UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 11 Penn State men's volleyball team had an explosive debut at Rec Hall in a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) victory over 13th-ranked Ohio State Friday evening.
Penn State (2-1) had well-rounded team effort led by Cal Fisher with 10 kills and two clutch service aces. Outside hitters Brett Wildman and Michael Valenzi each pitched in seven more kills and middle blockers Sam Marsh and Canyon Tuman combined to hit .889 (8-0-9).
Ohio State (1-2) had a game-high 13 kills from outside hitter Jacob Pasteur.
"Very frankly, I was awfully pleased with what I saw," said head coach Mark Pavlik. "Our offensive hitting .462 with just five unforced errors. We were doing a pretty good job no matter where we passed the ball."
Penn State hit .529 (11-2-19) in the match's first game to speed out to the early 1-0 advantage. The Nittany Lions got a mix of points from multiple players, with five different players recording a kill. Tuman ended the opening set on a three-point service run, including the set-clinching service ace to give Penn State a 25-16 win.
The Nittany Lions' hot-hitting surge continued in the second set with another team hitting percentage over .500 at .526 (12-2-19). Freshman Michael Valenzi made his mark in the second with a team-best four kills on six swings. Wildman put away the set with a kill to clinch the second frame 25-17.
The Buckeyes rallied in the third set and led as late as 20-18, but a late Penn State run swung the score back in the Nittany Lions favor. Fisher's serve powered Penn State to a six-point run that included two aces from the junior opposite hitter. Penn State closed the match with a 25-21 win in set three for their second sweep of the Buckeyes this season.
GAME NOTES AND STATS
- Penn State's .481 hitting percentage (32-6-54) was its highest of the 2021 season and best mark in a three-set match since hitting .500 against #6 UCLA Jan. 24, 2020.
- Ohio State kept off balance all evening, hitting .169 (30-18-71) as a team.
- In his Rec Hall debut, Valenzi managed to hit .545 (7-1-11) and was a perfect 11-11 on serve receive.
- Penn State was excellent on serve receive at .944 (32-34) while Ohio State stood at .897 (46-52). PSU also held a 5.0-1.0 edge in team blocks.
- Junior setter Cole Bogner dished out 30 assists to pace Penn State's offense and added four digs.
- Liberos Tim Herget and Will Bantle combined to leads Penn State's defense with nine combined digs.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes face off for the fourth and final time in the 2021 regular season tomorrow, Saturday January 30, at 7 p.m.