UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State men’s volleyball celebrated Senior Day with a 3-1 (25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 25-16) win over Charleston (WV) in an EIVA match Saturday at South Gym in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions closed the regular season at 24-3 overall and a perfect 10-0 in the conference, while the Eagles enter the postseason at 22-6 overall and 5-5 in league play.
The win secured a second-straight unbeaten regular season in the EIVA for Penn State, which now turns its attention to the conference tournament. The Lions are set to host the event at Rec Hall on April 19, 20, and 22.
Michal Kowal had a strong performance for the second-straight night, hitting .522 with 13 kills and four blocks. For the weekend, he hit .564 with 24 kills (3.43/set), seven digs (1.00/set) and five blocks (0.71/set).
Toby Ezeonu led a trio of middle blockers that contributed to the win for Penn State. He hit .667 with nine kills and two blocks. Owen Rose racked up seven blocks in addition to three kills, while Sam Marsh tallied four kills and two blocks. Marsh left to an ovation from the crowd in the second set as he played his final regular season match for the Lions.
Penn State’s three senior captains – Cole Bogner, Cal Fisher, and Brett Wildman – also received large ovations from the crowd after exiting their final regular season match in Happy Valley. Wildman and Fisher both left in the first set, while Bogner exited in the fourth. Bogner tallied 44 assists before giving way to fellow senior Jack Driscoll at setter.
Jack Shampine and Tim Herget both shined in their final regular season match. Shampine hit .714 with six kills, while Herget contributed three kills, three digs, and three blocks, as well as some solid passing. Herget closed the match with a kill off an assist from Driscoll.
Gabe Hartke donned the libero jersey for three sets in the last regular season match of his career and contributed two digs.
Penn State ran its EIVA regular season winning streak to 28 matches and ensured the streak will carry into the 2024 season. The streak dates back to a loss at George Mason on April 3, 2021. They haven’t lost a conference regular season match at home since Feb. 14, 2021.
Set 1
Penn State dominated the opening set with a 25-13 win behind strong performances from Ezeonu and Wildman. Ezeonu had four kills on five swings, while Wildman had three kills on four attacks. Neither committed a hitting error. Bogner tallied eight assists as the Lions hit .474.
Set 2
It was Kowal’s time to shine in set two as he led Penn State to a 25-20 win with five kills and no errors on his six attacks. The team hit .370 with 13 assists from Bogner. The Lions scored the first two points and never trailed in the set. They pulled away early with a 5-0 run that made the score 9-2. Ezeonu and Michael Valenzi had kills during the run. The Eagles fought back to get within four at 24-20 before Kowal closed the set with a kill.
Set 3
Bogner added 12 more assists and Penn State hit .310 in the third set, but Charleston pulled out the 25-22 win to keep the match going. Jake Vorburger led the way for the Eagles with five kills on .375 hitting. The Lions pulled within one at 23-22, but the Eagles responded with a kill by Vorburger and an ace from Korben Phillips.
Set 4
Shampine and Kowal took over to lead Penn State to a 25-16 win in the final set. Shampine totaled five kills on .667 hitting, while Kowal hit .750 with his three kills. Bogner tacked on 11 more assists and Driscoll added two as the Lions hit .556. The final point was seniors only as Herget took the serve reception before Driscoll set it back to him for the final kill of the night.
Career Highs
Tim Herget – blocks (3)
Up Next
Penn State will be the top seed in the EIVA Tournament and will play the winner between fourth-seeded George Mason and fifth-seeded Harvard at Rec Hall on Thursday at 7 p.m.
