UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sean Harvey hit .667 with 14 kills, one block, and one ace to lead No. 13 Penn State to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-20) sweep over visiting Manhattan in non-conference men's volleyball action Saturday at Rec Hall South Gym.
The Nittany Lions improved to 2-0 after the opening weekend of play, which also included a victory over Mount Olive. The Jaspers dropped to 0-1 with a loss in their first-ever match as an NCAA Division I program.
One day after putting up solid numbers in two sets during his collegiate debut, Jaidyn Bethel put up big stats in just one set in the win over Manhattan. The redshirt freshman hit .857 with six kills, two blocks, and one dig while helping Penn State close the match with a 25-20 win in the third set.
Penn State held Manhattan to .156 hitting thanks in large part to 11 blocks. Owen Rose was in on six of the blocks, Matthew Luoma tallied five, and Gaige Gabriel finished with three. Redshirt senior libero Ryan Merk finished off a solid weekend, adding nine digs to the nine he had in the win over Mount Olive. He tallied 2.57 digs/set over the two wins.
Wojtek Nowak paced Manhattan, hitting .538 with nine kills. The Jaspers are playing their debut season as a member of the NEC.
Set 1
Harvey had five kills on six swings to lead Penn State to a 25-21 win in set one. The Nittany Lions never trailed in the set but also couldn’t distance themselves from the Jaspers until late. They led by just two at 20-18 before scoring back-to-back points on a Manhattan service error that was followed by a Gabriel ace. The Nittany Lions went back up four at 23-19 on a kill by Rose and again at 24-20 on another service error by the Jaspers. They finished up four thanks to a solo block by Rose for set point.
Set 2
Harvey tacked on four more kills on five swings as Penn State rolled to a 25-16 win in set two. Michael Schwob dished out eight assists while helping the Nittany Lions hit .375 but also called his own number for three kills. Rose and Luoma each had an ace during the set, while Merk did his part with six digs.
Set 3
Bethel hit .857 with six kills and Harvey hit .571 with five kills to help Penn State finish the sweep with a 25-20 win in set three. Jaxon Herr totaled 13 assists as he guided the Nittany Lions to .435 hitting. The teams fought to a 12-12 tie before Penn State started to pull away with a 4-0 run. Bethel was in on each of the first two points of the run, coming through with a kill before teaming with Herr and Rose on a triple block. The Nittany Lions later led by as much as five at 19-14, but the Jaspers did battle back to get within two at 20-18. Penn State put a stop to any thoughts of a comeback with a 3-0 run. Bethel again started the run with a kill and followed it with another triple block alongside Gabriel and Luoma. He tacked on another kill to make it 23-18. Bethel added one more kill to make it 24-19 and match point was later scored on a service error.
Mike Anderson Man of the Match
Sean Harvey - 14 kills, .667 hitting, 1 block, 1 ace, 1 dig
Career Highs
Jaidyn Bethel – kills (6), blocks (2)
Up Next
Penn State hosts St. Thomas Aquinas at Rec Hall on Thursday at 7 p.m.