Even with football, wrestling, and men’s basketball in the offseason, it was a busy week for Penn State sports, and for one team closing in on a Big Ten title, it’s going to get even busier. Let’s dig into some of the biggest storylines around Happy Valley this week.
Men’s Volleyball adds another EIVA Title
While it’s not another Big Ten title to add to the trophy case, Penn State men’s volleyball secured the EIVA Championship on Saturday with a three-set sweep of No. 19 Princeton. The Nittany Lions narrowly escaped a five-set thriller in the semifinal against George Mason, but proceeded to secure a commanding victory over the Tigers (25-20, 27-25, 25-19).
Sophomore setter Michael Schwob was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player with 35 assists in the final and nine service aces across Penn State’s three matches. Schwob was joined on the All-Tournament team by redshirt sophomore opposite Matthew Luoma, redshirt junior libero Ryan Merk, and redshirt senior outside hitter Will Kuhns.
The win marked Penn State’s 37th EIVA Tournament Title, and the Nittany Lions will be heading to the NCAA Tournament for the 25th time under head coach Mark Pavlik.
Penn State men’s lacrosse set for rematch with Maryland in Big Ten semifinal
Also on Saturday, Penn State men’s lacrosse escaped the Big Ten quarterfinals with a 13-12 win over Johns Hopkins behind a four-goal, one-assist effort from sophomore Kyle Lehman. The victory sends Penn State to the Big Ten semifinal for just the third time in program history (second in as many years), and sets up a rematch with No. 3 Maryland on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Then ranked No. 2 in the country, Maryland handled the Nittany Lions 13-8 in College Park on March 29. On that day, despite five first-half saves from Penn State senior goalie Jack Fracyon, the Terrapins jumped out to a 7-2 lead and never relinquished it.
More: 9 Nittany Lions land in the NFL
Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren generated major headlines as first-round draft picks off James Franklin’s loaded 2024 roster, but beyond the five former Penn State football players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, four more former Nittany Lions latched onto teams as undrafted free agents.
Now, Julian Fleming, Jalen Kimber, Coziah Izzard, and Sal Wormley will have an uphill battle to make an NFL roster.