Siena Volleyball to Face Penn State Friday in NCAA Tournament
Siena Sports Information
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Siena Volleyball will open against the defending National Champions in the NCAA Tournament. The Saints drew No. 5 national seed Penn State in the Louisville Region, with the First Round match set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. in University Park, Pa.
The match will immediately follow American and Dayton which opens the action at Penn State’s Rec Hall at 5 p.m. The winners will meet in Second Round action Saturday at Penn State at 7:30 p.m.
Siena will be making its sixth NCAA Tournament Appearance and first since their last of four straight in 2008 when they were swept at California. Siena and Penn State previously met in the NCAA Tournament in 2007, with the host Nittany Lions sweeping the Saints en route to winning the National Championship.
Siena earned the MAAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning its conference record ninth MAAC Championship last Saturday. The second seeded Saints beat regular season champion Marist in five sets in Orlando, Fla. and enter the NCAA Tournament on a nine-match winning streak, the program’s longest since 2007.
Siena has never won a match (0-5), let alone a set (0-15) in the NCAA Tournament and will have its hands full if it hopes to break that streak.
Penn State has won six national championships including five of the past seven. Ranked fourth in the most recent AVCA Top-25 Poll, the Nittany Lions lead the nation in both hitting percentage (.351) and aces per set (1.94). Penn State enters the NCAA Tournament on a 14-match winning streak which includes 13 straight sweeps and has won 41 consecutive sets dating back to Oct. 17.