No. 8 Penn State men’s volleyball (0-1) dropped its match to No. 12 Loyola Chicago (1-0) 3-1 on the road in Chicago, Illinois, to open the 2025 campaign.

The Nittany Lions fell short in their season opener after four back-and-forth sets. Will Kuhns led Penn State with 12 kills while redshirt sophomore Miller Trubey finished with eight kills during his significant game action Friday night.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions took the first point of the season on a service error from Loyola Chicago before Miller Trubey committed a service error and gave serve back to the Ramblers. Matthew Luoma registered a kill on the next point before Loyola Chicago nabbed four points in a row to go up 5-2.

Luoma stopped the run with another kill, but an attack error started another run for the Ramblers that eventually put them up 8-4 after a Nicodemus Meyer kill forced Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik to take a timeout.

Luoma took the point out of the timeout with a kill before trading points with the Ramblers to cut the gap to three. Owen Rose recorded his first kill of the year to bring the score to 7-10 as the squads continued trading points with the Ramblers nursing a lead.

The lead got larger on a 3-0 run that included two straight aces from Parker Van Buren that put the Ramblers up 14-8. Michael Schwob, Luoma, and Rose combined on a block, but Loyola Chicago took the next two points as Pavlik called his second timeout of the set.

Jake Read registered an ace out of the timeout but negated it with a service error on the next serve before a Rambler kill put them up 18-10. Will Kuhns fought back with a kill before Meyer and Trubey notched their own during more back-and-forth volleyball.

Loyola Chicago reached 20 on two straight kills from Van Buren before Kuhns stopped the momentum and took a point for the Nittany Lions. A service error from Kuhns put the Ramblers up 23-15, but a kill on the next point narrowed the lead to seven. Loyola Chicago reached a set point on a kill from Daniel Fabikovic, but Schwob grabbed a kill to extend the set. A service error on the next point handed the Ramblers the first set at 25-17.

The Nittany Lions started the second set with a service error but strung together two points to take an early lead at 2-1.

After trading points for a large portion of the second set, the Nittany Lions reached 10 leading by one after a kill from Trubey. Loyola Chicago took the lead right after the kill, though, as it managed three points off of an error, a block, and a kill. Kuhns ended the 3-0 run with a kill.

Matt Cosgrove entered and served up two Nittany Lions points as they retook the lead at 14-13 and forced a Loyola Chicago timeout. A service error tied the game out of the break but Trubey slammed a ball to the hardwood and Penn State again led by one. After a 3-1 Nittany Lion run, the Ramblers called another timeout with Penn State leading 19-16.

Bell Brad notched a kill out of the timeout but the Nittany Lions answered with a kill from Schwob. Bell managed another kill before the Nittany Lions went on a 3-0 run to go up 23-18. Penn State reached set point on a kill from Kuhns but Loyola Chicago defended with a kill from Fabikovic, who followed it up with an ace and forced a Penn State timeout with the Nittany Lions leading 24-21.

The Ramblers extended the set with a kill after the timeout, but a Fabikovic service error gave the frame to Penn State at 25-22.

For the third time, the set began with a service error, this time in favor of Penn State. Loyola Chicago took the next point, though, and tied it at 1-1. A kill from Rose put Penn State up but Read tied the set back up with a kill of his own. After another period trading serve, Gaige Gabriel recorded a kill that was followed by a block assist that pushed the score to 7-5.

The Ramblers grabbed two in a row, but a service error gave the Nittany Lions another point. It was followed up by a block from the Ramblers front line, and the set was tied at 9-9. An attack error from Read on the next point gave Penn State the lead at 10-9, but a 3-0 run put the Ramblers in front 12-10. The Nittany Lions fought back and the teams drew even at 14-14.

Loyola Chicago went on a 3-1 run out of the media timeout to take a 17-15 lead that forced a Penn State timeout. The Ramblers took the point out of the timeout and extended the lead to three. The Nittany Lions cut the lead to two after a net violation from the Ramblers, but Kuhns missed the court on the next kill attempt, and Loyola Chicago was the first to 20. A block from the Ramblers front line put them up 21-17 and forced a second Penn State timeout.

After trading service errors, Schwob painted the line to get the score to 22-19 in favor of the Ramblers. Loyola Chicago didn’t let the Nittany Lions get close and maintained a three-point lead at 23-20. An error from Trubey gave Loyola Chicago set point, and Fabikovic put the third set away with a kill as the Nittany Lions dropped set three 25-20.

The fourth set didn’t begin with a service error and instead featured a kill from Trubey as the teams proceeded to trade points through the first six rallies of the set. Bell and Read combined on a strong block that gave the Ramblers the lead before Kuhns tied it back up and the trading continued.

Fabikovic kicked off a 4-0 run that featured three kills and an ace as Pavlik called timeout trailing 10-7. Gabriel got the Nittany Lions back to within one with an ace, but he followed it up with an error that put the Ramblers up 14-12.

The two-point lead persisted with Penn State unable to get closer and a stout Loyola Chicago front line once again denied the Nittany Lions and pushed the score to 18-16 with the Ramblers leading. Loyola Chicago reached 20 points on an attack error from Schwob, who took a hard fall on the attempt. Pavlik took his first timeout of the fourth set trailing 20-16.

The Nittany Lions went on a 2-0 run after the timeout and the Ramblers called a timeout of their own nursing a 20-18 lead. Fabikovic committed an attack error on the next point and Penn State pulled to within one. The 3-0 run turned into a 4-0 run after a review and the Nittany Lions pulled back to within one.

Two kills from the Ramblers pushed the score to 23-20 before Trubey added another for the Nittany Lions. Bell gave the Ramblers set point, and a block sealed the deal as Penn State fell 3-1 in the season opener.

Takeaways

• Kuhns and the new group of hitters have big shoes to fill after the departure of a talented group of seniors last year. The redshirt senior finished with 12 kills in the loss.
• The Nittany Lions struggled to consistently find the court in front of a stout Rambler defense. Loyola Chicago finished with 15 block assists and held the Nittany Lions to a .258 hitting percentage.
• The Nittany Lions had trouble handling the Loyola Chicago serve all night long as the Ramblers ended with nine service aces on the night.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions continue their road trip and are back in action at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, against No. 14 Lewis. The game will be streamed on YouTube.