UNIVERSITY PARK, PA--Visiting NJIT played three close sets with No. 10 Penn State as the Nittany Lions swept the Highlanders, 3-0, in EIVA men's volleyball action Saturday evening inside Rec Hall.

NJIT, coming off a 3-1 win at Saint Francis U on Friday night, battled with No. 10 Penn State in all three sets but the Nittany Lions held off the visiting Highlanders, earning the 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-20, 25-20).

Penn State (6-6, 2-0 EIVA) Brett Wildman paced the match with 17 kills, combining for a .560 hitting percentage.  Setter Cole Bonger led all players, piling up 36 assists while Will Bantle registered a match-best 12 digs.

The Nittany Lions posted a 6-2 advantage in service aces and 8.5 to 7.0 in team blocking, led by Jason Donorovich with five total blocks (all assists).

NJIT (5-6, 1-2 EIVA) was led by Jens Feldthus with 11 kills followed by Alvaro Gimeno with 10.  Setter Roque Nido registered 31 assists and Gimeno led the Highlanders defensively with eight digs.

In the first frame, NJIT led early 5-2 and later in the set 13-8 after four straight points.  Penn State scored six straight points, taking a one-point lead, 14-13. The set went back and forth with both teams trading points as the Nittany Lions took a three-point lead, 23-20.  Penn State closed out the frame on a short 2-1 run, securing the 25-22 victory.

The second frame seesawed back-and-forth until 10-all when Penn State scored four straight for a 14-10 lead.  Visiting NJIT scored four straight of its own but the home team used a 6-1 run, extending its lead 20-15. Penn State scored the final three out of four points in the set, recording a 25-20 win.

The final set saw six ties and one lead change through the mid-teens, as the Highlanders pulled within one of the Nittany Lions, 15-14, on a kill by Gimeno.  Penn State used a 5-1 spurt for a 20-15 advantage and scored the final two out of three points to secure the 3-0 win with a 25-20 victory.

NJIT will conclude a three-match EIVA road swing on February 21 when the Highlanders visit George Mason.  First spike is set for 7pm.