No. 15 Penn State rallied to defeat Sacred Heart 3-2 in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) men’s volleyball match on April 10 at the William H. Pitt Center. The Nittany Lions improved their record to 17-7 overall and remain undefeated in conference play at 9-0, while the Pioneers fell to 10-12 and 3-6 in the EIVA.
The outcome is significant as it marks Penn State’s sixth straight victory and puts them two matches ahead in the EIVA standings with three matches left before the postseason. A win against Sacred Heart on Saturday, combined with a George Mason loss to Princeton, would secure both the regular season title and hosting rights for Penn State in the upcoming EIVA Tournament.
Owen Rose led defensively for Penn State, finishing with double-digit blocks for the third time this season by recording eleven blocks along with three digs. Rose also contributed offensively, hitting .412 with eight kills and two aces. He entered the weekend ranked first nationally in blocks per set and previously set a school record of fourteen blocks in a match earlier this year.
Matthew Luoma was instrumental during the deciding fifth set, registering four kills on four swings, three blocks, and an ace. For the match, Luoma hit .391 with eleven kills total. Sean Harvey topped all players offensively with nineteen kills while hitting .317; he also served three of Penn State’s eleven aces.
Other notable performances included Gaige Gabriel’s eight kills on .500 hitting percentage along with five digs; Bennett Wilson’s eight kills and four blocks; Ryan Merk leading defensively with eight digs; and Michael Schwob directing playmaking duties through forty-two assists as well as tying Harvey for most team aces.
Sacred Heart was led by Petr Beranek who tallied eighteen kills while hitting .364. Aleksa Mandic made an impact during set three by posting seven kills on a .778 attack percentage.
Looking ahead, Penn State will remain in Fairfield for another matchup against Sacred Heart scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m.
