Penn State Men’s Volleyball Beats Sacred Heart 3-1
Penn State men’s volleyball (8-14, 5-3 EIVA) defeated Sacred Heart (6-15, 0-10 EIVA) 3-1 in Rec Hall Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions are now tied for second in the conference.
After leading the Nittany Lions in kills on Friday night, Sean Harvey did the same in this one. He put up a stat line of 18 kills with just two errors, hit .533, and had seven total blocks.
How It Happened
It took several minutes for this one to get started. A shoelace malfunction and a Sacred Heart challenge on the match’s first score resulted in the first point being scored nearly 10 minutes after the original start time. The challenge was successful, and the error turned into a kill for Aleksa Mandic, but Penn State got it right back with a kill from Will Kuhns.
Jaron Popp, Mandic, and Aaron Johnson got a piece of a block for Sacred Heart’s next score, but Penn State got into a rhythm as it took four of the next five scores. The run consisted of kills from Harvey, Owen Rose, and Matthew Luoma and a Pioneer error. Kills from Alec Niemczyk, Popp, and Mandic and a kill from Harvey tied the set at 6-6.
Both sides traded the next six scores until Sacred Heart went on a 5-1 run with a kill from Mandic, an ace from Cade Trujillo and Mandic, and two Penn State errors. The Nittany Lions cut the lead to one after a block from Rose and Harvey and a kill from Luoma.
The Pioneers grew their lead to 16-13 with a kill from Petr Beranek and two more Penn State errors. The two sides then exchanged the next six scores unit a Gaige Gabriel kill and a Harvey, Rose, and Luoma block kept the lead at one and Sacred Heart used a timeout.
After the break, Johnson got a solo block off a Rose swing, but Penn State took the next three scores, and a 21-20 lead, with two Sacred Heart errors and a Kuhns kill. The run was paused as Scared Heart used its final timeout of the set.
Kuhns from the back row to tie it
— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) April 5, 2025#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ryBdaXE83C
A Luoma service error tied the set again, but Harvey got the lead back for the Nittany Lions with a kill. Penn State got a kill from Rose, but a net violation and two Beranek kills gave Sacred Heart a 24-23 as the Nittany Lions elected to call a timeout.
Beranek’s ace on the next serve hit near the sideline and was challenged by Penn State, but the call stood as the Pioneers took the first set 25-23.
Sacred Heart was forced to use a timeout early in the second set. The Nittany Lions started hot with a 4-0 lead after kills from Gabriel and Kuhns, a Kuhns ace, and a Gabriel and Harvey block. Kuhns committed a service error after the timeout, but Penn State got back on track with a Harvey kill and a Luoma and Harvey block.
The Pioneers didn’t get their first kill of the set until two scores later when Beranek recorded one, but Penn State didn’t let up and took three of the next four scores with kills from Harvey and Michael Schwob and a solo block from Kuhns. The two teams then split the next eight scores to make it 13-7 Penn State.
SCHWOBBBBBBB
— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) April 5, 2025#WeAre pic.twitter.com/0zgzKQCmyE
Mandic got back in the scoring column with a kill, but the Nittany Lions surged to another 4-1 run with kills from Harvey, Luoma, and Schwob and a Sacred Heart error. A Luoma service error ended the run temporarily, but Penn State continued to pull away with kills from Kuhns and Luoma for a 19-10 lead.
Sacred Heart managed to score six more times, but it wasn’t enough. Luoma got two kills, Rose and Harvey each got a kill, Luoma got a solo block, and Mandic committed a service error after his ace en route to Penn State’s 25-16 second set win.
Kuhns started the third set with back-to-back aces, but Sacred Heart scored three straight with a Kuhns error, a block by Mandic and Johnson, and another block from Johnson and Popp. However, Penn State answered with another 3-0 run with a kill from Harvey, a block from Rose and Harvey, and a Pioneer error.
Popp recorded a kill, but a bad set and a Luoma ace made it 7-4 Penn State. The Pioneers then took three of the next four scores with two Beranek kills and a Popp kill. Rose and Mandic traded kills as the Nittany Lions scored three straight with two Kuhns kills and a Popp error.
The two sides split the next eight scores, then Sacred Heart scored twice off of a solo block from Johnson and a Johnson and Beranek block. Penn State matched the scores with a Pioneer error and a Rose and Schwob block. Sacred Heart cut the lead to one with a Penn State error and a Mandic kill, but the Nittany Lions maintained their lead with a Harvey kill.
Brick wall
— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) April 5, 2025#WeAre pic.twitter.com/vxvxMUAONW
Mandic got two kills, and Beranek got one as the Pioneers went on a 3-1 run to tie the set at 19-19. The Nittany Lions grew a two-score cushion again with two Sacred Heart errors, but a 3-0 run with a Penn State error, a Frujillo and Johnson block, and a Niemczyk ace gave the Pioneers a 22-21 lead.
Penn State used a timeout to pause the run, and it worked. Sacred Heart committed a service error, then miscommunication on that side led to a Harvey kill, and after a successful challenge, Luoma recorded a kill for a 24-23 Penn State lead.
Kuhns committed a service error at match point and Penn State used its final timeout of the set. Mandic’s kill gave Sacred Heart the advantage in overtime until Harvey answered with a kill. Popp and Harvey traded kills to make it 25-25 then Harvey sealed the set 27-25 with back-to-back kills.
Harvey continued his hot streak by starting the fourth set with a kill, and Gabriel and Harvey followed with a block. Mandic started the scoring for the Pioneers with a kill, but Harvey answered with his 16th kill of the match. Popp and Berankey each got a kill for Sacred Heart, but the Nittany Lions scored three straight with a Pioneer error, a Rose kill, and a Luoma ace.
The two sides exchanged the next six scores until two Kuhns kills and a Luoma kill gave the Nittany Lions a 12-6 lead. Mandic’s kill broke up the run as Kuhns recorded back-to-back kills to make it a seven-score game. The back-and-forth play started again as both sides traded the next eight scores.
Penn State went on a 3-1 run to make it 21-13 with Kills from Schwob and Harvey and an ace from Schwob. Sacred Heart called a timeout, but it didn’t affect the Nittany Lions, as Luoma got a kill after the break.
Mandic got a kill, but he followed it with an error, and the Nittaion Lions got to match point after Kuhns answered Popp’s kill. An error by Johnson then gave Penn State the final set 25-15.
Takeaways
- The season still isn’t over, folks. Ignore the overall record because the conference record is the only one that matters. With the win, Penn State is tied for second place in the EIVA.
- Harvey has really come into his own recently. The redshirt freshman has recorded double-digit kills in the last three matches and put up 18 in this one.
- The Nittany Lions continue to be consistent, hitting-wise. After struggling earlier in the season, Penn State has started to boost its hitting percentage after hitting .420 in today’s match.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions hit the road for the final time of the regular season as they head to Virginia to face George Mason at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 11.
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