MATCH STATS
- #7 Ohio State Def. #9 Penn State 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-17)
- #7 Ohio State 5-2; #9 Penn State 3-2
- Columbus, Ohio
- Box score
COLUMBUS, OHIO – In a meeting of Big Ten foes (although they sit in the MIVA and EIVA in Men’s Volleyball), the #7 Ohio State Buckeyes put forth a dominant performance and quickly dispatched #9 Penn State in straight sets.
The impressive sweep came from both ends of the net, as Ohio State hit .480 compared to a .153 mark from Penn State. The Buckeyes also won the battle of blocks, assists and digs despite one less ace and a few more serve errors. That said, Ohio State was able to use their serve and stronger serve reception to overcome the ace/error deficit and keep the Nittany Lions out of system.
The big three of Jake Hanes (16 kills, .444, three blocks), Maxime Hervoir (10 kills, .471, five digs) and Nicolas Szerszen (nine kills, .438, 10 digs, two aces) spearheaded the strong play for the Buckeyes. They made up for almost 80 percent of the team’s kills, leading to Penn State’s demise.
In the losing effort, the Nittany Lions got team-highs of seven kills from Matthew McLaren and seven digs from Aidan Albrecht – who also had six kills. However, no one besides the two had more than four kills and McLaren and Albrecht hit a combined .077.
Moving forward, Ohio State takes on Charleston and George Mason next week, with both on the road. Penn State will be at home meanwhile to take on Ball State and Fort Wayne.
Press Releases
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 3 Ohio State University men’s volleyball team (5-2) made it a short Sunday stint on the court, storming past eighth-ranked Penn State (3-2) by controlling scores of 25-19, 25-15, 25-17. The +24 point differential moved the Buckeyes to 5-2 on the season.
Ohio State attacked the Nittany Lions from all angles with a .480 team hitting percentage and three or more kills coming from five different sources, including a match-high 16 kills for Jake Hanes. Outside hitter Maxime Hervoir and Nicolas Szerszen combined for 19 kills while Nick Laffin and Blake Leeson supplied eight more kills from the middle.
On the defensive side, Ohio State out-dug the opposition 26-19; due in large part to Szerszen’s 10 digs alone. In the front court, Leeson posted two solo swats and paired with Hanes for two block assists. Hanes and Laffin got together for a rejection as well.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State dropped the first matchup of the year with The Ohio State Buckeyes, defending NCAA Champion, 3-0 in St. John Arena Sunday afternoon.
Matthew McLaren led the Lions in kills notching seven on the day, while Luke Braswell (20) and Aidan Albrecht (7) led Penn State in assists and digs, respectively.
No. 8 Penn State hit .348 for the first set, committing only three errors, keeping things close with the Buckeyes before allowing Ohio State to end the set on a 5-2 run to take the opening set.
The Nittany Lions held Ohio State to their lowest hitting total of the day at .409, but were unable to take advantage of the Buckeyes falling 25-15.
Set three saw Penn State open the set down to Ohio State 7-1 before ultimately falling 25-17 giving the Buckeyes a 3-0 win.
With the loss, Penn State falls to 3-2 on the year.
Penn State returns to Happy Valley to face Ball State FridayFeb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET in Rec Hall.
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