Penn State Men’s Volleyball Weekend Preview: Vs. Harvard

Story posted March 30, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Jake Irwin

The Penn State Nittany Lions are traveling to The Bay State for a pair of EIVA men’s volleyball matches on Friday and Saturday against the Harvard Crimson.

Penn State is dusting itself off from a narrow 3-2 defeat dealt by the Ohio State Buckeyes at Rec Hall on Tuesday, March 21. The Nittany Lions now hold an 18-3 record on the season.

Penn State handled most of the match against the Buckeyes, as Cal Fisher posted 19 kills and five aces. Cole Bogner claimed a personal season-high 48 assists.

The Buckeyes’ defensive game displayed efficiency, as 32 digs were committed against the Nittany Lions to stifle their offense at times. Hitting and defensive errors ultimately cost Penn State the match after five sets.

The Nittany Lions will seek to clean up their game for a stretch of crucial-conference matches. In EIVA competition, the blue and white are 4-0 with the remaining six games of the season containing all conference opponents.

Harvard stands at a 7-11 record and sits at the bottom of the conference standings, but cannot be disregarded based on that.

The Crimson are hungry for their first EIVA win, and what sweeter time to do it than when you’re battling the No. 3 team in the country at home?

Harvard also has some momentum from its most recent game last Friday against American International College. The Crimson’s prolific offense would complete the sweep with a dominant 3-0 victory for non-conference play.

Azim Raheem tallied a season-high nine kills. Owen Fanning followed behind with seven kills and two service aces and Will Sorenson exhibited his passing prowess with 20 assists to help claim Harvard’s first win since March 4 against Long Island University.

With the daunting task of playing one of the top programs in the country, the Crimson will have to heat up their offensive attack early to stay afloat in the match. Harvard has specialized in continually applying pressure once it gets rolling, and standing tall at the net.

For Penn State, it’ll be key to fight fire with fire with continued offensive mastery by team-kills leader Toby Ezeonu, Brett Wildman and Fisher among others. Defensive specialists include the team digs leader Ryan Merk and Bogner who will be tasked with shocking the Crimson offense in the early going.

Expect matches that have the potential for going back-and-forth as the first sets get underway. It’ll be pivotal for Harvard to structure momentum instantly for a chance to hang with the Nittany Lions. This means getting Kade McGovern and Trevor Schultz more involved this time mixed in with team-digs leader Logan Shepherd.

Penn State will certainly want to see Michal Kowal and Merk come back to life to add more productive depth to the squad. The blue and white should be able to get back on track with two wins over the weekend, but don’t be too surprised if Harvard pulls a few games out from under the Nittany Lions.

Jake Irwin is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jpi5089@psu.edu.