UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 16 Penn State men’s volleyball swept Princeton 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18) in the EIVA Championship on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions secured their fourth-straight EIVA Tournament title and the 38th in program history.
Penn State upped its record to 22-7 overall with its 11th-straight win and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Princeton saw its four-match winning streak come to an end as it closed the season at 9-15 overall.
Sean Harvey, who was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, hit .308 with 12 kills, six digs, five blocks, and one ace. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Owen Rose, who hit .909 with 10 kills and five blocks, and Jaxon Herr, who tallied 36 assists while leading the team to .398 hitting. Gaige Gabriel was also strong offensively with seven kills on .636 hitting.
Ryan Merk fueled the defensive effort from his libero position with 13 digs. Matthew Luoma tallied eight digs in addition to his seven kills.
Princeton was held to .237 hitting. Mason Rice paced the team with nine kills.
Set 1
Rose was perfect with four kills on four swings to lead Penn State to a 25-23 win in the first set. Harvey led all players with five kills. The set featured 13 ties and five lead changes. The set was close throughout before the Nittany Lions went up 24-21 with a kill by Harvey. Princeton responded with back-to-back points, but Gabriel came through with a kill for set point.
Set 2
Penn State tallied five blocks as it rolled to a 25-20 win in set two. The Nittany Lions led by as much as nine at multiple times during the set, including as late as 21-13 on a kill by Harvey. The Tigers battled back to get as close as four, including as late as 24-20. The Nittany Lions then scored set point on a triple block by Herr, Gabriel, and Harvey.
Set 3
Rose was perfect again with four more kills on four attacks as Penn State finished the sweep with a 25-18 win in set three. The Nittany Lions never trailed in the set. They led by just two at 17-15 before scoring eight of the final 11 points to get the win. Luoma tallied the 24th point with a kill. A Princeton attack error then closed the set.
Up Next
The NCAA Selection Show is on Sunday at 4 p.m. It streams on NCAA.com.