No. 3 Penn State men’s volleyball (26-3, 11-0 EIVA) swept No. 15 Princeton (14-12, 7-3 EIVA) 3-0 in the EIVA conference championship Saturday night in Rec Hall.

Cal Fisher and Brett Wildman were the stars for the Nittany Lions, recording a combined 20 kills and three service aces during the sweep.

How It Happened

Penn State entered Saturday’s contest missing middle blocker Toby Ezeonu due to an injury in the conference semifinals. After a Penn State attacking error on the first point of the game, three straight service errors from both sides made it 2-2 before an unsuccessful Princeton challenge gave the Nittany Lions a one-point lead.

Five of Penn State’s first seven points came off of Princeton service errors before Cal Fisher recorded the first Nittany Lion kill of the game to make the score 8-6. Penn State began to find its rhythm in the middle of the first set, going on a 3-0 run to make the score 16-11 and forcing a Princeton timeout.

Penn State continued the dominance on the other side of the timeout starting with a Michal Kowal service ace followed by a Princeton attacking error and an impressive Penn State dig that ended with a Fisher kill and pushed the scoring run to 6-0. Princeton took another timeout with the score 19-11.

Penn State only allowed three more points to be scored on it for the remainder of the set, and a Kowal kill finished off the set 25-14 on the heels of a 12-3 run.

Princeton took the first two points of the second set after a kill spun on the top of the net before falling to the hardwood on the Nittany Lion side, which was followed up by a solid block by the Princeton defense. Penn State grabbed its first point of the set on a Fisher kill and used the momentum to climb out to a 5-3 lead.

Both teams recorded quality kills and blocks throughout the middle of a back-and-forth set dominated by long rallies. Fisher recorded his second service ace of the game to give Penn State a 12-9 lead before giving the serve back on a service error.

Princeton couldn’t seem to find the court in the middle of a 5-2 Penn State scoring run that pushed the Nittany Lion lead to six. Princeton was eventually forced to call another timeout after an attacking error gave the Nittany Lions a 21-13 lead.

Princeton came out of the timeout and commenced a 3-0 scoring run, leading to a Penn State timeout. Sam Marsh killed the Princeton run on a service ace that gave Penn State the momentum it needed to close out the set 25-18.

Penn State opened the third set with a kill by Wildman that came screaming off his hand and into the ground on the Princeton side. After the kill, Princeton showed renewed energy and kept even with the Nittany Lions early on in the third.

Penn State managed to stave off the rejuvenated Princeton squad and held a 9-6 lead after an unsuccessful Tiger challenge. Both teams struggled with errors throughout the middle of the set, but Penn State managed to maintain its lead at 14-11.

Princeton brought the game back to within two, but Fisher recorded a deflating kill on one of the longest rallies of the game and stretched the lead back to three. Princeton took advantage of a Marsh service error and kicked off a 3-0 run that tied the game at 17-17.

Penn State entered the last few points of the third set tied at 20 apiece before a Bogner kill gave Penn State the lead back. Coach Mark Pavlik challenged the call of a good kill from Princeton, but the call stood and the score remained tied 21-21. A sturdy block from Fisher reenergized the nervous crowd and Penn State began to sense a championship was on the horizon after Princeton called a timeout down 23-21.

Penn State came out of the timeout and won a long rally, leading to another Princeton timeout before a Nittany Lion match point. Sam Marsh delivered the winning kill off of an assist from Cole Bogner, winning the third set 25-22 and clinching the EIVA conference championship.

Takeaways:

• Fisher once again was the difference maker for Penn State, recording 12 kills and two service aces during the match.
• On a team that is filled with playmakers ready to step up, Ezeonu’s absence was filled by Rose, Kowal, and Marsh who all recorded multiple kills and at least one service ace en route to the victory.
• Princeton was on an upward trend coming into the conference tournament, and a dominant victory like Saturday night’s should do wonders for the Nittany Lions’ confidence heading into the final stage of the postseason.

What’s Next?

The Nittany will most likely be back in action for the NCAA Tournament, which opens up at a time to be announced on Sunday, April 30, in Fairfax, Virginia.