No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball (14-7, 6-0 EIVA) defeated Charleston (13-10, 4-4 Mountain East Conference) 3-0 in a dominant performance.

Matthew Luomo led the Nittany Lions with 11 kills, and Sean Harvey was not far behind with 10. The team had great defense and blocking throughout the game to help them win.

Penn State was slower offensively in the second and third sets. Charleston kept the game close throughout many time periods, but the Nittany Lions pulled through.

How It Happened

Penn State started with the first serve, and Michael Schwob had an ace. Owen Rose and Matthew Luomo both had a kill right after, and Charleston called a quick timeout.

The Nittany Lions had a strong start against the Golden Eagles.

Charleston had its first two kills and an extra point from a service error shot by Penn State. The Nittany Lions were up 5-3, then had another point from an attack error.

Luomo had two aces to help Penn State go up 10-4. The Nittany Lions went on a four-point streak to jump ahead of Charleston in the first set.

The Golden Eagles had a few service errors and struggled to get kills with Penn State’s dominant front line. The Nittany Lions were blocking various spikes, contributing to a dominant performance.

Gabriel Gaige and Luomo had three combined kills to put Penn State up 16-8. Luomo had been a key player early in the game with three kills and two aces. He had 5.5 total points when Penn State was up ten against Charleston.

The Golden Eagles had points from service errors and a kill, but lacked offensive skill against the Nittany Lions. The team struggled against Penn State’s blocks and returning serves.

Penn State had four aces up 23-11. The Nittany Lions went on a five-point streak to become one point away from winning the set. The team had been serving extraordinarily well, which wasn’t typical for the team this season.

The first set ended with 25-14, and Penn State was up 1-0. The team’s defense was strong with impressive dig plays and blocking. Charleston didn’t look up to par against the Nittany Lions.

Charleston started the second set with the first serve, but a kill from Sean Harvey put Penn State on the board first.

The set took an early 2-2 lead, and the Golden Eagles took their first lead of the game with an attack error, up 3-2.

Rose and Luomo had three combined kills to help Penn State regain a lead and go up 6-5. Rose had one, and Luomo had another two.

Charleston had been better offensively than in the first set. The set was tied 7-7 again after an ace by the Golden Eagles. The team had made offensive improvements, but Penn State’s three-man wall was still a dominant force.

Penn State had a three-point streak with a kill from Gabriel and two attack errors. But, easy points were being taken away from the Nittany Lions.

Charleston had two kills to make the set close, only down 10-13. Service errors were a problem for the team in the second set, and it still looked outperformed by the Nittany Lions.

Penn State led 16-11 after kills from Luomo and Gabriel. Two service errors also contributed to Penn State’s lead.

Penn State took a timeout after the Golden Eagles went on a three-point streak, making the set 16-14.

The Nittany Lions recovered, also going on a three-point streak. An attack error, a service error, and a service ace put Penn State ahead.

Charleston kept the game close with three kills, making the score 22-18. Penn State took another timeout after the Golden Eagles had a kill and an attack error. The Nittany Lions were up 23-20 late into the second set.

A kill from Harvey and a point from a bad set, Penn State won the second set 25-21. While the second set was closer than the team hoped, its offensive dominance put them ahead once again.

Penn State had the first serve in the third set, but Charleston had the first point with a kill. The Golden Eagles had two more kills to take a 3-2 lead.

Gabriel had two kills to put Penn State on the board and tie the set 5-5. The Nittany started slow and couldn’t keep up defensively as they did in the first set.

However, two kills and attack errors put Penn State up 8-6. Rose had a powerful kill to give the Nittany Lions momentum.

Charleston took a timeout after Penn State took a 9-6 lead.

The Nittany Lions had three straight kills on their takeover. Harvey, Luomo, and Rose were responsible for the contributions.

Charleston responded with four straight points, tying the set 12-12. Penn State let up three more kills and an attack error. The Golden Eagles were able to return many spikes that the Nittany Lions threw.

Bennet Wilson had two straight kills to put Penn State up two. He was able to find open space in the middle of Charleston’s side of the court for easy points.

The Nittany Lions went up 20-14 after five straight points. They stepped up defensively to take a large lead in hopes of closing the game.

With two kills from Charleston, the Golden Eagles continued to make the set close. However, it wasn’t enough to keep up, and Penn State finished with another four-point streak to win the third set 25-17.

Takeways

• Penn State served the ball really well this game. The team had four service aces in the first set, and six total.
• Luomo stepped up today with 11 kills and 16.5 total points in the game. He was the most dominant offensively and led the Nittany Lions to a sweep.
• Sean Harvey also played well with 10 kills today. He was crucial in the last two sets for the offensive side of the ball.
• Penn State looked slower in the second and third sets offensively, but nonetheless, the team stepped up in the moments necessary to take home a win.

What’s Next?

Penn State stays in Charleston for another game at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Wehrle Innovation Center