UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The third-ranked Penn State men's volleyball completed its 2022 regular season home schedule unbeaten after a straight sets win over NJIT (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) Saturday evening at Rec Hall.
Penn State (22-3, 15-0 EIVA) has now won 18-straight matches, tying its longest win streak since 2008. The Nittany Lions also conclude the home regular season slate with a 39-1 set count.
The Nittany Lions were powered by Cal Fisher and Toby Ezeonu, who both led the team with 12 kills. Fisher also ripped four aces and Ezeonu had six total blocks while hitting .733.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State was in for a physical battle against the Highlanders all evening long right from the start. Despite an early lead for the Nittany Lions that was has high as five at 12-7, NJIT clawed back to take the lead late at 22-21.
Sam Marsh managed to put down a kill from the middle after a chaotic rally to tie the score. A pair of NJIT errors followed to put Penn State at set point. On the second set point, Ezeonu's point quickly ended the set 25-23 in PSU's favor.
The Nittany Lions took set one despite hitting .241 to NJIT's .346.
In game two, the action once again was closely contested until Penn State made winning plays late in the set. After and Ezeonu side out, Marsh stepped to the service line to help put together four more points for a key 5-0 run. Marsh aced two serves and put NJIT out of system on his other serves to set up the Nittany Lions once again to win the set.
Fisher ended the frame with a kill at 25-19, capping a 6-1 Penn State run to win set two.
It was more clutch plays from the Nittany Lions with the score in the 20s to come out with the third-set win to clinch the match. This time, a Fisher service run of three points after the score was tied 20-20 put the Nittany Lions in control.
Fisher had an ace in the run accompanied by a big Ezeonu solo block and an attack error put the ball in Penn State's court to close out the match. They did just that, with Brett Wildman and Ezeonu pairing up for an emphatic block to win the match at 25-21 in the third set and a 3-0 sweep of the Highlanders.
MIKE ANDERSON MAN OF THE MATCH
Cal Fisher's quickness and serving prowess were on full display Saturday night. His 12 kills came at crucial times for the Nittany Lions and his four aces, along with several other good serves that put NJIT out of system, helped put Penn State on top.
MATCH NOTES AND STATS
- Penn State's 18-match win streak is its longest since the 2008 season, which was also 18 games. Penn State's program high win streak is 24 in the 1997 season.
- Toby Ezeonu's hitting percentage for the season now sits at .548 at 3.27 attacks per set this season. That mark would rank tied for third in Penn State history with Max Holt's .548 hitting percentage in 2008 (4.91 attacks per set).
- Fisher ranks third in Penn State history with 140 service aces, trailing only Aaron Russell (198) and Holt (207).
- Penn State's 15-0 EIVA record is currently its most wins in league action without a loss in team history. Penn State had 16 wins (16-2 record) in the 2021 season, which featured an adjusted EIVA schedule due to COVID-19.
NEXT UP
Penn State wraps up the 2022 regular season with a road match at Charleston Friday, April 15, before hosting the EIVA Tournament April 20-23. The Nittany Lions will start the tournament in the semifinal round thanks to a bye as the league's top seed. That match will be April 21 at 7 p.m.