Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
5 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M EIVA is down to six teams. The Northeast Conference added volleyball as a men's sport this year, and three EIVA members — Saint Francis (Pa.), Sacred Heart and St. Francis-Brooklyn — have switched their affiliation to the NEC. That leaves the EIVA with Penn State, Charleston, George Mason, Harvard, Princeton and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Even with six teams, the EIVA will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tourna- ment. The change should also make for a competitive league tourney. In previ- ous years, the top six seeds made the field following the regular season, but this year no one will be left out. "Everybody is going to have an equal chance to come out with that EIVA championship," said Pavlik, whose team received five of six first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll. The previous format was not without its share of drama. Penn State knows that all too well. A year ago, the Nittany Lions were ranked second nationally and were hoping to challenge for the program's third NCAA championship, but they ended up suffering a season- ending 3-2 loss to Princeton in the semifinal round at Rec Hall. With a group of talented and experi- enced upperclassmen leading the way, the Lions are looking to end their 2023 campaign on a happier note. "I think that we're in a great position with our returning veterans, guys who have been there and done that," Pav- lik said. "We'll see if we can keep them healthy through the year, especially as we move into the most important parts of the year from mid-April on. I suspect it's going to be a great EIVA season." ■ MEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The sixth-ranked Nittany Lions bounced back from a 2-1 home loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 20, winning the series finale 3-2 the following night. Penn State twice overcame one-goal deficits before taking its first lead of the game late in the third period on a wraparound shot by junior forward Christian Sarlo that slipped past Fighting Irish goalie Ryan Bischel. The Lions held on for the game's final four and a half minutes to earn the victory. Bischel had thwarted Penn State the night before. The Lions outshot the Irish 53-24 in the se- ries opener, but the senior goalie made a career- high 52 saves to earn the win. Despite coming up short, the Lions were un- fazed heading into the finale. "We didn't change any strategy," coach Guy Gadowsky said. "We felt really good about what we did last night, and we wanted to continue with that faith in our game." Their faith was rewarded. The Nittany Lions once again outshot the Irish, peppering Bischel with 45 shots to Notre Dame's 31. This time, they were able to capitalize, ending a three-game win- less streak in the process. The series against the Irish was played before the two biggest crowds in Pegula Ice Arena his- tory. The opener drew 6,558 fans, and there were 6,566 on hand for the finale. Penn State improved to 18-7-1 overall and 8-7-1 in Big Ten play heading into its series against eighth-ranked Michigan Jan. 27-28. WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The 12th-ranked Nit- tany Lions extended their unbeaten streak to eight games with a 5-2 victory at Mercyhurst on Jan. 22 in the opener of a two-game series. Senior forward Julie Gough and junior forward Kiara Zanon scored 2 goals apiece, while junior goalie Josie Bothun stopped 16 of 18 shots to earn the 50th victory of her Penn State career. The Nittany Lions improved to 17-8-2 with their win and 7-1-1 in the College Hockey America conference. Heading into the series finale with the Lakers on Jan. 23, Penn State hadn't lost since falling to third-ranked Minnesota 5-1 on Nov. 25 at the Henderson Collegiate Hockey Showcase in Las Vegas. The Lions had won seven of eight games, while settling for a 2-2 tie in overtime in a home matchup against the Rochester Institute of Tech- nology on Jan. 14. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Senior guard Taniyah Thompson poured in a career-high 27 points, and Penn State's bench outscored Wisconsin's 31-2 to lift the Lady Lions past the visiting Badgers 74-69 on Jan. 22. Penn State fought back from an early 9-point deficit, putting together a 14-2 run in the second quarter that included 8 points from Thompson. On the defensive end, the Lady Lions collected a season-high 25 turnovers. They totaled 16 steals, their fifth consecutive game with at least 10. The victory over the Badgers ended a three- game losing streak, during which the Lady Lions dropped road games to Nebraska by 29 points and to Iowa by 41. The 108-67 loss to the 12th-ranked Hawkeyes on Jan. 14 was among the more lopsided defeats in Penn State history. The Lady Lions fell behind early in the first quarter, with Iowa building a 17-4 lead on its way to tying a school record for most points in a Big Ten game. MEN'S GYMNASTICS: Junior Michael Jaroh finished first in the all-around, while classmate Michael Artlip was third at the Navy Open Jan. 21 in Annapolis, Md. Despite those performances, the Nittany Lions finished second behind Ohio State in the team standings with a score of 395.450. "It was a rough day for us," coach Randy Jepson said. "We missed 11 routines. It was a good day in terms of experience and getting some guys in different events." WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS: Freshman Ava Pie- drahita compiled a career-best score of 39.225 to finish second in the all-around, but 16th-ranked Minnesota prevailed over visiting Penn State 196.225-195.525 in a dual meet on Jan. 21. WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: Senior Hailey Zurich cleared 13 feet, 10.5 inches in the pole vault at the Hokie Invitational on Jan. 21 in Blacksburg, Va. Zurich tied her personal record, which is also the second-best mark in school his- tory. In addition, graduate student Rachel Gearing enjoyed a big afternoon, finishing the 600-meter race in 1:29.49, the third-best time in Penn State history. — Matt Herb O L Y M P I C S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Even though his team split its series against Notre Dame, coach Guy Gadowsky was pleased with Penn State's effort, which produced 98 shots in two games. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE