No. 17 Penn State men’s volleyball (14-7, 6-0 EIVA) swept No. 19 NJIT (13-8, 5-3 EIVA) 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at Rec Hall.

After sweeping the Highlanders on Friday night, the Nittany Lions did it again today. They fought through a tough, back-and-forth first set, but coasted to a three-set victory shortly after.

How It Happened

Michael Schwob kicked off the day with a flaming hot service ace, but NJIT answered with a block on Sean Harvey and a kill from Wiktor Novak.

Penn State rattled off three straight points to retake a 4-2 lead.

The teams traded blows to even it at 6-6, but back-to-back kills from Matthew Luoma logged a pair of kills to put Penn State up 8-7. Nowak kept it notted at 11-11 after slowing his attack and laying down a roll shot on the Nittany Lion defense.

The kills continued to roll in, one after another, with a kill from Harvey tying it at 16-16. Owen Rose surprised the NJIT defense with a quick attack from his middle blocker position for a kill. Penn State built on that with an ace from Harvey, making it a 21-19 ballgame.

Rose stayed hot with a kill and an ace to put Penn State up 23-21, but the pendulum swung back toward NJIT after a pair of self-inflicted mistakes by the Nittany Lions.

Both squads traded kills after a Penn State timeout. Then, NJIT committed a back-breaking service error that flipped possession back to the Nittany Lions for set point, where Bennett Wilson sealed the set with a service ace.

Penn State took a 2-0 lead to start the second set from an NJIT service error and a solo block from Rose.

Wiktor and Andre Aleixo logged kills for NTIJ, but Penn State kept its foot on the gas, going on a 5-0 scoring run that included two blocks by Gage Gabriel and consecutive aces from Luoma.

Gabriel attacked from the back court for a kill, putting Penn State up 10-4. Aleixo and Gabriel traded a kill each, but Harvey kept Penn State’s lead climbing to 12-6 with a kill of his own. Wiktor ended the Nittany Lions’ 5-1 scoring run with a kill, but Harvey answered right back to make it a 16-7 game.

A kill from Wilson moved Penn State into the 20’s, where the Nittany Lions would take five straight points to secure the second frame 25-12.

Penn State not only drew first blood of the third set, but also took the first three points by defensively controlling the net. However, NJIT didn’t blink, rattling off a 5-1 scoring run.

But the Highlanders committed a string of self-inflicted errors that allowed the Nittany Lions to claw their way back to a 9-7 lead. After Harvey’s swing was initially ruled out, Mark Pavlik successfully challenged the call, allowing Penn State’s scoring run to continue.

Owen Rose smoked an ace to put the blue & white up 15-11 right before the media timeout. The Highlanders began to unravel, as Penn State climbed into the 20’s after a Harvey kill.

NJIT found a pair of kills after its timeout, but the run quickly ended with a service error. Rose and Schwob combined for a block to inch Penn State toward the sweep.

The totally deflated Highlander offense was then stuffed by Penn State’s triple block, followed by a kill from Luoma, bringing it to match point. NJIT stole one more point, but ultimately did themselves in with a service error, handing Penn State the third and final set 25-18.

Takeaways

• After a gridlocked first set, Penn State’s quick start to the second set allowed them to build momentum that carried into the rest of the game.
• Bennet Wilson put together a strong performance in his starting opportunity. The true sophomore finished with five kills, two aces, and two hits, all while hitting .400% on the day.
• Penn State’s defensive dominance at the net was a difference maker against the Highlanders. The Nittany Lions finished with 12 stuffs, compared to NJIT’s five. The third set, specifically, is where Penn State did most of its damage, logging eight blocks.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to West Virginia for an EIVA match-up against Charleston at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 3.