The EIVA’s coaches expect Penn State to pick up in 2025 where it left off in 2024.
In the annual poll of conference coaches, the Nittany Lions were the unanimous choice as conference favorite for the 2025 season.
The EIVA’s seven coaches were much more divided on the remaining six spots in the poll, with each team appearing in at least three different positions on the seven ballots. NJIT finished second in the vote with 34 points, and George Mason was third with 32 points.
Penn State finished with a 23-7 record last season, 10-0 in EIVA play, completing a third straight unbeaten conference schedule and riding an EIVA-record 38 consecutive regular-season conference wins. The Nittany Lions also won a second straight conference tournament title, 34th overall, and earned an NCAA-record 34th National Collegiate Championship Tournament berth, falling to UC-Irvine in the quarterfinals.
Now with seven programs, the EIVA’s teams play their opening matches between Jan. 7-17. The conference tournament will be held April 23-26.
In addition to the preseason poll, EIVA coaches also selected two players to watch from their programs:
Charleston: Paul Stommel (Sr., S), Curtis Raines (Sr., L)
George Mason: Liam French (R-Jr., OH), Jackson Herbert (So., OPP)
Harvard: Logan Shepherd (Sr., OH), Owen Fanning (Sr., OPP)
NJIT: Alessandro Negri (Sr., OH), Antonio Feliciano (Sr., OH)
Penn State: Michael Schwob (So., S), Ryan Merk (R-Jr., L)
Princeton: Henry Wedbush (Sr., S), Nyherowo Omene (Sr., OPP)
Sacred Heart: Austin Buchanan (Gr., S), Ken Naples (Gr., MB)

EIVA Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Team (First-place votes)	Points	2024 Record
1	Penn State (7)	49	23-7, 10-0
2	NJIT	34	11-15, 3-7
3	George Mason	32	18-10, 6-4
4	Princeton	27	12-12, 5-5
5	Harvard	26	12-13, 3-7
T-6	Charleston	14	13-16, 3-7
T-6	Sacred Heart	14	12-20