The Penn State men’s volleyball begins its national championship chase on the road Friday in the first round of the National Collegiate Volleyball Championship. Penn State, which recently won the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title, will visit Daemen University, with the winner earning a spot in the eight-team tournament field in Columbus, Ohio.
The Penn State-Daemen match is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on May 2 and will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner earns the NC Championship’s seventh seed and will face second-seeded Hawaii on May 8 in the quarterfinals.
Penn State (14-15) advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 victory over 19th-ranked Princeton in the EIVA final. The Nittany Lions topped Princeton 25-20, 27-25, 25-19 in the championship match to win their third straight EIVA title and 37th in program history.
Penn State was dominant at the EIVA Tournament, sweeping three matches without losing a set. The Nittany Lions qualified for EIVAs as the third seed after an 11-15 season but took out regular-season champ Princeton in three sets for the title.
Penn State sophomore Michael Schwob was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after recording nine aces in three matches. Nittany Lions Matthew Luoma, Ryan Merk and Will Kuhns made the all-tournament team.
Penn State is making its 35th NCAA Tournament appearance, 25th under head coach Mark Pavlik. The Nittany Lions have won two NCAA titles, one under Pavlik. Penn State has made the past two NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Final Four in 2023.
Penn State will play Daemen University for the second time. The Nittany Lions swept Daemen in three sets in a regular-season match at Rec Hall in 2023. Daemen (15-12) advanced to its second NC Championship by winning the NEC Tournament title.
Led by coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, the Penn State women’s volleyball won the NCAA championship in December.
