ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's volleyball team will be making its third straight appearance in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament this weekend. The seventh-seeded Lions will travel to Rochester, NY to face the No. 2 SUNY New Paltz on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Behrend finished the regular season 15-8 overall and a 5-6 mark in the conference to post its first winning season since volleyball became varsity sport in 2012. The Hawks (24-3, 6-2 UVC), who are currently ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, are riding a six-match winning streak entering the conference quarterfinals.
In their only meeting this season, the Lions fell to New Paltz, 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-14).
The other quarterfinal matches will feature No. 1 Nazareth vs. No. 8 NYU and No. 4 Elmira vs. No. 5 Medaille, both at 10:30 a.m. while third-ranked MIT vs. No. 6 Stevens will square off at 1 p.m. The winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, with the championship slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Six of the eight teams in the UVC Tournament are nationally ranked in the latest Division III Top 15 poll. The Lions have faced nine nationally-ranked opponents this season, upsetting NYU and Vassar.