UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Freshman Tristan Hassell’s 13 kills on .550 hitting helped keep No. 13 Penn State undefeated, as it took down No. 9 Lewis 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22) in a non-conference men’s volleyball match Saturday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 4-0 with their win, while the Flyers took their first loss on the season and dropped to 4-1.
Sean Harvey and Matthew Luoma also contributed heavily to the Nittany Lions’ fourth win in a row, racking up 12 and 11 kills, respectively. With his 12-kill performance, Harvey finished in double-digits for the third time in four matches to start the season. Setter Jaxon Herr did the setting, finishing with 34 assists and nine digs while adding seven blocks.
Hassell’s breakout performance was especially impressive since he didn’t enter until Penn State trailed 12-10 in the third set. He tallied three kills and two digs over the remainder of that set and then went off for 10 kills on .600 hitting, one block, and one ace to help the Nittany Lions close the match with a win in set four. Hassell’s big night came just two days after he made his collegiate debut in a sweep over St. Thomas Aquinas.
Daniel Haber paced Lewis with 14 kills. The Flyers moved into the top 10 of the AVCA Poll this week following a sweep over then-No. 9 Stanford.
Penn State improved to 24-17 all-time against Lewis.
Set 1
Harvey and Luoma combined for 10 kills to help Penn State take the first set, 25-23. The Nittany Lions started slow, trailing by as much as five and taking a timeout at 11-6. Harvey’s second kill came immediately after the timeout and the Nittany Lions slowly rallied back, with a Gaige Gabriel service ace forcing a Flyers timeout at 15-15. Lewis took the ensuing point, but a 3-0 run, capped by a Luoma kill, gave Penn State the lead back. The Nittany Lions then took six of the next nine points, including two kills from Harvey, to end the set.
Set 2
Carter Dittman and Luoma each recorded five kills as the Nittany Lions took the second set, 25-18. Two Gabriel kills and a service ace helped Penn State take an early 4-1 lead before Lewis rallied to knot the score at five. The Nittany Lions later went on a 4-0 run, including three points with Dittman at the service line, to take an 11-8 lead and force a Flyers timeout. The Blue and White prompted another Lewis timeout at 16-11 after a kill by Luoma. Neither team scored more than two straight points the rest of the set, which ended when Luoma hammered his ninth kill to give the Nittany Lions a two-set lead.
Set 3
Despite a three-kill performance from Hassell, Penn State dropped the third set, 25-23. Lewis utilized a 3-0 run to take an 11-8 lead and remained in control at 15-13 before a kill by Hassell helped fuel 3-0 run for Penn State. However, the Flyers soon took control and didn’t look back, eventually capturing the set after a kill from Haber.
Set 4
Hassell’s 10 kills helped Penn State capture the fourth set, 25-22. Lewis picked up where it left off, taking a 7-3 lead on a sequence that saw two blocks and two Haber kills. Penn State hung around after two kills from Hassell and two service errors, but another Lewis surge gave them a 12-7 edge and prompted a Nittany Lions timeout. A Gabriel kill sparked a brief Nittany Lions run and they chipped away at the lead, tying the score at 20-all and forcing a Lewis timeout after Jaidyn Bethel’s first kill gave them the lead. Haber’s kill tied the set but the Nittany Lions held on and took the match after a Hassell kill and a Lewis attack error.
Mike Anderson Man of the Match
Tristan Hassell – Hit .550 with 13 kills, one block, three digs, and one ace in two sets
Career Highs
Carter Dittman – assists (2)
Sean Harvey – digs (9)
Tristan Hassell – kills (13), ace (1), digs (3), blocks (1)
Up Next
No. 13 Penn State makes its first road trip of the season when it visits No. 15 McKendree for a two-match series on Friday and Saturday.