No. 15 Penn State Men’s Volleyball Swept By No. 5 USC In Saturday Night Matchup
No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball dropped a Big Ten non-conference matchup to No. 5 USC 3-0 on Saturday night.
Cooper Keane had a career-high 14 kills in the Trojan victory, followed by Dillon Klein with 12. Sean Harvey led the way for the Nittany Lions with 12 kills, and Ryan Merk had a game-high 10 digs.
How It Happened
The Trojans scored the first two points of set one with Dillon Klein delivering a kill, followed by a block from Cooper Keane. Sean Harvey struck first for the Nittany Lions, slicing a kill to the right corner. The Trojans notched two more blocks before Harvey landed another kill, this time from the back row, with the Nittany Lions still trailing 3-5.
Gaige Gabriel and Matthew Luoma rose for a block before USC scored six straight points, Klein landing three kills. The Trojans took a dominant 13-5 lead, but Harvey ended the run with a shot to the middle of the court. Keane responded with back-to-back kills for the Trojans, pushing their lead to 15-6.
Owen Rose and Harvey each swung hard for the Nittany Lions, but the Trojans’ Sterling Foley and Wesley Smith returned the favor, setting the score at 17-8. After an attack error and another USC kill, Penn State called its second timeout of the set. Out of the break, Bennett Wilson rolled a shot off hands for a Nittany Lion point, followed by a Rose service ace to cut the deficit to single digits.
Keane and Foley continued to swing for the Trojans, combining for three kills in the final points of the set. Tristan Hassell landed two kills of his own, but a Keane solo block closed the set, the Trojans winning 25-13.
Klein stayed hot for USC, swinging cross-court to open up set two. Harvey answered with his sixth kill of the match. Keane and Wilson traded swings as well, keeping the score at an even 2-2. Smith notched a service ace for the Trojans, followed by a kill by Parker Tomkinson.
Hassell continued to deliver from the right side for the Nittany Lions, but an ace from Keane and a kill from Foley gave USC the 9-6 advantage. Harvey sent a hard-driven ball deep for a point, but Klein and Keane responded with shots of their own. Harvey notched another kill after a few Nittany Lion errors, and an ace from Klein sent the teams into a media timeout, Penn State trailing 9-15.
After errors from both sides, Keane swung off hands, and the teams traded blocks to set the score at 18-11 before the Nittany Lions called a timeout. Gabriel landed his first two kills of the night, the last points scored for the Nittany Lions. Keane, Klein, and Tomkinson tallied kills, and back-to-back Penn State errors gave USC the set two win, 25-14.
Harvey continued his strong night for the Nittany Lions, earning the first two points of set three through a kill and a solo block. Smith and Keane answered right back to tie the score 2-2. Harvey sliced another shot into the short court, and Schwob, Rose, and Harvey executed a triple block for a 4-3 lead.
Smith and Rose traded kills, followed by the teams trading blocks. Klein and Tomkinson sent shots to the deep middle before Wilson landed a kill, Penn State regaining the lead, 9-8. The teams traded multiple errors before Foley and Keane notched kills leading into the media timeout.
Hassell hit hard off hands, followed by Jaidyn Bethel swinging out of the back row to put the Nittany Lions within one, 14-15. Keane notched his twelfth kill of the night, but Hassell tipped off hands for Penn State. Keane struck again, and Harvey responded with a hard swing out of the back row.
Klein landed a cut shot for USC, and Harvey swung for his twelfth kill. Foley hammered back-to-back kills to put the Trojans up 20-17, forcing a Penn State timeout. Keane continued to add to his career night with another kill. Smith rose for a solo block, and Klein sealed the match sweep, USC winning the set 25-17.
Takeaways:
- The Nittany Lions struggled offensively, recording 26 kills on 82 attempts for a .073 hitting percentage, while the Trojans hit .416 with 41 kills.
- Penn State kept service errors controlled with eight, but the team had 20 attack errors on the night.
- This is Penn State’s third straight loss; they are 1-7 against ranked opponents this season.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will head to the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh to take on Ohio State at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.
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