March 31, 2017
| 3 | 2 |
| Rec Hall | University Park, Pa.| 725 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK Pa.- For the second time this week, the No. 13 Penn State men's volleyball team played to a five-set win as the Nittany Lions downed the Princeton Tigers 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 19-17) Friday night in Rec Hall.
Calvin Mende led the Nittany Lions in kills with 17, hitting at a .659 clip for the night.
Aidan Albrecht, Chris Nugent, and Kevin Gear also recorded double-digit kills on the night contributing 16, 14, and 11 kills, respectively. On the defense, Nugent led the team in digs with nine, just missing out on a double-double.
Albrecht and Mende shared Mike Anderson Memorial Player of the Match honors following the game.
Princeton opened the match taking a 1-0 led with a 25-23 first set win.
The Nittany Lions found their stride, and they took sets two and three with their match high .524 hitting percentage coming out of the third set.
The Tigers got off to a 4-1 lead early in the fourth set, ultimately winning the set 25-19.
Tied 2-2 entering the fifth set, Princeton got off to another lead racing out to an 8-5 advantage; thus, triggering the switching of sides.
A Princeton service error and a kill from Albrecht brought the Nittany Lions within one, before the Tigers extended their lead to three again at 10-7.
Both teams exchanged points back and forth before Princeton was able to get two in-a-row leading 13-9, forcing a Penn State timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Nittany Lions went on a 4-0 run to tie up the game at 13 apiece.
The teams knotted the game four more times in the set at 14-14, 15-15, 16-16, and 17-17.
A kill from Albrecht gave Penn State a 18-17 lead, and a block by Nathan Smith, Chris Nugent and Kevin Gear gave Penn State the 19-17 victory winning the match 3-2.
Improving to a 7-2 record in conference play, the Nittany Lions now lead the EIVA followed by NJIT and Princeton tied at second, both with 6-4 records.
Penn State returns to the court Saturday night as they host the NJIT Highlanders at 7 p.m. ET in Rec Hall.
For more on Nittany Lion men's volleyball, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateMVBall