PRINCETON, N.J. – Matthew Luoma hit .400 with 17 kills to lead third-seeded Penn State to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21) sweep over second-seeded NJIT in the semifinal round of the EIVA Tournament on Thursday at Princeton’s Dillon Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions improved to 13-15 overall and will play top-seeded Princeton for the tournament title Saturday at 5 p.m.
Michael Schwob racked up 38 assists over the three sets while guiding the team to .353 hitting. Luoma was his top target, while Kuhns joined him in double-digits with 10 kills. Freshman middle blocker Gaige Gabriel was the most efficient player on the attack for the Nittany Lions, hitting .700 with eight kills.
Penn State won the serve-receive battle for the second-straight night, totaling five aces while allowing just one from NJIT. The Nittany Lions’ aces came from two players as Schwob served for three and Luoma contributed two. The Highlanders served to Kuhns the most and the graduate outside hitter came through with a perfect 21-of-21 mark. Carter Dittman was also strong with no blemishes on his 18 serve receptions.
Owen Rose was again solid offensively and defensively from his spot in the middle for Penn State. He led the team with six blocks while adding five kills on .571 hitting. Schwob finished with five blocks, while Dittman was right behind him with four.
Penn State weathered a big night from NJIT’s Alessandro Negri, who hit .542 with 15 kills. The Highlanders closed the season with a record of 14-13.
Thursday marked the first EIVA Tournament match between Penn State and NJIT since 2000. The Nittany Lions improved to 6-0 all-time against the Highlanders in the conference tournament.
Set 1
Negri started fast for NJIT with eight kills, but Penn State still came out on top with a 25-22 win in the opening set thanks in large part to five kills from Luoma. The first set featured 12 ties and seven lead changes. The Highlanders took a 22-20 lead on Negri’s eight kills only to watch as the Nittany Lions responded with a 5-0 run to close the set. The run started with a triple block by Dittman, Rose, and Luoma. Following an NJIT attack error, Penn State added another triple block to make it 23-22, this time getting it from Schwob, Rose, and Sean Harvey. Luoma followed that with a kill and then it was yet another block, this one from Schwob and Rose, for set point.
Set 2
Schwob had 13 assists and Penn State hit .333 in a 25-21 win in the second set. Luoma and Kuhns had four kills apiece, while Rose had three on three attacks. The Nittany Lions went up 15-10 only to see that lead quickly disappear as they trailed 17-16 and then again at 18-17. They scored the next two points on a service error and a triple block by Schwob, Dittman, and Rose to retake the lead. After a service error knotted the score at 19-all, Penn State scored the next two points and took the lead for good. The points were scored on kills by Rose and Kuhns to force an NJIT timeout. The Highlanders got within one at 21-20 and 22-21. The Nittany Lions then closed the set with a 3-0 run on a service error, an ace by Schwob, and an attack error by the Highlanders.
Set 3
It was Luoma’s time to shine in the third set as his 10 points on eight kills, one block, and one ace helped Penn State win 25-21. Gabriel was perfect on his four swings with four kills. The Nittany Lions hit .500 behind 14 assists from Schwob. Penn State used a 3-0 run early to go up 7-5 and led the rest of the way. It was still close throughout the set, though as the Nittany Lions didn’t really pull away until going on a 3-0 run to end the set. That final run started with a service error, continued with a kill by Luoma, and finished with an attack error by the Highlanders.
Career Highs
Carter Dittman – blocks (4)
Up Next
The championship match between Penn State and Princeton is back at Dillon Gymnasium on Saturday at 5 p.m. It will stream live on ESPN+.