UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State men's volleyball racked up 13 aces on its way to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-20) sweep over Princeton in the EIVA opener for both teams Friday night in Rec Hall's South Gym. The Nittany Lions improved to 10-1 on the season, while the Tigers dropped to 4-7.
Brett Wildman paced Penn State with four aces, while Cal Fisher and Owen Rose were right behind him with three apiece. Cole Bogner had two aces and Michal Kowal contributed one. Meanwhile, the Lions slowed down the strong service game of Princeton, which entered the match second in the nation in aces/set (2.18). The Lions allowed just four.
Toby Ezeonu led the Penn State offensive attack with 11 kills on .529 hitting. Michal Kowal finished with seven kills. Bogner tallied 25 assists.
Defense carried the Lions early as they recorded six blocks in the first set alone. They went on to finish with eight, led by Rose with six. Fisher chipped in with three blocks.
Brady Wedbush had a big match for Princeton, hitting .429 with 11 kills.
Penn State improved to 63-9 in the all-time series with Princeton, including a 33-3 mark in Happy Valley.
Set 1
Penn State never trailed in the opening set and went up 10-4 early with a 5-0 run. Fisher had a kill and an ace during the run. Ezeonu contributed a block and two kills. The Tigers battled back to get within two at 15-13, but the Lions distanced themselves again with a 3-0 run that included another ace by Fisher. The Lions eventually won the set 25-18 on an ace by Wildman. Rose finished with four blocks.
Set 2
After ending the first set with an ace, Wildman scored two of the first three points of the second set with a pair of aces. That helped Penn State jump out to a 9-2 lead. Princeton battled back again as it chipped away at the deficit until it got within one at 24-23. Ezeonu ended the set with a kill, which was made possible thanks to a diving play by Merk to receive a serve that went off the tape. Ezeonu finished the set with five kills on eight swings.
Set 3
The teams remained close in the third set as they were tied as late as 16-16 before Penn State went on a 4-0 run that was capped by an ace from Bogner. Kowal later clinched the set at 25-20 and the sweep with a kill. Ezeonu and Rose had three kills apiece in the final set.
Career Highs
Owen Rose – aces (3)
Up Next
Penn State and Princeton meet again on Saturday at 4 p.m. The match will be played in the main gym of Rec Hall and will stream on B1G+.
