No. 19 Penn State men’s volleyball (3-8, 1-2 EIVA) was swept by NJIT (7-3, 2-1 EIVA) 3-0 in Newark, New Jersey Friday night. The Nittany Lions were on a three-match winning streak before the sweep.

Will Kuhns led Penn State in kills with 12 and in aces with two. Antonio Feliciano and Wiktor Nowak had 13 and 10 kills, respectively, and Alessandro Negri had three aces for the Highlanders.

How It Happened

Diego Lopez started the scoring for NJIT with a kill but Matthew Luoma answered with a kill to start the scoring for Penn State. Luoma, Gaige Gabriel, and Matt Cosgrove teamed up for a block but Andrew Fedmasu notched a kill and an ace, but his next serve was an error.

Feliciano got a kill after he floated one to the back right corner of the court, but Penn State got the point right back after a Nowak service error. Feliciano got the Highlanders back on track with a kill, Nowak followed with another kill, and Negri served two aces during the run for an 8-4 lead.

The Nittany Lions cut the deficit with two NJIT errors but a 3-0 run with kills by Braeden Goebbert, Andrew Fedmasu, and Nowak re-extended the lead. Luoma ended Penn State’s kills drought until Fedmasu also recorded a kill.

NJIT committed a service error and Gabriel, Luoma, and Kuhns met for a block. Fedmasu got a kill and the Nittany Lions responded with a Luoma kill and a Sean Harvey solo block. Fedmasu then scored a kill, an ace, and a service error to make it a 15-12 lead.

Negri kept the pressure on with a kill and Goebbert and Bruno Figueiredo met for a block but the run ended with a Nowak service error. Penn State did nothing with the procession as Lumoa committed a service error, but Owen Rose notched a kill on the next serve.

NJIT scored the next two points with a kill by Nowak and an ace by Goebbert. Two Highlander errors made it a four-point game but Negri got a kill to make it 21-16. Penn State managed to score five more points but NJIT took the first set 25-21.

The second set was all back-and-forth play. The teams exchanged the first eight scores until a Kuhns kill and block gave Penn State a 6-4 lead. NJIT quickly caught back up after a Rose service error and a Feliciano kill.

Kuhns hit back-to-back kills and Feliciano did the same to tie the set at 8-8. Each side committed an error, and NJIT went on a 3-0 run with two Penn State errors and a Feliciano ace. The next eight scores were split between the teams until the Nittany Lions found a spark and went on a 3-0 run off of two NJIT errors and a Kuhns kill.

The back-and-forth play resumed momentarily as the next six scores were split and NJIT took a 20-18 lead with a Negri kill. Kuhns later tied the set at 22-22 with a kill as the set was pushed into overtime at 24-24 when Kuhns saved the set with another kill.

However, Penn State dropped the second when a Fedmasu kill and a Nowak block gave the Highlanders their second set at 29-27.

The Nittany Lions started the third set with a 2-0 lead and maintained at least a two-score lead for most of the set. Nowak was the first to score for NJIT with a kill but Gabriel answered before a run of four straight errors from both sides.

Penn State then went on a 5-0 run featuring three NJIT errors, an ace from Michael Schowb, and a kill by Gabriel. The Nittany Lions had a 12-6 lead and maintained a healthy gap until NJIT scored three straight to make it 14-12.

The next 10 scores were split between the two teams to keep the set tight. Fedmasu’s kill made it 20-17 Penn State, but he committed a service error on his next serve. NJIT went on a 3-0 run with two Nittany Lion errors and a Negri kill.

Penn State lost the lead at 22-22 when Josh Gregg recorded a kill. From there, the Highlanders went on a 3-0 run to finish the sweep.

Takeaways

• The 0-7 start to the season wasn’t good and neither is the 1-2 start to EIVA play. Penn State now sits second to last in the conference, only above Sacred Heart.
• The Nittany Lions were beaten in the three biggest statistical categories. NJIT had 12 more kills, one less error, and out-hit Penn State .380 to .243.
• It was only the third time in program history that Penn State lost to NJIT.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay in New Jersey to face the Highlanders again at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 22.