UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Matthew Luoma and Sean Harvey combine for 18 kills to lead No. 17 Penn State men’s volleyball to a second-consecutive 3-0 (26-24, 25-12, 25-18) sweep over No. 19 NJIT in an EIVA match Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions are 14-7 overall and remain unbeaten in the conference at 6-0, while the Highlanders are 13-8, 5-3.
The pair of Nittany Lions both filled up the box score, as well as each leading the team in kills with nine apiece. Harvey collected his nine kills on .350 hitting while tallying four digs, four blocks, and an ace. Luoma, on the other hand, tallied four blocks, two digs, and two aces.
Penn State had a strong day at the net defensively, totaling 12 total blocks with six Nittany Lions totaling at least four blocks. Owen Rose and Gaige Gabriel each led the way with six, followed by Michael Schwob with five, and the pair of Luoma and Harvey each collected four.
Rose led the way at the service line with three out of the Nittany Lions’ nine aces. Bennett Wilson and Luoma each collected two, while Harvey and Schwob collected one each.
Andre Alexio and Wiktor Nowak paced NJIT with eight kills apiece.
Set 1
Harvey hit .571 with five kills to help lead Penn State to the 26-24 win in a thrilling first set. Neither team could find a strong start they battled to an 11-11 deadlock and later a 14-14 tie. NJIT held a slight lead at 19-18 before Penn State went on a 3-0 run that included an ace by Harvey and a kill by Rose. The Highlanders scored the next two to tie the score and the teams remained close until the Nittany Lions for the first chance at set point leading 24-23. The first chance was stopped, but NJIT gave it right back with a service error. Wilson then made the Highlanders pay with an ace
Set 2
Schwob guided the Nittany Lions to a .588 hitting percentage to help Penn State cruise to the 25-12 win. Gabriel and Bennett combined for seven kills on perfect hitting in the set. Penn State got things rolling early with a 5-0 run to jump out to a 9-3. The run featured two aces by Luoma as well as two blocks for Gabriel and Schwob. The Nittany Lions later added a 4-0 run that included two kills by Wilson to gain a nine-point lead, 15-6. At 20-12, Penn State rallied off a 5-0 run that was capped by a triple block from Gabriel, Schwob, and Harvey for set point.
Set 3
Luoma and Harvey combined for five kills to help Penn State collect the 25-18 win in the third set. The Nittany Lions started to pull away with a 4-0 run to gain a five-point advantage at 16-11. The run featured two blocks and a kill by Luoma. The Nittany Lions then cruised towards the end of the set, where they added to their lead with a 3-0 scoring run to push the score to 23-15. Luoma’s third kill of the set gave Penn state a chance at set point. The Nittany Lions were unsuccessful in their first attempt before a service error by NJIT finished the sweep.
Career Highs
Bennett Wilson – aces (2)
Up Next
Penn State hits the road for conference action against Charleston on Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m.. and on Saturday, April 4, at 3 p.m.