FAIRFAX, Va. – Cal Fisher hit .533 with 18 kills to lead the third-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 26-24) win over No. 9 Ohio State in the quarterfinal round of the National Collegiate Tournament on Tuesday at George Mason's EagleBank Arena.
The Nittany Lions improved to 27-3 on the season and advance to the semifinal round against Hawaii. That match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at EagleBank Arena. The Buckeyes, the champions out of the MIVA, close the season at 23-10.
Fisher excelled in all areas against Ohio State, adding seven blocks, seven digs, and three aces. The seven blocks were a career high as he helped Penn State finish with 13 in the match. Many of those were teamed up with Owen Rose, he led all players with eight blocks.
Cole Bogner led an efficient offensive attack for the Lions, totaling 35 assists to help the team hit .359. Michal Kowal hit .500 with nine kills. Brett Wildman matched him with nine kills of his own.
Penn State finished with 41 kills, which was 14 less than Ohio State. In addition to the high block total, the Lions picked up 10 points on aces. Kowal matched Fisher with three, while Brett Wildman had two, and Bogner and Toby Ezeonu each had one.
Ezeonu was questionable heading into the match after suffering an injury in the semifinal of the EIVA Tournament that caused him to miss the championship match. He started the third set and provided an immediate emotional spark and finished the match with two kills and two blocks.
Ohio State avoided redshirt freshman Ryan Merk with its service game, but they couldn't avoid his defensive presence altogether as he piled up 10 digs.
Shane Wetzel put together a solid performance for Ohio State, finishing with 20 kills on .484 hitting. Penn State did a great job in slowing down one of the best players in the country, Jacob Pasteur, holding him to .043 hitting on his 46 attacks.
Penn State is now set for its second matchup with Hawaii this season. The Lions knocked off the top-ranked team in the nation on its homecourt with a 3-1 win in Honolulu in early March.
Set 1
It was all Kowal, Wildman, and Fisher offensively as Penn State hit .450 in a 25-22 win in set one. Wildman hit .800 with four kills, Kowal hit .471 with four kills, and Fisher hit .750 with three kills. The Lions broke a 16-16 tie with back-to-back kills by Fisher and Wildman. They maintained a one or two-point lead the rest of the way until finally winning by three on an ace by Fisher.
Set 2
Wetzel carried Ohio State to a 26-24 win in set two with seven kills on .545 hitting. Fisher did his best to counter with six kills on .455 hitting. Fisher, Wildman, and Sam Marsh teamed up for a triple block to avoid the Buckeyes' first set point attempt at 24-23. The Buckeyes followed a point on a service error and a kill by Pasteur to tie the match.
Set 3
Penn State hit .562 behind 10 assists from Bogner in a dominant 25-13 win in the third set. Fisher hit .571 with five kills, and Wildman came through with three kills on .500 hitting. Rose helped hold Ohio State to .120 hitting with four blocks.
Set 4
Ohio State looked poised to force a fifth set as it took a 24-23 lead with a kill by Justin Howard. The service game proved to be important as the match was tied on a Buckeyes' service error, and the Lions then took the lead on an ace by Fisher. Another good serve by Fisher led to an Ohio State attack error to send the Lions to the semifinal round. Fisher tacked on four more kills in the final set, while Merk had five digs.
Career Highs
Cal Fisher – blocks (7)
