UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 15 Penn State is set to make its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament when it travels to UCLA's Pauley Pavilion to take on sixth-ranked UC Irvine in the Regional Round on Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The match will stream on ESPN+.
The winner between Penn State and UC Irvine advances to play top-seeded UCLA on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Penn State (22-7, 12-0 EIVA) vs. UC Irvine (18-8, 5-5 Big West) | Live Stats | Watch
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State and UC Irvine will meet for the 16th time in a series that began 1990. The Anteaters lead the all-time series 9-6, including a win in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in the most recent matchup.
• The Nittany Lions are 1-3 in NCAA Tournament matches against the Anteaters. The lone win came in the semifinal round of the 2006 tournament. The Anteaters have wins over the Nittany Lions in the 2007 semifinal round, 2012 semifinal round, and 2024 quarterfinal round.
• Five current Penn State players — Carter Dittman, Matthew Luoma, Ryan Merk, Owen Rose, and Michael Schwob — all played one match against UC Irvine during their careers (the 2024 NCAA Tournament match). Jaxon Herr played against the Anteaters twice during his three seasons at Grand Canyon.
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 22-7 overall with two victories on their way to winning their fourth-straight EIVA Tournament title and earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Charleston 3-2 in the semifinal round before sweeping Princeton in the championship match.
• Sean Harvey was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the EIVA Tournament after hitting .446 with 3.88 kills, 1.63 digs, and 0.88 blocks per set over the two wins. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Owen Rose, who hit .571 with 2.50 kills and 1.25 blocks per set, and setter Jaxon Herr, who helped the team hit .385 in the tournament.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
• UC Irvine earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after going 18-8 overall and 5-5 in the Big West. The Anteaters won their opening match in the conference tournament 3-1 over CSUN before falling to defending national champion Long Beach State 3-0 in the semifinal round.
• Senior opposite William D’Arcy and freshman outside hitter Andrej Jokanovic earned first-team All-Big West recognition. Freshman libero Shane Aitken and junior OH/OPP Trevor Clark were named honorable mentions.
• Aitken ranks second in the Big West in digs/set (2.01).
CAREER HIGHS SET LAST WEEK
vs. Charleston - Thursday
Bennett Wilson - aces (3)
STREAKS TO WATCH
Sean Harvey
• 8 straight matches with double-digit kills
• 3 straight matches with at least one ace
Ryan Merk
• 121 straight starts at libero
• 4 straight matches with 7+ digs
Owen Rose
• 94 straight starts at middle blocker
• 6 straight matches with at least five blocks
• 2 straight matches with double-digit kills
Bennett Wilson
• 3 straight matches with at least one ace
Team
• 11 straight wins overall
• 18 straight wins against EIVA opponents
• 8 straight wins in EIVA Tournament matches