Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 2 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M the 7:27 mark, putting Penn State ahead 13-12. Then came one of the game's highlights, with Long scoring from be- hind his head in the middle of traffic to give the Lions a 2-goal cushion that they wouldn't relinquish. "The game's not over until that final buzzer," Traynor told The Collegian. "We've seen the [other NCAA Tour- nament] games this past week. … One team is getting punched, another team is punching back. We just focus on fin- ishing strong." Senior goalkeeper Jack Fracyon was also a big part of Penn State's comeback. He had allowed 8 goals on 22 shots in the first half but clamped down the rest of the way with a handful of key stops in the final minutes. He was credited with 7 saves for a save percentage of 46.7. The result was a thrilling win, Penn State's second of the tournament after opening with 13-11 victory over Colgate on May 10 at Panzer Stadium. Heading into its semifinal matchup against Cor- nell, Penn State's record stood at 12-4 on the season. ■ MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Penn State swept Daemen in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on May 2 in Amherst, N.Y., before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by Hawai'i on May 8 in Columbus, Ohio. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Matthew Luoma led the way for PSU in its tourney opener, totaling 14 kills on .345 hitting. He added 3 aces, 3 digs and a block, while sophomore setter Michael Schwob had 30 assists. As a team, the Nittany Lions hit .380 in the 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 win. It was PSU's fifth con- secutive sweep, part of a late-season surge that included a first-place showing in the EIVA Tournament. The Nittany Lions' good fortune ran out the following week with a 3-1 loss to second-seeded Hawai'i. The seventh-seeded Lions battled back after drop- ping the first set 25-19, taking the second 25-21 thanks to 5 kills from graduate outside hitter Will Kuhns. But the Rainbow Warriors finished off PSU with con- secutive 25-23 wins in the third and fourth sets. Luoma finished with a match-high 17 kills while adding 5 blocks. Kuhns, play- ing his final collegiate match, hit .421 with 11 kills, 9 digs and an ace. Penn State, which had opened its season with seven consecutive losses, all to ranked opponents, finished 15-16 overall and 8-4 in EIVA action. BASEBALL: Penn State won two of three games against Xavier to conclude its regular season. Senior designated hitter Matt Maloney went 4 for 4, and Penn State's five pitchers allowed only 4 hits while amassing 10 strikeouts in a 7-1 win over the Musketeers in the series opener May 15 at Medlar Field. The following night, Maloney hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Lions held on for a 7-6 victory before falling, 8-6, in the series finale May 17. The Lions finished the regular season with a 31-22 overall record and a 15-15 mark in Big Ten play, earning the ninth seed in the conference tournament in Omaha, Neb. Penn State opened pool play May 21 against Washington, the first meeting between the two teams since 1923. A matchup against USC was set for the following day. The Trojans took two of three games from Penn State during the regular season. The Lions have been led this season by junior center fielder Paxton Kling. Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Kling was 14th in the conference with a .340 average and was tied for sixth with 60 runs scored. Redshirt sophomore infielder Bryce Molinaro was 12th with 58 RBI. As a team, Penn State was fifth in the league with 422 runs scored. SOFTBALL: Eleventh-seeded Penn State opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 6-2 upset of sixth-seeded Iowa in the first round May 7 at West Lafay- ette, Ind. Sophomore second baseman Michela Barbanente and fifth-year senior first baseman Meagan Ricks homered to give the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead. On the mound, senior Mady Volpe and freshman Abigail Britton scat- tered 5 hits over seven innings to help Penn State eliminate the Hawkeyes. The Lions weren't able to maintain their momentum the next day against Nebraska in the quarterfinals. With Volpe making her 48th pitching appear- ance of the season, the most ever by a PSU hurler in a single season, Penn State gave up 5 runs in the first inning and 2 more in the second and never re- covered, falling to the Cornhuskers, 9-1. The Lions scored their only run of the game in the first inning on an RBI single by senior outfielder Haylie Brunson. Penn State finished its season at 25-27 overall and 10-12 in Big Ten play. Sophomore infielder Brooke Klosowicz led the team and was eighth in the conference with a .422 batting average. TRACK AND FIELD: Graduate student Allon Clay won a conference title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, finishing the men's 800-meter race in 1:47.93 on May 18 in Eugene, Ore. Clay edged Oregon's Matthew Erickson at the finish line to claim the Nittany Lions' only event title on either the men's or women's side. PSU junior Handal Roban finished in 1:48.05 to place third. On the women's side, senior Florence Caron and graduate Sophia Toti placed second and third, respectively, in the 10,000. Caron finished in 32:32.55, while Toti followed in 32:58.91. In the team races, the Penn State men placed eighth, while the women were 10th. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Rising redshirt junior Gracie Merkle made a sur- prise return to Penn State after entering the transfer portal and committing to Maryland earlier this spring. Merkle averaged 15.5 points and 8.6 rebounds last season to lead PSU in both departments. She announced her decision to return May 13 on Instagram. "Plot twist! After much thought, prayer and communication with my fam- ily, I have been released from [Maryland] per my request," she wrote. "I am very thankful for the opportunity, but I have decided to return to Penn State University!!!" Merkle's return comes on the heels of a decision by rising redshirt junior guard Moriah Murray to pull her name out of the transfer portal, as well as the acquisition of sophomore guard Kiyomi McMiller, who averaged 18.7 points per game for Rutgers last season. Penn State is looking to bounce back from a 2024-25 season in which it won just one Big Ten game. — Matt Herb W I N T E R / S P R I N G S P O R T S N O T E B O O K Outside hitter Will Kuhns had 11 kills and 9 digs against Hawai'i in his final collegiate match. PHOTO BY JARED FREED/PENN STATE ATHLETICS