UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nine aces helped No. 9 Penn State Men's Volleyball get a 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-22) road win over the University of Charleston on Friday night at the Wehrle Innovation Center.
The Nittany Lions moved one step closer to clinching the EIVA regular season title as they upped their record to 18-6 overall and 7-0 in the conference. They hold a two-match lead over George Mason with three left to play.
Michael Schwob led the way at the service line for Penn State with three aces. He also guided the team to .311 hitting with his 43 assists. John Kerr and Owen Rose each had two aces, while Michael Valenzi and Toby Ezeonu added one apiece.
Kerr did the heavy lifting for Penn State's attack, finishing with 17 kills on .313 hitting in addition to his four blocks and three digs. Valenzi joined him in double-digits with 10 kills and just missed a double-double with nine digs. Will Kuhns picked up the start and came through with nine kills on .400 hitting, while Ezeonu hit .375 with eight kills and five blocks.
Ryan Merk, who entered the day as the EIVA leader in digs/set, led all players in Friday's match with 10.
Charleston received great performances from the duo of Garret Schnitker and Ras Jesse Delancy. Schnitker hit .314 with 16 kills and eight digs, while Delancy hit .333 with 16 kills. The Golden Eagles dropped to 11-13 overall and 2-5 in the EIVA.
Set 1
Charleston hit .407 and held on for a 25-23 win in the opening set despite five kills by Kerr for Penn State. The Golden Eagles led 23-20 before the Nittany Lions got within one with a kill by Ezeonu and an ace by Valenzi. A kill by Delancy gave Charleston its first chance at set point, but Penn State countered with a kill by Kerr. The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the match with a kill by Schnitker.
Set 2
Penn State dominated the second set, hitting .348 while holding Charleston to -.136 in a 25-16 win. Kerr added four more kills and clinched the set with an ace.
Set 3
Kerr kept it going with five more kills in the third set, including one to clinch a 25-21 win for Penn State. The score was tied at 18-18 before the Nittany Lions went on a 3-0 run that was capped with a kill by Kuhns. The Golden Eagles only got as close as two the rest of the way.
Set 4
Penn State closed the match with a closely-contested 25-22 win in the fourth set. Charleston led 17-15 following a kill by Delancy. Penn State responded with a 3-0 run to take an 18-17 lead. The run was capped with a kill by Kerr. The teams then traded points until the score was knotted at 20-20 before the Nittany Lions took a two-point advantage thanks to a kill by Kerr and an ace by Rose. Later holding a 23-22 lead, the Nittany Lions scored the final two points with kills by Ezeonu and Kerr, both coming off sets from Schwob.
Up Next
Penn State and Charleston are back at the Wehrle Innovation Center for another match on Saturday at 3 p.m.
