No. 14 Penn State Men’s Volleyball Swept By No. 1 UCLA 3-0
No. 14 Penn State men’s volleyball (0-3) was swept by No. 1 UCLA (2-0) 3-0 on Friday in the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Austin, Texas.
The game featured many errors by both teams. Unlike UCLA, Penn State couldn’t capitalize off these errors, resulting in a losing effort.
How It Happened
The Bruins and Nittany Lions split the first four points of the set. A service error for UCLA gave Penn State a point early on, though the Nittany Lions handed it back shortly thereafter. UCLA was able to gain a two point lead, but another service error by the Bruins brought the set to 5-4. Kills by Ido David and Matthew Edwards widened the gap for UCLA.
The Nittany Lions crawled back to within two, courtesy of an ace by Gaige Gabriel. Gabriel committed a service error on the next point. UCLA took a 12-7 lead before head coach Mark Pavlik was forced to call a timeout.
The Bruins committed a service error immediately following the break, but the momentum for Penn State was squandered after Miller Trubey contributed a service error of his own. Owen Rose followed up a few points later with a strong kill at the net. After a block by Sean Harvey and Rose, the Nittany Lions closed the margin to five points.
As has been the trend so far, neither team was able to build off their momentum. The two teams exchanged points, featuring multiple service and attack errors. Penn State called their second timeout of the set down 20-12.
UCLA won the first point out of the timeout, as an attempted dig by the Nittany Lions hit the side of the net. An attack error by Trubey was followed up by a service error by the Bruins, as the team from Los Angeles closed in on a first set win.
Will Kuhns was not ready to quit, as he notched a kill. Unfortunately for Penn State, two more service errors closed the door on a very sloppy first set for the Nittany Lions, as they dropped it 25-15.
Penn State picked up right where it left off. A service error by Trubey gave the Bruins an early lead. The Nittany Lions got one back after UCLA committed a similar error. The next six points were fairly even, featuring a kill by Kuhns and a few more serves that missed the mark. Two kills in a row by Kuhns gave Penn State its first lead of the game, 6-4. An attack error by the Bruins prompted a UCLA timeout down three.
The Bruins rolled following the timeout, as a kill by Zach Rama, followed by two blocks, tied the game up at seven. The teams then exchanged service errors before another block by the Bruins gave UCLA a lead. An ace by Trubey and a block by Rose allowed Penn State to stay in the set, as they climbed back on top. These highlights were met by a 3-0 UCLA run, as two errors by the Nittany Lions, and a kill by Cooper Robinson, gave the Bruins a 13-11 lead heading into the Penn State timeout.
The Nittany Lions could not secure the all-important first point after the break, but hope was not lost after they were gifted a service error by UCLA. After the Bruins took a four-point lead, an ace by Michael Schwob kept the Nittany Lions in it. Following a kill by UCLA, Pavlik challenged for a potential net violation. Penn State lost the challenge. Will Kuhns continued to shine, adding another kill to the box score. Strong kills by David and Rama prompted another Nittany Lion timeout, trailing 20-16.
UCLA took the next two points before a net violation and service error got Penn State back on the board. The Nittany Lions were able to close the gap to three points, but the margin was too big for Penn State to surmount, despite a valiant effort. Penn State fell into a 0-2 hole in the game, dropping the second set 25-21.
The start of the third set was very competitive. The teams split the first eight points before a Harvey kill gave the Nittany Lions a lead. In what was another great opportunity for the redshirt freshman, Harvey hit the net while attempting a kill, leading to a UCLA point. Penn State earned the next two points, resulting in a timeout for the Bruins.
UCLA went on a small run, taking a 14-11 lead in the set. After two misfires by the Bruins, Penn State was back within one. After falling behind again, the Nittany Lions found a way to tie the set at 17-17, courtesy of kills by Gabriel and Harvey.
A failed UCLA challenge for a net violation ensued, as the Bruins held a slim, one-point lead at 20-19. After splitting the next two points, an attack error by Robinson allowed Penn State to tie the set. The Bruins earned the next point, but a hard kill by Harvey provided an immediate answer for the Nittany Lions. A Rama attack error gave Penn State the lead as UCLA was forced to call a timeout.
Rama made up for his mistake following the break, getting a kill right off the bat. A block by UCLA, and another kill by Rama ended the set, 25-23, as the top-ranked Bruins secured a sweep of the Nittany Lions.
Takeaways
- It was a very sloppy game for the Nittany Lions. They owned a negative hitting percentage through the first two sets, at -0.091. Penn State had a total of 17 errors over the course of three sets.
- One bright spot for Penn State was outside hitter Kuhns. He led the team with nine kills.
- The star power on UCLA was too much for Penn State to handle. David boasted three aces and six kills, propelling the two-time defending National Champions to victory.
- The Nittany Lions are on a three-game losing skid to begin their season. They have not won a set in two games.
What’s Next
Penn State will play the second game of the First Point Collegiate Challenge on Saturday, January 17, against Stanford. The game will begin at 5 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
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