LORETTO, Pa. – Cole Bogner recorded a huge double-double to lead No. 3 Penn State to a reverse sweep 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-10) win at Saint Francis in a non-conference men's volleyball match Saturday. The setter finished with 48 assists and 17 digs to help the Lions improve to 9-1. The Red Flash fell to 2-8.
Bogner's double-double was his second in the last three matches. His 17 digs were a career high and led all players in the match. Penn State libero Ryan Merk joined him in double-digits with 11 as the Lions held Saint Francis to .193 hitting.
John Kerr had a big match off the bench for the Lions. He entered in the third set and went on to tally a match-high 15 kills on .360 hitting in addition to eight digs. The Lions also received production off the bench from Sam Marsh with three aces and Michael Valenzi with three kills over the final two sets.
Toby Ezeonu hit .625 with 11 kills in the win. Michal Kowal contributed eight kills.
Andrew Deardorff led Saint Francis with nine kills and eight digs, while Blake Liprando racked up a team-high 12 kills. State College native Thomas Leahey finished with four kills, four blocks and three digs.
Penn State improved to 51-3 with its 11th-straight win in the series with Saint Francis. It was just the second time in those 11 matches that the teams went to a fifth set.
Set 1
The teams were tied at 20-20 thanks to a solo block by Penn State's Brett Wildman, but Saint Francis scored five of the final seven points to get the 25-22 win. Liprando had four kills for the Red Flash. Kowal and Owen Rose totaled three kills apiece for the Lions, while Merk had five digs.
Set 2
The second set played out similar to the first with the teams tied at 19-19 before Saint Francis closed strong to get the 25-23 win. A kill by Ezeonu fended off the first chance at set point for the Red Flash, but a service error gave the Red Flash a 2-0 lead in the match. Deardorff and Liprando had three kills apiece in the set win. Cal Fisher hit .444 with four kills for the Lions.
Set 3
Penn State came out on top in yet another close set with a 25-22 win in the third. Kerr started the set and made his presence felt with four kills. The Lions won despite hitting .040. Kerr had back-to-back kills during a 4-0 run that broke a 14-14 tie and gave Penn State an 18-14 lead. The Red Flash avoided two set point attempts by the Lions, but a service error sent the match to set four.
Set 4
Ezeonu was perfect on the attack with five kills on five swings to lead Penn State to a 25-23 win in set four. Kerr had five kills, while Bogner totaled 12 assists and five digs. Saint Francis led 18-17 before Penn State went on a 3-0 run that included a kill by Marsh to go up 20-18. Marsh also had a clutch ace to put the Lions up 22-19. Liprando had an ace to get the Red Flash within one at 24-23, but Bogner then set Ezeonu for a kill to tie the match.
Set 5
Penn State was able to side out at 100 percent on its way to a 15-10 win in the fifth set. Kerr carried the offense in the deciding set with five kills on six attacks while also contributing five digs. Bogner had eight assists and led the team to .615 hitting. The Lions scored the first two points and never trailed in the set. They started to pull away early with a 3-0 run that put them up 7-3. Kerr eventually clinched the match with his 15th kill of the night.
Career Highs
Cole Bogner – 17 digs
Up Next
Penn State opens EIVA play with a pair of home matches against Princeton on Feb. 17-18. The Tigers are 4-6 following a 3-0 win over St. Francis Brooklyn.
