UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State men's volleyball posted its ninth EIVA sweep of the season with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-13) win over Charleston (WV) in a packed South Gym at Rec Hall on Friday night.
The Nittany Lions, who had already clinched the EIVA regular season title, improved to 23-3 overall and 9-0 in the conference. The Eagles fell to 22-5 overall and 5-4 in league play.
Michal Kowal had a big match for Penn State, hitting .625 with 11 kills, two aces, and three digs. Cal Fisher matched him with 11 kills in addition to an ace and two blocks. The pair led the way as the Lions hit .369 behind 38 assists from Cole Bogner. Michael Valenzi and Will Kuhns provided a spark off the bench with five and two kills, respectively.
Penn State's middles played a key part in the team's high hitting percentage. Toby Ezeonu hit .667 with eight kills, while Owen Rose hit .556 with six kills.
Libero Ryan Merk played a role in helping hold Charleston to .191 with his five digs and in Penn State's solid hitting night with his passing. He was a perfect 11-11 on serve receptions.
Garrett Schnitker led the Eagles with eight kills. Curtis Raines finished with a match-high six digs.
Penn State upped its EIVA regular season winning streak to 27 matches. The Lions are one win away from posting their second consecutive unbeaten regular season in the conference.
Set 1
Penn State eked out a 25-23 win in what was easily the most competitive set of the night. Neither team led by more than two points. Charles led by two as late as 21-19 before the Lions tied it up with a kill by Kowal and a block by Bogner and Rose. Another Kowal kill knotted the score at 22-22, and the score was tied again at 23-23 following an Eagles' service error. A triple block by Brett Wildman, Rose, and Fisher gave the Lions their first lead since 15-14. Fisher followed with his seventh kill of the set to give his team a 1-0 lead in the match. Kowal hit .714 with five kills in the set.
Set 2
The second set started similar to the first with the teams battling to an 11-11 tie. Penn State took advantage with a 3-0 run that included two kills by Kowal and one by Fisher to go up 14-11. Another 3-0 run that included a kill by Valenzi gave the Lions a six-point lead at 19-13. Fisher eventually closed the set with a kill, just like he did in the first set. Penn State hit .448 on 13 assists by Bogner. Valenzi led the way with four kills, while Kowal, Ezeonu, and Fisher had three apiece.
Set 3
Penn State dominated the final set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead on their way to a 25-13 win. Bogner totaled 12 assists while leading the Lions to a .522 hitting percentage. Rose and Ezeonu were both perfect in the set with each tallying four kills on four swings.
Up Next
Penn State closes the regular season with another match against Charleston on Saturday. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. in South Gym at Rec Hall.
