before sweeping the Crimson the following day. That put them at 3-9 in the conference and gave them the tiebreaker over the Crimson.
• The sixth-seeded Tigers then took down third-seeded George Mason 3-1 in the quarterfinal round on Thursday and beat second-seeded NJIT in the semifinal round on Friday. They enter the championship match at 9-14 overall while riding a four-match winning streak.
• Ambrose Engling hit .407 while averaging 3.86 kills, 2.14 digs, and 1.29 blocks/set through the first two matches. Owen Mellon hit .301 while averaging 3.89 kills, 1.78 digs, and 0.78 blocks/set. Nolan Kelly guided the Princeton attack to .322 hitting while averaging 11.33 assists and 2.22 digs per set over the two wins.
CAREER HIGHS SET LAST MATCH
vs. Charleston - Thursday
Bennett Wilson - aces (3)
STREAKS TO WATCH
Sean Harvey
• 7 straight matches with double-digit kills
Ryan Merk
• 120 straight starts at libero
Owen Rose
• 93 straight starts at middle blocker
• 5 straight matches with at least five blocks
Bennett Wilson
• 7 straight matches with at least five digs
Team
• 17 straight wins against EIVA opponents
• 7 straight wins in EIVA Tournament matches
UP NEXT
• The NCAA Selection Show will stream live on Sunday at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com.