CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team won its fourth-straight match to begin its EIVA conference schedule with a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-13, 25-23) of Harvard Saturday afternoon.
Penn State (8-6, 4-0 EIVA) used a strong start in set one and a big run in the middle of set two to lead 2-0 but ended up making a comeback late to take the third game from the Crimson (9-4, 3-2 EIVA).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State started off the match hot with a 7-1 run that included a pair of Brett Wildman aces to force an early timeout from Harvard.
The Crimson fought back to pull within as close as one in the set, but a triple block followed by a Donorovich ace stretched PSU back to a 19-14 lead. The Nittany Lions essentially traded points for the rest of the set at that point to win game one 25-18.
Penn State's defense at the net was a big story throughout the match and the blocks started to pile up for PSU in the second game.
Sam Marsh and Henrik Falck Lauten combined for ten total blocks in the first two games and pitched in five kills between them as Penn State routed the Crimson in the second set by 12.
Harvard wouldn't go down without a fight as they lead 14-11 in the third set, but the Nittany Lions took four of the next five points to tie the set 15-15. Cal Fisher had a kill and solo block during the run.
Penn State regained the lead in the set after an ace by Donorovich at 22-21, but Harvard shot right back with the next two points to take the advantage right back at 23-22. The Nittany Lions wouldn't be denied the sweep, however, taking four of the next five points to end the match with a 25-23 set three win.
NOTABLE STATS
- Cal Fisher led Penn State in scoring for the second-straight match with 13 kills and a pair of blocks for 14.5 points. Fisher also hit .423 (13-2-26) for the match.
- Henrik Flack Lauten was effective both offensively and defensively with eight kills, seven digs, four blocks, and two aces.
- Sam Marsh made his presence felt in the middle with five kills and six blocks.
- Penn State's ability to side out loomed as a big advantage over the Crimson. Penn State converted 75-percent of its side out chances compared to 59-percent for Harvard.
- The Nittany Lions did not allow a Crimson service ace and had eight aces of their own. The Nittany Lions also had an edge in team blocks at 9.0-5.0.
NEXT UP
Penn State will play Tuesday, Feb. 25, at St. Francis in a midweek EIVA showdown with their local rivals.