Penn State men’s volleyball team defeated No. 19 NJIT in straight sets (25-19, 25-23, 25-21) in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association match on March 27 at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved their record to 13-7 overall and remained unbeaten in conference play at 5-0, while the Highlanders fell to 13-7 and 5-2.
The win gives Penn State a two-match lead in the EIVA standings with seven matches left to play this season. The match was led by Owen Rose, who tallied nine kills on .900 hitting. Sean Harvey contributed ten kills along with three blocks and five digs. Bennett Wilson achieved a career-high nine kills on .467 hitting and added an ace, while Matthew Luoma also finished with nine kills.
Defensively, Penn State had four players collect at least three blocks each. Rose led the way with six blocks, followed by Wilson with four. Michael Schwob guided the offense with 39 assists as the team hit .403 for the match.
In set one, Penn State overcame an early deficit before taking control through several scoring runs highlighted by Rose’s performance at the net. The second set saw NJIT attempt a comeback but Penn State held on after key plays from Luoma and Harvey secured a narrow win. In the third set, Rose was perfect offensively while Wilson and Harvey each added four kills as Penn State closed out the sweep.
Bennett Wilson reached a career high of nine kills during this match.
Looking ahead, No. 17 Penn State will face No. 19 NJIT again on Saturday afternoon.
