NEWARK, N.J. – The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team extended its win streak to eight games and grabbed a firm hold of first place in the EIVA standings with a second-straight 3-0 sweep of No. 11 NJIT on the road Saturday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions (14-2, 11-1 EIVA) showcased a balanced and lethal offensive attack hitting .439 as a team with just six hitting errors paced by setter Cole Bogner's 34 assists. Cal Fisher, Brett Wildman and Michael Valenzi all reached double-digit kills and hit above .400.
Penn State scored the first four points of the match to pick up right where they left off after Friday afternoon's win. The Nittany Lions held that margin before extending to as much as six after a block from Sam Marsh and Wildman followed by a Valenzi kill gave PSU a 16-10 lead and forced an NJIT timeout.
Another big block late in the set by John Kerr and Canyon Tuman on NJIT's Alvaro Gimeno gave Penn State all the momentum it needed to clinch the first game 25-20.
Midway through set two, a Valenzi service run fuel a four-point run to give Penn State a 14-8 margin and the Nittany Lions never gave that lead up. Penn State hit .522 for the set and were 16-18 on sideout opportunities to run away with the frame 25-18.
Another rally in the middle of the frame gave Penn State another firm lead in the third and final game. After being tied 9-9, PSU pieced together nine of the next 13 points to take control of the set, 18-13. Wildman finished with seven of his 15 kills in the final set, including three of Penn State's final kills in the set to give Penn State a 25-21 set three win to sweep the match.
GAME NOTES AND STATS
- Penn State has now won 15-straight sets dating back to their 3-0 win Feb. 27 against No. 12 George Mason. The Nittany Lion's 14-2 overall record is its best record to begin the season since the 2010 season (also 14-2).
- PSU has hit .325 or better as a team in six of its eight matches during the eight-match win streak.
- The trio of Fisher, Wildman and Valenzi all reached double-digit kills in both wins this weekend and did so in just two three-set wins.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions host its final home series of the regular season with a two-match set against Sacred Heart, March 26-27.