LORETTO, Pa. -- Penn State (20-16, 11-1) pushed past Saint Francis (Pa.) (10-14, 5-7) in four sets (25-19, 23-25, 25-15, 25-17) on Saturday afternoon to clinch its 30th EIVA/ECVL regular-season title in program history.
The victory also marks the 19th time that head coach Mark Pavlik has led the Nittany Lions to a regular-season crown. With the win, the Nittany Lions, No. 12 nationally, earned the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming EIVA tournament. The top ranking also gives Penn State home court advantage as it has also earned the right to host the event in Rec Hall from April 24-26.
Redshirt junior Nick Goodell powered the Nittany Lion offense with 20 kills, marking his second 20-kill performance of the season. Junior Aaron Russell tallied 17 kills on .444 hitting, adding a career-high seven aces to go along with nine digs and one block. Senior Peter Russell rounded out the group of double-digit hitters with 13 kills, adding eight digs and one block.
Redshirt junior Connor Curry anchored the defense with 10 digs, while redshirt sophomore Matt Seifert contributed a team-high four blocks, including one solo stuff.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Hammond paced the team to a .388 hitting clip, dishing out a season-high 54 assists.
