No. 9 Penn State (19-10) couldn’t withstand its instate rivals No. 15 St. Francis (19-9) Thursday night. The Nittany Lions fell to the Red Flash in four sets (27-29, 28-26, 25-22, 25-23) and got eliminated from the semifinals of the EIVA tournament in the process.

How It Happened

The first set was a back and forth battle, with neither side gaining much of an advantage. Penn State took a 16-13 lead, but the Red Storm fought back to tie the game at 25-25 and force extra points. In the extra points, Matt Callaway and Spencer Sauter stepped up big defensively, picking up two blocks as the Nittany Lions took the first set 29-27.

The second set was no different from the first, with both sides playing to a 25-25 score and needing extra points play to determine a winner. Unfortunately for the the Nittany Lions, they couldn’t pull out another close one with St. Francis’ Mike Marshman hitting an ace to win the set for the Red Flash 28-26.

From there, St. Francis won the third set 25-22. While Penn State didn’t go away in the fourth set, it faltered down the stretch. Star player Chris Nugent uncharacteristically had a service error, which gave the Red Flash a 24-23 lead. St. Francis closed out the set and the match with a kill from Keith Kegerreis.

Player Of The Game

Jeff Hogan | Junior

Hogan was absolutely terrific for St. Francis, and caused havoc for the Nittany Lions throughout the night. The junior led the Red Flash with 21 kills and also contributed five digs in the win.

What’s Next?

This ends the season for the Nittany Lions, who finished the year with a 19-10 record.