Men's Volleyball Falls to #15 Penn State

Saturday, February 14

Princeton, N.J.

4:00 PM

Princeton University

2-6,0-3EIVA

Penn State

8-4,2-0EIVA

Penn St.

Princeton

February 14, 2026 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton University men's volleyball team put up a valiant fight at Dillon Gymnasium Saturday evening, but fell to No. 15 Penn State, 3-0 (30-28, 25-21, 28-26).

Ambrose Engling led the team in kills with 11, while Nolan Kelly recorded a double-double with a team-high 28 assists along with a team-high 10 assists. Tristan Whitfield's four blocks were also a team-high.

The Tigers got off to a strong start in the first set and took a 12-11 edge. Princeton kept its advantage, after a kill by Owen Mellon then an Ethan Wells service ace put the Tigers up 20-19. An Engling kill followed by a Nittany Lion attacking error gave Princeton set point at 25-24, but Penn State was able to pull away and outlast the Tigers for the 30-28 victory in the first set.

The second set opened with kills by Wells and Andrew Werner, but Penn State was able to gain momentum with help from a 6-1 run and take a 9-6 lead. Another 3-0 Penn State run put the Nittany Lions up 14-9, but a triple block by Werner, Whitfield and Kelly ignited a 4-0 run that made it 17-15 and narrowed the deficit to two. Penn State got hot late in the set and earned the 25-21 victory and went up, 2-0.

An early 4-0 Nittany Lion run gave Penn State a 5-1 lead in the third set. There was no quit in the Tigers, as an Engling kill led a 3-0 run that narrowed the deficit to one at 18-17. A Whitfield kill led a 3-0 run that tied it at 24-24, before a Penn State service error followed by a Wells kill gave Princeton set point, 26-25. The Nittany Lions closed the set out with three consecutive points to earn a 28-26 third set victory.

Up Next
The Tigers face Fairleigh Dickinson (4-4) in Teaneck, New Jersey, at 2 p.m. on Feb. 20.