LORETTO, Pa. – No. 10 Penn State Men's Volleyball posted its second reverse sweep of the season, coming back to beat Saint Francis 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-15, 15-13) in a non-conference match Saturday night at DeGol Arena.
The Nittany Lions are now 14-6 on the season, while the Red Flash dropped to 12-7. Both teams are unbeaten at 4-0 in their respective conferences.
John Kerr continued his hot streak for Penn State, reaching double-digits for the seventh-straight match with his team-high 18 kills. Will Kuhns and Toby Ezeonu were next behind him with six kills apiece.
Penn State hit just .214 and had 39 kills compared to 54 for Saint Francis but helped make up the difference with nine aces and 10 blocks. Michal Kowal and Michael Schwob led the way from the service line with three aces apiece, while Kerr, Ezeonu, and Michael Valenzi each chipped in with one. Rose and Ezeonu paced the team in the blocks category with five each.
Meanwhile, Ryan Merk had a big match in the back row, matching a career-high with 15 digs. He reached the same number in a five-set match at Purdue Fort Wayne earlier this season.
The Red Flash duo of Nathan Zini and Brady Stump proved difficult to stop. Zini hit .372 with 20 kills, five digs and an ace, while Stump hit .500 with 12 kills, five blocks, three digs and an ace.
Penn State improved to 53-5 in the all-time series with Saint Francis. The teams have played each other at least once for 19 consecutive seasons.
Set 1
Zini had five kills and Saint Francis held Penn State to -.120 hitting as the Red Flash cruised to a 25-17 win in the opening set. They pulled away fairly early with a 5-0 run that made it 13-6.
Set 2
Zini added four more kills and Saint Francis hit .381 behind 10 assists from Ryan Parker in a 25-23 win by the Red Flash in set two. Penn State led 17-13 before Saint Francis scored seven of the next nine points to take a 20-19 advantage of its own. The teams traded points with the Nittany Lions tying the score at 20-20 on a kill by Kerr, 21-21 on a service error, and 22-22 on a kill by Kuhns. The Red Flash then took control with back-to-back kills by Sam Lane and Andrew Deardorff before clinching the set and 2-0 lead in the match with a service error.
Set 3
With its back against the wall Penn State stayed alive with a hard-fought 25-23 win in set three. The Nittany Lions broke a 20-20 tie with a 4-0 run. It started with a Saint Francis service error that was followed with a clutch solo block by Ezeonu. Kerr then forced a Red Flash timeout with an ace. The timeout didn't slow down the Nittany Lions as they scored the first point after the break with a block by Ezeonu and Schwob. The Red Flash held off the first three chances at set point before Kerr came through with a kill. Kowal finished the set with three kills and two aces, while Kerr had three kills and one ace.
Set 4
Penn State was able give itself some breathing room for the first time all night with an easy 25-15 win in set four. Merk set the tone with his defensive effort, tallying five digs in the set. Kerr took care of the offense with seven kills on .600 hitting. Schwob had two of the team's three aces.
Set 5
Penn State started fast with a 7-3 lead but had to rally late to get the 15-13 win in the fifth set. Ezeonu helped give the Nittany Lions a quick 5-1 lead with two blocks and an ace during that stretch. They still had the edge at 8-5 when the teams switched sides and were up 9-7 after a kill by Kerr. Saint Francis followed with back-to-back kills by Stump and Zini to tie the score for the first time since the start of the set. The Red Flash eventually took their first lead at 12-11 thanks to a kill by Zini and an attack error by Penn State. The Nittany Lions responded with a 3-0 run that included the go-ahead point on an ace by Schwob. Their first chance at match point was stopped thanks to a block by Lane and Mosbacher. The next chance was converted with a kill by Kerr. It was just the third kill of the set for Penn State.
Career Highs
Michael Schwob – aces (3)
Up Next
Penn State and Saint Francis play again but this time at Rec Hall. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday.
