CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Penn State’s Owen Rose racked up 10 blocks to help the Nittany Lions sweep Charleston 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-17) in EIVA men’s volleyball action Friday at the Wehrle Innovation Center. The Nittany Lions improved to 15-7 overall and 7-0 in the EIVA with their fourth-straight win, while the Golden Eagles dipped to 13-11, 4-5.
Rose, the nation’s leader in blocks/set, reached double-digits for the second time this season and both came in three-set matches. He established a program record with 14 blocks in a sweep over Harvard at Rec Hall’s South Gym.
Penn State held Charleston to .062 hitting. Joining Rose with strong defense at the net were Michael Schwob and Sean Harvey with six blocks apiece. Gaige Gabriel added four in addition to his six kills. Ryan Merk did his part to help the cause with a match-high six digs.
Matthew Luoma led the offensive effort, hitting .304 with 11 kills and four of the team’s eight aces. Harvey was right behind him with 10 kills, while Bennett Wilson contributed six in addition to five digs and one ace.
Schwob guided Penn State’s attack to .338 hitting with his 29 assists. He also contributed a pair of aces.
Set 1
Luoma’s three aces helped Penn State jump out to a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-14 win in the opening set. The Nittany Lions held Charleston to .000 hitting. Penn State jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead with a run that started with a match-opening ace by Schwob. The Nittany Lions would go on to lead by as much as 13 at 24-11 following a 5-0 run. Set point was later scored on a kill by Wilson.
Set 2
Luoma hit .429 with five kills to lead Penn State to a 25-21 win in the second set. The Nittany Lions led 16-11 following a kill by Luoma before Charleston used a 3-0 run to get within two at 16-14. The Nittany Lions again took control after a 4-0 run led to a 21-15 advantage. Gabriel had an ace during that stretch. The Golden Eagles still weren’t finished as they battled back once again, getting as close as two at 23-21. Penn State put an end to the comeback, scoring the final two points on a kill by Harvey and a bad set by Charleston.
Set 3
Rose went off for six blocks, including two solo, in Penn State’s 25-17 win in the third and final set. The score was tied at 13-all before the Nittany Lions went on a 3-0 run and led the rest of the way. Wilson started the run with a pair of kills before Luoma capped it with an ace. Penn State later closed the match with a 4-0 run. Rose was in on a pair of blocks during that stretch, while Harvey had two kills, the second of which secured set point.
Career Highs
Matthew Luoma – aces (4)
Up Next
Penn State plays at Charleston again on Saturday at 3 p.m.