NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – No. 9 Penn State Men's Volleyball recorded its seventh win over a ranked opponent this season with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23) victory at No. 16 CSUN on Tuesday night. It was the first matchup between the teams since 2016.
The Nittany Lions upped their record to 13-4 overall. It was the second of four matches during the team's trip to California. The Matadors, who have now played all six EIVA teams this season, dropped to 9-8.
Toby Ezeonu hit .692 with 10 kills, one ace and three blocks for Penn State. His final block was a solo stuff to clinch the match. John Kerr joined him in double-digits with 13 kills. Also contributing to the offensive effort were Michael Valenzi with eight kills, Owen Rose with six on .455 hitting, and Michal Kowal with five. Luke Snyder guided the attack with 37 assists.
Ryan Merk led all players with 10 digs while helping hold CSUN to .240 hitting. He was also 26-of-27 on serve receive.
Kyle Hobus provided much of the offense for the Matadors with his 19 kills and four aces. Matteo Salvador provided a spark off the bench with eight kills on .636 hitting.
Set 1
Penn State never trailed in the opening set as it opened with a 25-21 win. The Nittany Lions started fast with an 11-4 lead after an ace by Ezeonu. CSUN chipped away until it got within one at 19-18 on a kill by Griffin Walters. Penn State's lead was still just one at 21-20 before it went on a 3-0 run that started with a kill by Rose and an ace by Matt Cosgrove. The Nittany Lions went on to win the set on a CSUN service error. Kerr had four kills in the set.
Set 2
Ezeonu was perfect in set two with five kills on five attacks as Penn State again won by a 25-21 score. CSUN led 9-8 before Penn State went on a 3-0 run that was capped with a kill by Ezeonu. The Nittany Lions led the rest of the way but it was still close at 22-20. A service error made it 23-20. Rose and Kerr followed with a block to make it 24-20. CSUN stopped the first chance at set point, but Rose finished the set with a kill on the second chance. The Nittany Lions were able to side out at 90 percent in the set.
Set 3
Salvador matched Ezeonu's second-set performance with five kills on five attacks in the third set, leading CSUN to a 25-17 win. Hobus had six kills on three aces.
Set 4
It appeared Penn State would cruise to a fourth-set win to clinch the match, but CSUN wasn't ready to give up. A kill by Valenzi gave the Nittany Lions a 22-16 lead. The Matadors followed with a 6-0 run, thanks in large part to strong serving from Hobus, to tie the score at 22-22. Kerr put an end to the run with a kill to make it 23-22, and Valenzi followed with a strong serve that resulted in a bad set by CSUN to give Penn State a 24-22 advantage. A service error prevented the Nittany Lions from converting on their first chance at match point, but Ezeonu came through with a solo block on the next rally to secure the win.
Up Next
No. 9 Penn State plays at No. 12 USC on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET. The Trojans are 10-8 following four straight losses to top-five teams – Grand Canyon twice and UCLA twice.
