UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 10 Penn State Men's Volleyball remained unbeaten in the EIVA with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16) win over Harvard on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 17-6 overall and 6-0 in the conference while taking a two-match lead in the standings with four left to play.
Penn State had numerous players put up big statistical numbers in the win, including freshman setter Michael Schwob with 48 assists, nine digs, eight blocks and one ace. He led the team to .342 hitting, bolstered by a .593 mark in the final set.
Schwob spread the ball around as four Nittany Lions reached double-digits in kills. John Kerr led the way with 15 while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Toby Ezeonu hit .579 with 13 kills and five blocks, while Michael Valenzi hit .345 with 12 kills and four blocks. Owen Rose rounded out the group with 11 kills on .450 hitting in addition to four digs and three blocks.
Penn State's 12 blocks helped hold Harvard to .127 hitting. Ryan Merk also played a key role in that with his team-high 11 digs.
Zach Berty led Harvard offensively with 11 kills, while James Bardin paced the defensive effort with 13 digs. The Crimson dropped to 11-8 overall and 3-3 in the EIVA.
Set 1
Valenzi's six kills helped Penn State take set one by a 25-21 score. Rose and Ezeonu contributed four kills apiece from the middle. Schwob dished out 16 assists. Harvard started fast with a 4-1 lead, but Penn State soon had its first lead at 6-5 following a 4-0 run that was started with a pair of kills by Valenzi. The score remained close until the Nittany Lions pulled away with a 5-0 run that put them up 16-10. Valenzi and Rose had two kills apiece during that run, while Kowal chipped in with an ace. The Crimson never got closer than four the rest of the way. Set point was scored on a kill by Ezeonu.
Set 2
Penn State needed just seven kills in a 25-16 win in the second set. The Nittany Lions took advantage of nine Harvard attack errors – three of which came on blocks – and seven service errors. They also had a pair of aces that came from Matt Cosgrove and Ezeonu. Penn State jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never trailed in the set. Cosgrove ended the set with his ace.
Set 3
Harvard stayed alive with a 25-23 win in set three. It was the Crimson's first set win in the series since 2019. Berty helped make it happen with four kills and an ace. Penn State led 21-20 following a block by Schwob and Ezeonu, but Harvard responded with the next two points to go up 22-21. The Nittany Lions tied the score at 22-22 and at 23-23 with kills by Ezeonu. The Crimson scored the final two points of the set on kills by Trevor Schultz and Berty.
Set 4
Penn State hit .593 behind 14 assists from Schwob as it rolled to a 25-16 win in the clinching set. Valenzi and Kerr led the way with five kills apiece. The Nittany Lions were down 3-1 before going on a 6-0 run included two kills by Valenzi. He also combined with Schwob and Ezeonu on a triple block. They never trailed the rest of the set. For the second time in the match, Cosgrove scored the set-clinching point with an ace. It was the second time this season that he had two aces in a match, with both coming in EIVA play.
Career Highs
Michael Schwob – digs (9), blocks (8)
Up Next
Penn State travels to play the University of Charleston for a pair of EIVA matches on April 5-6. The Golden Eagles are 11-11 overall and 2-3 in the conference following three straight wins over Belmont Abbey, Georgetown College, and NJIT.
