CHARLESTON, W.V. – The eighth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team concluded the 2021 regular season with a second-straight sweep of Charleston 3-0 Saturday evening on the road.
The Nittany Lions (19-3, 16-2) will play the winner of Charleston (4-12, 4-12 EIVA) and Saint Francis in the EIVA semifinals April 22 at Rec Hall.
Penn State used several lengthy serving runs across all three sets to take down the Golden Eagles in Saturday night's match. Set one included a 6-0 run from 12-7 to 18-7, set two started with a 12-0 run, and the third set saw Penn State score six in a row when trailing 19-18 to come back and win the third to clinch the match.
Cal Fisher had an errorless night with seven kills on 11 swings for a .636 hitting percentage and was credited with five service aces.
Middle blockers Toby Ezeonu and Andrew Watts came off the bench to combine for seven kills without an error. Brett Wildman added five kills and a team-high six digs.
Penn State ran away with the first set when its 6-0 run widened the margin to 11 points to lead 18-7. The Nittany Lions hit .455 in the set to win 25-11.
The Nittany Lions momentum continued over into the second set with a 12-0 service run by Fisher to begin the set. He had two aces and Toby Ezeonu had three kills and a block during the run that put Penn State firmly in control.
Penn State won the set in dominant fashion, 25-6, which included four service errors and one hitting error by the Nittany Lions.
Charleston rebounded in the third set as both team traded points late into the frame. The Golden Eagles led 19-18 before a Wildman kill tied the score and sent Fisher to the service line.
Penn State added to Wildman's kill and added five more points, including two of Fisher's five aces, to retake the lead and eventually win the set 25-20 to clinch the match.
NEXT UP
- The Nittany Lions will be the number one seed and host of the 2021 EIVA Tournament and will be back on the court April 22 against the winner of Charleston and Saint Francis on April 17.