Post Game Interview with head coach Danny Goncalves
NJIT Highlights vs. Penn State
NEWARK, NJ–Penn State, ranked No. 3 in the latest AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll, blanked NJIT, 3-0, in EIVA Conference action Saturday afternoon inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center on Alumni Weekend.
The Nittany Lions, winners of seven in a row, improved to 13-1 on the season and a perfect 4-0 in the EIVA while the Highlanders moved to 5-9 overall, 1-2 in the EIVA.
Penn State hit .469 for the match with a total of 38 kills, eight errors on 64 attempts paced by reigning EIVA Defensive Player of the Week Toby Ezeonu with 14 kills followed by Cal Fisher with 10 kills.
Ezeonu, who led the Nittany Lions in Friday's 3-0 sweep at NJIT, recorded a .765 hitting percentage Saturday evening while Fisher combined for a .500 hitting percentage.
Setter Cole Bogner registered a match-best 33 assists, three digs and three block assists. Ryan Merk paced the match with six digs.
NJIT was paced by senior Carson Williams who recorded a .636 hitting percentage with 7 kills and no errors on 11 swings. Graduate student Roque Nido notched 17 assists, two service aces and two digs for the Highlanders. Alessandro Negri led the Highlanders defensively with five digs.
Penn State hit an impressive .643 for the set with 10 kills, 1 error and 14 swings led by Owen Rose and Toby Enzeonu with five kills each and cruised to a 25-17 victory.
The Nittany Lions followed up the second set with a .500 hitting percentage on 16 kills while the Highlanders combined for a .231 hitting percentage. Penn State led from the start to finish and closed out the frame on a 3-1 spurt for a 25-17 win for a 2-0 lead.
In a close third set, Penn State held a two-point lead, 15-13, heading into the media timeout. NJIT rallied back to cut the lead to three, 18-15, but the Nittany Lions extended its lead to 21-18 and would go on to earn the sweep, closing out the set on a 2-1 spurt for a 3-0 sweep.
NJIT will return to action on March 3 when the Highlanders visit Merrimack at 5pm.
