No. 12 Patriots Clash with No. 10 Penn State in EIVA Showdown This Weekend

Men's Volleyball 2/24/2021 9:30:00 AM

WHEN: Friday (Feb. 26), 7 p.m. | Saturday (Feb. 27), 7 p.m.
WHERE: University Park, Pa. | REC HALL
RECORDS: Mason (7-1, 4-0); Penn State (8-2, 5-1)
WATCH ($) (GAME 1) | WATCH ($) (GAME 2) | LIVE STATS

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 12 George Mason men's volleyball team (7-1, 4-0) travels to State College for a EIVA conference showdown with No. 10 Penn State (8-2, 5-1) on Friday and Saturday inside Rec Hall.

First serve for both matches are set for 7 p.m. Each match will be broadcast via B1G+ ($).

The Patriots will put their six-game winning streak on the line this weekend, after defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) in straight-sets in two different occasions last weekend.

Mason is the final undefeated team in the EIVA heading into the fourth week of conference play. The Patriots sit in sole possession of first place in the conference and look to build on that lead with victories over the second-place Nittany Lions this weekend.

SCOUTING THE NO. 10 NITTANY LIONS (8-2, 5-1)
Penn State has had a great start to their 2021 campaign, winning eight of their first 10 contests, including five conference victories.

The Nittany Lions defeated Sacred Heart twice in their two-match series last weekend. The efforts of freshman Michael Valenzi and junior Sam Marsh warranted the duo this week's EIVA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors via the conference on Monday.

Penn State serves particularly well, tallying an EIVA-leading 71 service aces (2.09 SA/s). That stat is good for enough for fifth highest in the NCAA. The Patriot defense looks to neutralize the Nittany Lions' service as the Green & Gold rank third in the NCAA in digs per set (10.1).

Mason's defense also ranks sixth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.194). That stat leads the EIVA.

The last time these two programs met, Penn State defeated the Patriots in straight-sets (19-25, 20-25, 16-25) on Feb. 28, 2020 inside the Rec Hall.

COVERAGE

Fans can watch the matches via B1G+ ($) and follow the action via live stats.

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