LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 15th-ranked Penn State men’s volleyball team closed a challenging trip to the west coast with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-17) loss to No. 5 USC in a non-conference match Saturday night at the Galen Center. The Nittany Lions played three top-10 opponents on the trip and return to Happy Valley with a record of 11-7. The Trojans moved to 10-3 overall.
Sean Harvey totaled 12 kills for Penn State, reaching double-digits for the 13th time this season. The EIVA leader in hitting percentage hit .280 against the Trojans. On the defensive side, Ryan Merk led all players with 10 digs, posting double-digits for the sixth time this season.
Cooper Keane and Dillon Klein did most of the damage for USC. Keane hit .545 with 14 kills, while Klein hit .409 with 12 kills.
Set 1
Harvey led all players with five kills for Penn State, but USC was still able to cruise to a 25-13 win while holding the Nittany Lions to .000 hitting in set one. The Trojans had five blocks as a team and received four kills apiece from Klein and Keane.
Set 2
Keane hit .571 with five kills to lead USC to a 25-14 win in set two. The Trojans never trailed for the second-consecutive set.
Set 3
USC closed the set with a 7-0 run on its way to a 25-17 win in set three to secure the sweep. Penn State got within one at 18-17 on a kill by Harvey. The Trojans responded with the final seven points. The run started with back-to-back kills by Sterling Foley and later ended with a kill by Klein for match point.
Career Highs
Bennett Wilson – blocks (2)
Up Next
No. 15 Penn State has its longest break of the season before it travels to Pittsburgh’s Fitzgerald Field House to take on No. 16 Ohio State on Wednesday, March 25.