Penn State Men’s Volleyball Regular Season Recap
It’s tournament time for Penn State men’s volleyball as it looks to continue what has been a historic season thus far.
The Nittany Lions finished the 2022 season with a historic 23-3 record which includes a perfect 16-0 in the EIVA conference.
Despite the perfect mark, the blue and white’s work in conference play is not done yet with the EIVA tournament looming.
The Nittany Lions were able to clinch home-court advantage throughout the tournament as they look to win the tournament for a second straight season.
Just like in past years, the Nittany Lions have been led by a star-studded roster that has dominated throughout the year.
Brett Wildman led the team with 286 kills which were a career-high for the 2020 EIVA Player of the Year.
Cal Fisher wasn’t too far behind Wildman as he put up 272 kills and also led the team with 45 service aces which are something he’s been great at in his career as he led the nation in that category a year ago.
While both players dominated as they have throughout their careers, the Nittany Lions got a huge boost from a breakout player in Toby Ezeonu.
After only starting three games last year, Ezeonu finished third on the team in both kills and points this season.
The Nittany Lions have faced several ranked opponents this season and defeated almost all of them.
With victories against teams such as BYU, Grand Canyon, Long Beach State and Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have been battle-tested all season long which should put them in a good spot for both the EIVA and NCAA Tournament.
The Nittany Lions haven’t lost a match since Jan. 28 against the University of California Santa Barbara.
To go along with that, before Friday’s season finale against Charleston, the blue and white had gone six straight matches without losing a set.
In EIVA play, the Nittany Lions only lost just four sets this season as NJIT was the only team to take two sets in a game against this Penn State team.
Only time will tell if that regular-season success will lead to postseason success but this Nittany Lion team is well equipped for the road ahead.
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
