Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
5 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS P enn State's players were happy to see last year's Eastern Intercolle- giate Volleyball Association cham- pionship banner raised ahead of their Feb. 4 match against Princeton. The title had been two years in the making, since the 2020 team had its season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. But while it felt good knowing that there would be a tangible reminder of PSU's recent success hanging from the rafters of Rec Hall, the banner raising wasn't an entirely satisfying experience for the Nittany Lions. "It'll be fun seeing it," senior outside hitter Brett Wildman told GoPSUSports. com. "But I think this group wants the big-boy banner." The Lions weren't able to bring that one home a year ago, falling to Lewis, 3-0, in the opening round of the NCAA Tourna- ment This year, ranked No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll as of late March — its highest AVCA ranking since 2009 — Penn State would appear to have a shot. Heading into a March 25 clash with vis- iting Harvard, the Nittany Lions had won 13 consecutive matches, a streak that be- gan with a five-set victory at third-ranked Long Beach State on Jan. 29. They won their first 10 EIVA matches, eight of them in straight sets, and swept a two-match home-and-home nonconference series against 13th-ranked Ohio State in early March. With six regular-season matches to go before the start of the EIVA Tournament April 20-23, the Lions were 17-3 over- all, with their only losses coming against then-No. 12 USC, then-No. 2 UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, all occurring during a West Coast road swing in January. The Lions' surge has been fueled by a group of experienced seniors that in- cludes Wildman, opposite hitter Cal Fisher and setter Cole Bogner. Wildman and Fisher were dominating opponents, having racked up 213 and 209 kills, re- spectively. Bogner was orchestrating a devastating attack, ranking third nation- ally with 637 assists. In addition, the Nittany Lions have gotten a big lift from sophomore middle blocker Toby Ezeonu. A force for PSU both offensively and defensively, Ezeonu was hitting .530, with 135 kills and 53 blocks. When those players look around Rec Hall, they surely can't help but notice that Penn State has a couple of big-boy ban- ners already. Its 1994 national champi- onship, in which it rallied to defeat UCLA in five sets, was the first for a team from outside of California. The Lions then won a second title in 2008, defeating Pepper- dine in four sets to bring a triumphant end to Mark Pavlik's 14th season as coach. This year's NCAA Tournament will take place May 3-7 at UCLA's Pauley Pavil- ion. If the Nittany Lions are able to reach the field, they could end up facing one or two of the teams that beat them on their earlier trip to California. As of March 20, USC was ranked No. 1, UC Santa Barbara No. 5 and UCLA No. 6. That banner sure would like nice hang- ing alongside the others, but it won't be easy to bring it back east. ■ Sophomore middle blocker Toby Ezeonu has been a force for Penn State offensively and defensively. Through 20 matches, he had 135 kills and 53 blocks. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS California Dreaming The PSU men's volleyball team is on a roll with the postseason approaching MATT HERB | MATT@BLUEWHITEONLINE.COM