Nittany Lions Head to Fairfield to Face Pioneers (MVB Series Preview)
- bryanportney01
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
No. 15 Penn State (16-7, 8-0 EIVA) at Sacred Heart (10-11, 3-5 EIVA)
Dates: Friday, April 10 / Saturday, April 11
Times (EST): 7:00 PM / 3:00 PM
Location: William H Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center (Fairfield, CT)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
Storylines
Quick Preview: Chance to Clinch
The Nittany Lions’ magic number to lock up the top spot in the EIVA with George Mason home against Princeton.
If George Mason loses one match and Penn State sweeps the weekend, the EIVA Tournament will be confirmed to be at Rec Hall ahead of next week’s series between the two.
Harvey, Luoma Earn Top Performer Honors
Outside hitter Sean Harvey continues his streak of dominance as one of the top attackers in the EIVA, having 26 kills on a .373 hitting percentage last weekend.
Opposite hitter Matthew Luoma has seen a late-season resurgence behind a 26-kill performance over the course of the weekend.
Mandic Named Offensive Player of the Week
Outside hitter Aleksa Mandic earned the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week award after helping anchor the Pioneers to its first weekend sweep in conference play since 2019.
Mandic notched 10 aces and had 34 kills, delivering with 13 digs as well across nine sets of work to lead to the team’s second weekly honor of 2026 and the first since the beginning of February when Gian Paolo Pido took home the defensive award.
The Head-to-Head History of Penn State-Sacred Heart (Source: 2025 MVB Record Book/2025 Men's Volleyball Schedule)
Penn State is 25-2 against Sacred Heart all-time. Their last meeting was on April 5, 2025, when Penn State beat Sacred Heart 3-1 at home.
Penn State is 11-1 against Sacred Heart on the road all-time, with their last meeting of that kind being on February 12, 2022 when Penn State swept Sacred Heart. Penn State most recently lost to Sacred Heart on the road on April 7, 2017 in a sweep.
Penn State has won the last 13 head-to-head meetings dating back to 2018. Sacred Heart last beat Penn State on April 7, 2017 (see above).
No. 15 Penn State at Sacred Heart: By The Numbers
No. 15 Penn State | Offense | Sacred Heart |
897 (11.50) | Kills (per set) | 919 (11.35) |
.267 | Hitting Percentage | .253 |
117 (1.50) | Aces (per set) | 105 (1.30) |
No. 15 Penn State | Defense | Sacred Heart |
672 (8.62) | Digs (per set) | 708 (8.74) |
.210 | Opp Hitting Percentage | .262 |
222.5 (2.85) | Blocks (per set) | 169.5 (2.09) |
Players To Watch
Players to Watch include four players, each of which is selected for excelling at any of these categories: Attacking (OPP/OHs/MBs), Blocking (MBs), Setting (S) and Floor Defense (L).
No. 15 Penn State
OH1 Sean Harvey, R-So.
Offense: 4.18 pts/set, 3.51 kills/set, .316 hit %
Defense: 1.41 digs/set, 0.25 RE/set
MB2 Owen Rose, R-Sr.
Offense: 2.38 pts/set, .373 hit %, 0.35 aces/set
Defense: 1.44 blocks/set
S Michael Schwob, Jr.
Offense: 6.04 assists/set
Defense: 0.99 digs/set, 0.46 blocks/set
L Ryan Merk, R-Sr.
Defense: 2.23 digs/set, 0.19 RE/set, .405 opp kill %
Sacred Heart
OH1 Aleksa Mandic, Jr.
Offense: 4.03 pts/set, 3.33 kills/set, .265 hit %
Defense: 1.29 digs/set, .945 rec %
MB2 Aaron Johnson, So.
Offense: 1.84 pts/set, .330 hit %, 0.16 aces/set
Defense: 1.12 blocks/set
S Armaan Dosanjh, Sr.
Offense: 8.84 assists/set
Defense: 1.53 digs/set, 0.41 blocks/set
L Harryzen Soares, So.
Defense: 2.00 digs/set, .961 rec %
Quick Picks & Analysis
Friday
Bryan: The Pioneers are getting hot at the right time, but this seems like an easy ride for the blue and white. Sweep incoming. No. 15 Penn State 3, Sacred Heart 0.
Saturday
Bryan: Sacred Heart may enter the red zone a pair of times, but it will likely be too little too late. With a chance to clinch, the Nittany Lions cruise to another sweep. No. 15 Penn State 3, Sacred Heart 0.
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