No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball (16-7, 8-0 EIVA) swept Charleston (13-12, 4-6 EIVA) 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Wehrle Innovation Center in Charleston, West Virginia, to complete the series sweep. The Nittany Lions stay unbeaten in EIVA play with four games remaining in the regular season.

After the Nittany Lions swept the Golden Eagles on Friday night, they continued to dominate Charleston as they won the first set by five points. It was a back-and-forth battle in the second set as Penn State failed to convert on three set points.

How It Happened

Penn State won the first two points of the first set before Charleston responded with back-to-back points. On the next point, the Nittany Lions took a 3-2 lead on a Charleston service error.

Both teams traded blows for the next 10 points as Penn State’s one-point lead stayed intact. After the Golden Eagles tied it up at nine, Sean Harvey recorded a huge kill to give the Nittany Lions a 10-9 lead. The back-and-forth affair was waged on for the next eight points until Charleston tied it up at 14.

The deadlock was broken as Matthew Luoma’s kill and Owen Rose’s service ace allowed Penn State to take a two-point lead. However, the Nittany Lions’ lead evaporated as the Golden Eagles won three of the next four points to tie it at 17. On the next point, Penn State restored its lead on a kill by Bennett Wilson.

This point gave the Nittany Lions momentum as they went on to win four of the next seven points to take a two-point lead. On the next point, Rose and Harvey recorded a block assist to get Penn State within two points of winning the first set. This led Charleston to use its first timeout of the match.

After the timeout, the Nittany Lions gained their first set point on another block assist by Rose and Harvey. They capitalized on the set point as Rose’s kill allowed Penn State to close out the first set 25-20.

Charleston won the first point of the second set before Penn State got on the board on the next point. Both teams exchanged the next 10 points as neither team managed to build an early lead. After the set was tied at six, the Golden Eagles won consecutive points to take a two-point lead.

The Nittany Lions tied it up at eight with back-to-back points. The deadlock was short-lived as Charleston went on a 3-0 run to take an 11-8 lead, forcing Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik to use his first timeout of the match.

Out of the timeout, both teams traded the next four points until a 3-0 run by Penn State tied the set at 13. This led the Golden Eagles to take a timeout. After the timeout, the deadlock stayed intact for the next 10 points before Charleston took a 19-18 lead on a service error by Gaige Gabriel.

Penn State took the lead on a service error by Charleston and a block assist by Rose and Luoma. On the next point, the Golden Eagles tied it up at 20 on a service error by Michael Schwob. Both teams traded blows until Luoma’s kill gave the Nittany Lions set point at 24-23.

Unlike the first set, Penn State couldn’t convert the set point as Wilson committed another service error. Both teams went back-and-forth for the next four points as the Nittany Lions failed to convert two more set-point opportunities.

Tied at 26, Harvey recorded a huge kill for Penn State to give it its fourth set point opportunity. This time, the Nittany Lions finally capitalized on a set point on a kill by Luoma to give them a 28-26 second set win.

Penn State got off to a fast start in the third set as it won three of the first four points. Both teams exchanged the next four points until the Nittany Lions extended their lead to three, forcing the Golden Eagles to take a timeout.

Out of the timeout, Penn State’s three-point lead stayed intact for the next four points until a kill by Rose extended the lead to four. Both teams traded blows for the next 10 points as the Nittany Lions could not increase their lead. On the next point, Schwob recorded a kill to give Penn State a 16-11 lead.

The back-and-forth affair was waged on for the next eight points as the Nittany Lions got within five points of completing the sweep. Penn State extended its lead to seven with back-to-back points. However, the Golden Eagles refused to go down without a fight and won four of the next five points to trim their deficit to four. This forced the Nittany Lions to take a timeout.

Out of the timeout, Charleston recorded a kill to get within three of Penn State’s lead before Luoma’s kill gave the Nittany Lions match point. Penn State converted on the match point as Luoma’s kill finished off the third set 25-20 and the sweep.

Takeaways

• Penn State is playing its best volleyball at the right time. It has now won five matches in a row after losing three straight matches prior, with sweeps in its last four. With this win, it remains unbeaten in EIVA play and remains on track to claim the EIVA regular season title with four matches left in the regular season.
• Sean Harvey and Matthew Luoma were the main catalysts in this sweep as the duo combined for 31 kills. After recording 11 kills last night, Luoma followed it up with his best performance of the season. Everyone on the team contributed to this win, but Luoma’s performance stood out in this match.
• Charleston struggled to keep up with the Nittany Lions as they lost all six sets in the two-match series. It never held a set point, and errors by Penn State were a big reason why it got close to winning the second set.

What’s Next?

Penn State will stay on the road as it heads to Fairfield, Connecticut, for a two-game series against Sacred Heart. The first match will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 10.