No. 19 Penn State men’s volleyball (5-9, 2-2 EIVA) were swept in its first game of a two-game series against No. 15 Grand Canyon (10-5) on Saturday night at Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Nittany Lions were outclassed by the Lopes from start to finish as they lost the first two sets by 10 points or more. Grand Canyon recorded 34 kills and Penn State had 10 more errors which allowed it to dominate this match.

How It Happened

The first set got underway as Grand Canyon won the first point of the match on an attack error by Penn State before a kill by Gaige Gabriel got it on the board. The Lopes responded by going on a 3-0 run to take an early 4-1 lead before they committed a service error on the next point to end the run.

Both teams traded blows for the next four points before Grand Canyon won consecutive points to extend its lead to four. After Gabriel recorded a kill on the next point, Jordan Trevell recorded back-to-back kills for the Lopes to give them a 10-5 lead. This forced Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik to take its first timeout of the match.

Out of the timeout, both teams exchanged the next four points before an attack error by Karter Rogers trimmed the Nittany Lions deficit to four. After Rogers redeemed himself on the next point with a kill, Penn State showed its aggressiveness on the attack and recorded consecutive kills to get within three of Grand Canyon’s lead.

However, the Nittany Lions’ momentum was short-lived as the Lopes went on a 3-0 run to extend their lead to six. Both teams went back and forth for the next four points before a bad set by Ryan Merk forced Penn State to take another timeout as it stared a seven-point deficit.

After the timeout, the Lopes continued to ride their momentum as they won three consecutive points to increase their lead to double digits. Both teams traded points before a service ace by Trent Moser gave Grand Canyon its first set point. Penn State managed to save two set points before an attack by Miller Trubey allowed Grand Canyon to win the first set 25-15.

Service errors was the trend at the beginning of the second set as three consecutive errors occurred with the Nittany Lions winning two of those three points. After Sean Harvey’s kill gave Penn State an early 3-1 lead. Grand Canyon responded with a 3-0 run to take the lead. Trubey recorded a huge kill on the next point to tie the set at four.

However, the Lopes put their foot on the gas and won five of the next six points to take a four-point lead. This forced Pavlik to take a timeout in hopes of his team regaining its footing in the set.

Out of the timeout, the Nittany Lions could not stop the bleeding as Grand Canyon recorded back-to-back block assists to increase its lead to six. Both teams went back and forth for the next six points as the Lopes’ lead stayed intact. Grand Canyon took advantage of an attack error and solo block to take a 16-8 lead.

Both teams traded blows for the next four points before a service error by Gabriel and ace by Jarrett Anderson gave the Lopes a double-digit lead. This forced the Nittany Lions to take another timeout as things started to get ugly for them in this match.

Grand Canyon continued to exert its dominance in this match as it won three consecutive points after the timeout. After Will Kuhns recorded a kill on the next point, the Lopes won back-to-back points to give themselves their first set point opportunity. Penn State saved one set point, but Harvey recorded a service error that allowed Grand Canyon to win the second set 25-12.

Both teams traded blows for the first four points of the third set. The Nittany Lions won back-to-back points to take an early 4-2 lead. However, the Lopes refused to give Penn State any sort of momentum as they went on a 3-0 run to take the lead. The Nittany Lions regained the lead on a service error and ace by Trubey.

This back-and-forth exchange continued for the six points as Penn State’s lead stayed intact. It refused to go away and won consecutive points to take a three-point lead. However, Grand Canyon showed its resilience and went on to win five of the next six points to regain its lead.

The Nittany Lions responded with back-to-back kills by Trubey and Owen Rose to regain the lead. Both teams exchanged kills before a media timeout occurred with Penn State holding a 15-14 lead.

Out of the media timeout, both teams traded points before the Lopes recorded four consecutive kills to regain the lead. This led to another timeout by the Nittany Lions as the third set started to slip away from them.

Grand Canyon continued to seize its momentum as it extended its run to six out of the timeout. Both teams exchanged points before Pavlik took another timeout as the Lopes got within two points from finishing off the match.

The Nittany Lions refused to give up as they won back-to-back points to get within four points of the Lopes’ lead. On the next point, Trevell recorded a kill to give Grand Canyon its first match point. However, Penn State continued to fight as Matt Cosgrove and Harvey recorded consecutive kills to save two match points. This forced Grand Canyon to take a timeout.

After the timeout, Gabriel recorded another kill as the Nittany Lions saved another match point. However, this was the last time they saved a match point as Anderson’s kill on the next point won the third set for the Lopes 25-22.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions’ struggles against ranked opponents continues. They have now lost seven straight matches. During this stretch, they have only won three sets and lost 21.
• Hitting percentage played a significant factor in determining the outcome of this match. Penn State had a hitting percentage of .103 compared to Grand Canyon’s .343.
• Despite a close third set, Grand Canyon dominated Penn State throughout the entire match. It won the first two sets by 10 points or more, had more kills, and less errors.

What’s Next?

Penn State will look to get its first win against a ranked opponent as it will stay in Phoenix to face Grand Canyon again at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 9. The match will be streamed on BTN+.