No. 14 Penn State men’s volleyball (5-4, 0-0 EIVA) swept Saint Francis (4-4, 0-0 NEC) on Friday night at Rec Hall in its annual THON match.

This victory ends the Nittany Lions’ four-game losing streak and delivered a much-needed surge of energy.

How It Happened

The opening set began with both teams trading service errors before Red Flash middle Brayden Gall recorded the first kill. Penn State answered with a Gaige Gabriel swing that deflected off the block. Jaidyn Bethel found the deep corner to give the Nittany Lions a 3-2 edge. Saint Francis responded with back-to-back kills from Brady Stump, followed by a Sam Lane shot to switch the advantage to the Flash, 5-4.

Matthew Luoma and Owen Rose teamed up for a block, and after Kyle Charles tipped over the block, Rose, Sean Harvey, and Jaxon Herr answered with a block. Bethel followed with a service ace, forcing Saint Francis to call a timeout with Penn State leading 10-6. Luoma landed a kill out of the break, and Rose hammered a ball out of the middle to extend the lead to 14-6, leading to a second Red Flash timeout. A service error ended Penn State’s run, and Cole Dorn responded with a block for Saint Francis. Luoma answered with a tip, but a Nittany Lion attack error and a triple block pulled the Flash within three at 15-12.

Luoma ripped a cross-court kill, and a Gabriel-Luoma block extended the lead to 19-13. Saint Francis was able to put together a 3-0 run to close the gap to 21-17, forcing a Penn State timeout. Bethel struck for the Nittany Lions, and attack errors proved to be costly for Saint Francis, which finished the set with ten. Rose closed the frame with a shot down the middle for set point, and a Red Flash attack error sealed the set for Penn State, 25–20.

Owen Rose #WeAre pic.twitter.com/Xpj3KwF5Oo

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) February 7, 2026

Luoma continued to work the deep corner, putting Penn State on the board first in set two. Herr followed with a crafty dump, and Harvey added a block to give the Lions an early 3-1 lead. Kills from Gall, Stump, and Zini evened the score at 4-4. Gabriel answered with a kill through the block, and Rose ended the Flash offensive run with a solo block. Harvey delivered a kill to tie it at 8-8.

After exchanging attack errors, Rose found empty court, but the Red Flash kept an 11-9 advantage. Gabriel responded with a kill, and Luoma delivered an attack down the line. Gabriel then notched a service ace to put the Lions up 14-13, forcing a Flash timeout. Out of the break, Zini recorded a kill, but Hassell answered by tooling the block.

Penn State stretched the lead to 17-15 with a Harvey tip, and Red Flash attack errors prompted another Saint Francis timeout with the Lions ahead 21-17. Hassell and Rose each notched a kill, and Harvey landed a thunderous swing to make it 23-16. Hassell added one more, and Harvey sealed the set with a tip, Penn State claiming set two, 25-17.

Hassell off the dome#WeAre pic.twitter.com/8pHC1tHpj3

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) February 7, 2026

Harvey stayed hot and earned the opening point of set three, but Dorn answered right back with a kill. Herr followed with a tip, then teamed up with Gabriel for a block as the Lions jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead. Harvey went off the hands for another kill, and Herr tipped off the block to extend the lead. Harvey added yet another kill before a Red Flash attack error forced Saint Francis to call a timeout, down 9-1.

Dorn came out of the timeout with a kill for the Flash, and the Nittany Lions had back-to-back service errors. Gabriel then rocketed a kill out of the middle, and a Flash service error kept Penn State in control. Hassell delivered a cross-court kill to make it 14-7, and Harvey followed with a tip over the block for a 16-10 advantage. Bethel fired a shot to the back row to push the lead to 19-12, then rose for another two kills.

Luoma swung deep, Penn State extended its lead to 23-14, but Saint Francis notched a block and capitalized on a few Penn State mistakes, prompting a Lions timeout at 23-18. Out of the break, Bethel swung through the block for set point, and Luoma sealed the sweep with a kill as Penn State took set three, 25-19.

Luoma for match point!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/7fA3qZazJc

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) February 7, 2026

Takeaways:

• Ryan Merk earned Man of the Match honors, posting 11 digs and continuing to showcase his consistency and reliability at libero.
• Penn State finished with 13 service errors, a noticeable improvement compared to previous matches.
• Offensive production was balanced across the lineup. Harvey led all hitters with nine kills, followed by Luoma with seven, while the rest of the attackers contributed between three and six kills apiece.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to Loretto, Pennsylvania, to close out the series against Saint Francis at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 7, in DeGol Arena. This match will be streamed on NEC Front Row.