The No. 7 Penn State men’s volleyball team trailed Harvard 2-1 late in the match on Friday, but came rallying back for a 3-2 win. The Nittany Lions have now won 10 straight matches.

How It Happened

Penn State started out on fire, winning the first set 25-20. The set started close and went back and forth, with Harvard taking a 15-13 lead, but a timeout and 4-1 run sparked the Nittany Lions to a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

The Crimson dominated the second set, however. After starting the set tied at 6 apiece, the visitors went on a 4-0 run to take the lead, and they didn’t trail again in the set, winning 25-20. Penn State had a chance in the third set, as the Nittany Lions took a 22-21 lead late, but a 5-2 run killed any chance of a comeback, as Harvard took a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth set, it looked like the visitors would come out of Rec Hall with a win, as Harvard took a 17-12 lead, but Penn State went on a 13-4 run to end the set and send the match into the deciding fifth set tiebreaker.

The fifth set was all Penn State from the start. Led by four kills from senior Aaron Russell, the Nittany Lions jumped out to a commanding 8-1 lead. The home team rode it out from there, cruising to a 15-10 set win, and a 3-2 match win.

Player of the Match

Senior Aaron Russell. In his final home stand, Russell led Penn State with 26 kills on a .333 percentage. Russell also added three aces, two assists, and four digs.

Takeaways

The Nittany Lions earned their tenth straight win, and remain undefeated in EIVA conference play.

Penn State holds a three-and-a-half match lead in conference play with four matches remaining. It looks like the Nittany Lions will again be the top seed in the EIVA tournament.

What’s Next?

Penn State plays Sacred Heart on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Rec Hall. The team will recognize seniors Aaron Russell, Connor Curry and Nick Goodell before the match.

Photo: Mark Selders/GoPSUsports.com