PRINCETON, N.J. – Tristan Hassell hit .387 with 17 kills to lead No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball to a 3-0 (30-28, 25-21, 28-26) sweep over Princeton in EIVA action Saturday at Dillon Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions moved to 8-4 overall and 2-0 in the conference with their fourth-straight win, while the Tigers dipped to 2-6, 0-3.
Hassell made his second start in the win. The freshman led all players in kills while adding three blocks, five digs, and two aces. He was joined with double-digit kills by Sean Harvey, who had 12 on .348 hitting. Harvey has reached double-digits in 10 of 12 matches this season and totaled nine in each of the other two matches.
Owen Rose put together a strong all-around performance against the Tigers, hitting .667 with six kills and leading the defensive effort at the net with seven blocks. Meanwhile, Ryan Merk took care of things in the back row with 11 digs and helped set up the offense with an 18-18 mark on serve receptions. The pair helped hold Princeton to .211 hitting as a team.
Michael Schwob picked up his first start at setter since the second match of the season. He guided the team to .306 hitting with his 35 assists and contributed eight digs, three blocks, and one ace.
Ambrose Engling led all Princeton players with 11 kills. Tristan Whitfield had six on .556 hitting and contributed four blocks.
Penn State improved to 71-10 in the all-time series with Princeton.
Set 1
Hassell started fast, hitting .500 with eight kills to help Penn State win a thrilling first set, 30-28. Harvey was also strong, hitting .500 with five kills. Penn State’s 11-9 edge early on was the last time either team led by two until the final point was scored. The Nittany Lions needed five chances at set point to get the win, closing the set with a pair of blocks. The first came by Hassell and Gaige Gabriel, while the second was all Gabriel with a solo block.
Set 2
Hassell added two aces and five more kills while hitting .571 as Penn State won the second set, 25-21. The Nittany Lions started to gain the momentum with a 3-0 run that put them up 14-9. Rose was in on all three points with two kills and a block alongside Jaidyn Bethel. They later went up by as much as six at 17-11 after a kill by Gabriel and an ace by Hassell. Princeton got as close as two at 20-18 before another Hassell kill forced a timeout by the Tigers. The Nittany Lions were in control the rest of the way until Hassell finished the set with a kill.
Set 3
Penn State appeared to be well on its way to a sweep with a stress-free third set as it led 16-11 following a 3-0 run that included a kill by Hassell and an ace by Rose. The Tigers came alive, scoring six of the next eight points to get within one at 18-17. The Nittany Lions righted the ship and later had a nice three-point cushion and a chance to close the match with a 24-21 lead after a kill by Harvey. Princeton still wasn’t done, scoring three straight points to tie the match. The Tigers even took the lead and had one shot at set point, leading 26-25 following a kill by Ethan Wells. Harvey then tied the match with a kill, setting the stage for Gabriel to take care of business at the service line. The middle blocker came through in the clutch with back-to-back aces to secure the sweep.
Career Highs
Tristan Hassell – kills (17), assists (1), digs (5)
Up Next
Penn State continues EIVA play with a pair of matches against Harvard on Friday and Saturday at Rec Hall.