No. 16 Penn State looks to take home its eighth-straight win against No. 2 Long Beach State at 10 p.m. Saturday from Long Beach, California.
Despite the recent streak of wins, Saturday’s late-night matchup won’t be an easy feat for the Nittany Lions.
The Beach enter the contest at 11-2 on the year, while also on a two-game winning streak with a 6-1 home record. The only two losses of the season were handed to the Beach by No.1 UCLA.
Not only that, but the Beach also entered this match following Wojciech Gajek earning the Big West Freshman Of The Week honor after a two-game series against CUI.
With a 2-0 sweep on the weekend, Gajek tallied 24 kills and eight service errors across both games.
But the duo of Owen Rose and Gaige Gabriel has been massive for the Nittany Lions on defense. With a combined 122 blocks on the year, the two have been a key piece to preventing the opposing attack.
As a result, the blue and white currently have the second-best block per set average in the NCAA at 2.856. Rose also ranks No. 2 in the individual category.
Rose has had quite the season with Penn State so far this year. The redshirt senior was awarded the EIVA Defensive Player of the Week award on Feb. 23, marking his fifth time receiving the honor. The middle blocker also set a school-record 14 kills against Harvard on Feb. 20.
However, the Nittany Lions have tallied significantly less service aces on the year when compared to the Beach. At only 74 aces on the year, Long Beach State bests the blue and white with 122.
The Beach lead the NCAA with the most aces, as well as the best aces per set average at 2.71.
Skyler Varga and Alex Kandev take the top two spots, respectively, with the highest aces per set averages in the NCAA. The two account for 73 of the 122 aces this season.
Varga was also announced to the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year Watch List earlier this season for his dominant performance thus far. He currently leads the Beach with 180.5 points on the year.
Outside hitter Sean Harvey (12) communicates with his teammates during the men’s volleyball game against St. Francis at Rec Hall on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Red Flash 3-0.
Sawyer Hadlum
Penn State is also bested in hitting percentage. With the Beach at .372, they rank No. 4 in the NCAA. The blue and white trail with .276, putting it at No. 21 in the NCAA.
But the blue and white have Sean Harvey, who’s been a weapon on the attack all season. And with 201.5 points on the year, he holds the advantage over Long Beach State’s Varga in points this year.
The redshirt sophomore currently has 167 kills on the season and earned the EIVA Offensive Player of the Week honor following a two-game series against Princeton.
With both teams looking to keep their hot streaks alive and star-studded rosters on both ends of the court, Saturday’s game is bound to be an intriguing matchup.
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