WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>>Saint Francis University men's volleyball is set for two matches against No. 10 Penn State Mar. 16-17. The first match will be at DeGol Arena on the 16th at 5:00 p.m. and the second will take place at the Nittany Lions' Rec Hall on the 17th at 3:00 p.m.
>>It is the fifth time this season that the Red Flash will be facing an opponent ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
>>Live streams and live stats for both matches will be on the website.
THE WORD ON PENN STATE
Penn State is currently 13-6 overall and 4-0 in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association action. They are ranked No. 10 in the AVCA Coaches Poll and have beat five ranked opponents so far, including two wins over then No. 1 Ohio State on Jan. 25 and 28. Against Red Flash NEC foe FDU on Feb. 10, the Nittany Lions won in four sets.
John Kerr leads Penn State in kills with 221. Michael Kowal(172), Toby Ezeonu(157), Owen Rose(116), and Michael Valenzi(115) are each in the triple-digits for the stat as well. Luke Snyder and Michael Schwob are the engines of the offense with 417 and 307 assists, respectively.
Defensively, Ryan Merk is the digs leader with 142. Rose(54) and Ezeonu(51) each have over 50 blocks. Ezeonu also has the most service aces with 26.
LAST TIME WE MET THE NITTANY LIONS
This weekend's matches will be the 57th and 58th matchups between Saint Francis and Penn State as former EIVA foes. Last season saw the Nittany Lions win the first season series as out of conference opponents. The Red Flash will be looking for their fourth win over the blue and white.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis is currently 12-6 overall and 4-0 in the Northeast Conference. Their last match saw the Red Flash win in three sets over Tusculum Monday, Mar. 11. After tallying 22 kills at Fort Valley State on Mar. 6, first-time NEC Prime Performer Michael Mosbacher led the way with team-highs of 10 kills, eight digs, and three service aces.
Along with Mosbacher, Peyton Blain earned his third First Point/NEC Defensive Player of the Week and seventh NEC Prime Performer selection this season for recording 26 digs through two matches against Edward Waters and the Wildcats Mar. 5-6. Nathan Zini received NEC Prime Performer for the week as well.
Zini is first on the team with 215 kills and 41 service aces, both totals that lead the NEC. Andrew Deardorff(149) and Brady Stump(120) also have triple-digit kills, with Mosbacher almost in the club at 92. Ryan Parker commands the offense with an NEC-leading 521 assists and contributes a team-leading 41 blocks on defense.
Rounding out the team leaders is Blain, who has accounted for an NEC-leading 189 digs. That total puts him second across Division-I and II men's volleyball.
UP NEXT
Men's Volleyball will resume conference play for the remainder of the season after this weekend. The NEC slate will start with two matches at home against No. 1 Daeman Mar. 22-23.
