UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – There was no drama this time. Penn State simply proved it’s the top team in the EIVA without argument.
After seeing their last five matches taken to a fifth set to win – four of them rallies from down 2-1 in sets – the Nittany Lions turned in a 3-0 sweep of Princeton in the EIVA Championship at Penn State’s Rec Hall on April 25.
The 25-23, 25-20, 25-18 victory gave No. 16 Penn State (22-7, 12-0) its fourth consecutive EIVA Tournament title and 38 th in program history. The Lions will ride their 11-match win streak into the NCAA tournament, which expands this year to a 12-team bracket and matches starting May 1. The bracket will be revealed at 4 p.m. April 26 on NCAA.com.
Penn State took control of the match with a high-pressure service game that helped set up an 11.5-1 blocking advantage, while the offense made only nine attack errors en route to hitting .398.
 
All-Tournament Team
Sean Harvey was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, leading the Nittany Lions with 12 kills on .308 hitting to go with six digs and five blocks, two solo.
Also named to the All-Tournament team were teammates Owen Rose and Jaxon Herr, Princeton’s Owen Mellon and Ambrose Engling, Charleston’s Lucas Torres and NJIT’s Wiktor Nowak.
 
Match Notes
The first set was clean, with a combined seven errors for .417 hitting, and tight. There were 13 ties and five lead changes, and neither team led by more than two until Penn State reached a 21-18 advantage.
The second set was dominated most of the time by the Nittany Lions, who used a 7-0 run to race to a 12-5 lead, later extending the margin to 16-7 before the Tigers chipped away a little. A 5-0 blocking advantage in the frame helped set the tone.
The momentum carried into the third, as Penn State hit an error-free .607 while the Tigers hit .167 with seven errors. Unlike the opening frame, the second and third sets saw a combined five ties and no lead changes.
Princeton (9-15, 3-9), which had a four-match win streak snapped, was seeking its fourth EIVA tournament title. The Tigers and Lions have combined for the past six EIVA crowns.
 
Stats
Penn State 42 kills, .398 Hit%, 40 assists, 2 aces, 35 digs, 11.5 blocks
Rose hit 10-0-11 .909, 5 blocks
Gaige Gabriel hit 7-0-11 .6363 blocks
Herr 36 assists, 3 digs, 3 blocks
Ryan Merk 13 digs
Princeton 39 kills, .237 Hit%, 35 assists, 2 aces, 28 digs, 1 block
Mason Rice 9 kills
Mellon 8 kills, 5 digs
Engling 7 kills
Ryan Vena 6 kills, .500 Hit%
Nolan Kelly 28 assists, 8 digs
Roan Alviar 7 digs

Post-Match Comments
Full Penn State Post-Match Press Conference
Full Princeton Post-Match Press Conference