NEWARK, N.J. – Third-ranked Penn State totaled double-digit aces for the second time in three matches on its way to a 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-23) road sweep over NJIT in EIVA men's volleyball action Friday night at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center.
The Nittany Lions moved to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference, while the Highlanders dropped to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in league play. The teams will play again at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Penn State has racked up 30 aces over its past three matches, all of which went just three sets. Cal Fisher led the charge in Friday's win with four aces. Michal Kowal and Brett Wildman each had two, while Cole Bogner, Owen Rose, and Toby Ezeonu chipped in with one apiece.
Fisher also shared the team lead in kills with 11 while hitting .429. He added four digs and a pair of blocks. Kowal joined Fisher with 11 kills. Ezeonu had eight kills and just one error on 13 swings for a .538 hitting percentage.
Bogner continued to put up over 10 assists a set as he finished with 33 while leading the team to a .342 hitting percentage.
Carson Williams and Andrew Fedmasu paced NJIT with eight kills apiece. Williams hit .778, while Fedmasu hit .429.
Set 1
NJIT jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, but Penn State shook off a slow start to get the 25-20 win in the opening set. A 3-0 run that included a kill and an ace by Ezeonu put the Lions up 19-15. He also scored the set-clinching point with a kill. Kowal led the Lions with four kills on .429 hitting.
Set 2
Aces by Wildman and Owen Rose helped Penn State go up 7-1. The Lions again led by six at 8-2 on a kill by Ezeonu. But NJIT chipped away at its deficit for almost the entire set before tying the score at 24-24 with a 4-0 run. The Highlanders even took the lead at 25-24 on a kill by Antonio Feliciano. The Lions retook the lead, 26-25, on an ace by Fisher. Another ace, this time by Kowal, resulted in the set win by a score of 28-26. Fisher had five kills in the set. Bogner totaled 13 assists and had one of the team's five aces.
Set 3
Penn State never trailed in the final set despite a close battle that resulted in a two-point win. The Lions led by as much as four multiple times, including as late as 18-14 following a kill by Ezeonu. They again came through under pressure late to clinch the match. The Highlanders got within one at 24-23, but Fisher stepped up big with a kill to clinch the sweep. He was perfect in the set with five kills on five swings. Bogner racked up another 13 assists as Penn State hit .556 as a team.
