No. 15 Penn State men’s volleyball (18-7, 10-0 EIVA) survived another upset bid by Sacred Heart (10-13, 3-7 EIVA) in five sets on Saturday afternoon at the William H Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center in Fairfield, Connecticut. The Nittany Lions’ magic number to clinch the EIVA regular-season title is down to one and could clinch later today if George Mason loses to Princeton.

After the Nittany Lions survived against the Pioneers in five sets on Friday night, they were dominated in the first set and lost it by 10 points. However, Penn State responded with a second-set win before Sacred Heart took the third.

With Penn State a point away from defeat, it saved a match point in the fourth set and went on to send the match to a fifth. The Nittany Lions completed the 2-1 set comeback to remain unbeaten in EIVA play and extend their winning streak to seven.

How It Happened

Sacred Heart won the first two points of the first set before Penn State responded with back-to-back points. Both teams exchanged the next six points before the Pioneers went on a four-point run to take a 9-5 lead.

Sacred Heart extended its lead to five before the Nittany Lions decided to take a timeout. After the timeout, the Pioneers continued to pull away with three of the next four points to take a 14-7 lead. After Sean Harvey recorded a kill, Sacred Heart increased its lead to eight with back-to-back points, forcing Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik to use his second timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Nittany Lions started to show signs of life with three of the next four points to decrease their deficit to five. This momentum was short-lived as the Pioneers won back-to back points to take a 19-12 lead.

Both teams exchanged the next six points before consecutive Sacred Heart points gave it set point. It capitalized on the set point with a block assist as the Pioneers won a dominant first set 25-15.

Both teams traded the first four points of the second set before the Pioneers won three of the next four points to take an early two-point lead. The Nittany Lions responded with a 3-0 run to take the lead for the first time in the match, leading to a Sacred Heart timeout.

After the timeout, Penn State started to pull away with four of the next five points to take a 10-6 lead. The Pioneers cut their deficit to two as they won four of the next six points. Sacred Heart continued to seize its momentum with back-to-back points to tie it at 12.

The deadlock stayed intact for the next two points before consecutive scores gave Penn State a two-point lead. Sacred Heart won three of the next four points to tie it at 16. However, Pavlik successfully challenged the call that deemed the ball out of bounds, giving Penn State a 17-15 lead.

Pavlik’s challenge proved to be critical as the Nittany Lions extended their lead to four, which led to a Pioneers timeout. After the timeout, Penn State continued to run away with the set as it extended its run to six to take a 22-15 lead.

After both teams traded points, Owen Rose and Hassell recorded a block assist to give the Nittany Lions set point. On set point, Zach Flynn committed an attack error that allowed Penn State to take the second set 25-16.

Both teams exchanged the first six points of the third set before back-to-back points by the Nittany Lions gave them an early 5-3 lead. The back-and-forth affair wagered on for the next eight points as Penn State’s two-point lead stayed intact.

Harvey’s kill and a bad set by the Pioneers extended the Nittany Lions’ lead to four. After both teams traded points, Sacred Heart started to show signs of life as it won three of the next four points to trim its deficit to two. It tied it up at 13 right after with back-to-back kills.

Both teams traded points before a kill by Bennett Wilson sent the match into a media timeout with Penn State holding a 15-14 lead. Out of the media timeout, the Nittany Lions increased their lead to two as they won two of the next three points.

Both teams traded blows for the next eight points until consecutive points by the Pioneers tied the set at 20, forcing a Penn State timeout. The timeout paid off for the Nittany Lions, as they won three of the next four points to get within two points of winning the third set.

Sacred Heart showed its resilience as it won back-to-back points to tie it at 23. On the next point, Harvey recorded a huge kill for Penn State to give it set point. The Pioneers managed to save set point on a kill by Aleksa Mandic before they won the next point to give themselves set point, forcing a Nittany Lions timeout.

Penn State saved set point on a kill by Hassell after the timeout to tie it at 25. Sacred Heart won the next point to give another set point and capitalized on it as it won a close third set 27-25.

The Pioneers carried their momentum into the fourth set as they won five of the first six points. Both teams exchanged the next six points before a service ace by Sacred Heart gave it a 9-5 lead.

The Pioneers’ four-point lead stayed intact stayed intact for the next four points until a 3-0 run by Penn State trimmed its deficit to one. On the next point, Sacred Heart refused to relinquish its lead as Mandic recorded a huge kill to give it some breathing room.

After the score, the Nittany Lions won three of the next four to tie it at 13. The deadlock stayed intact for two points until the Pioneers won back-to-back points to take a 16-14 lead. Penn State returned the favor to square it up at 16.

However, Sacred Heart refused to give any sort of momentum to the Nittany Lions as it won three consecutive points to take a 19-16 lead. This forced Penn State to use a timeout as it neared the verge of defeat. After the timeout, the Nittany Lions refused to go away and decreased their deficit to one by winning three of the next four points.

The Pioneers refused to give up the lead and responded with back-to-back to get within three points of victory. On the next point, Hassell recorded a solo block that forced Sacred Heart to take a timeout. The block gave momentum to the Nittany Lions as they won three consecutive points to take the lead.

Sacred Heart tied it at 23 before Penn State gained a set point on a kill by Hassell. The Nittany Lions could not convert on the set point. Both teams exchanged points until the tables turned and the Pioneers gained a match point.

Penn State stayed alive as Harvey’s kill tied it at 26. The kill proved to be critical. Sacred Heart committed an attack error to give it another set point. Unlike the previous set point opportunities, the Nittany Lions capitalized this time on a triple block by Jaxson Herr, Rose, and Hassell to win the fourth set 28-26.

Penn State got off to a fast start in the fifth set with three of the first four points. Sacred Heart returned the favor by winning three of the next four points to tie it at four. The deadlock was short-lived as the Nittany Lions took a 7-5 lead on a triple block by Gaige Gabriel, Harvey, and Herr, forcing the Pioneers to use a timeout.

Out of the timeout, both teams traded blows for the next four points until a kill by Harvey and a solo block by Rose extended Penn State’s lead to four. Sacred Heart burned another timeout. After the timeout, both teams exchanged the next four points until Wilson’s kill gave the Nittany Lions match point.

After facing a match point, Penn State completed the comeback on a solo block by Gabriel to win the fifth set 15-9.

Takeaways

• Once again, Penn State had to fight hard to win the match. It was dominated in the first set. It was on the brink of defeat as it faced a match point in the fourth set, but the Nittany Lions’ resilience proved to be the difference to win another five-set thriller.
• Sacred Heart will rue its opportunities to beat the Nittany Lions for the first time since 2017. It held 2-1 set leads in both matches over the weekend and had a match point in Saturday’s game. It couldn’t convert on them and now faces a tall task to make it into the six-team EIVA Tournament.
• Tristan Hassell provided a huge spark for the Nittany Lions when they weren’t playing at their best. He recorded double-digit kills on offense and made his presence known on defense by recording huge blocks.

What’s Next?

Penn State will return to Rec Hall for its two-match regular-season finale series play against George Mason on Friday, April 17, at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed on BTN+.