No. 9 Penn State topples No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the latest epic chapter of the Penn State and Ohio State sports rivalry, the No. 9 Nittany Lions men’s volleyball team (5-2 overall) toppled the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1 overall) in a dramatic 3-1 decision inside the Covelli Center on Thursday night.

Penn State took the first set 25-21 before the Buckeyes answered in the second with a 25-21 victory of their own. The Nittany Lions cruised to a 25-19 third-set triumph before coming from behind to win a thrilling fourth set 29-27.

For the Nittany Lions, it was their first win over the No. 1 ranked team in the AVCA Coaches Poll since a March 2023 triumph over Hawaii. The win was Penn State’s second straight against the Buckeyes after the Nittany Lions knocked Ohio State out of the NCAA Tournament in last year’s quarterfinals.

Perhaps the victory on Ohio State’s home court was an act of revenge as well, as the Buckeyes had beaten a No. 1-ranked Penn State team in Rec Hall last March.

The Buckeyes played their first match as the No. 1-ranked team since 2018, but were forced to do so without the services of AVCA National Collegiate Player of the Week Jacob Pasteur, who was unable to play due to a lower-body injury.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Hurley stepped into Pasteur’s place for his first collegiate start and led the scarlet and gray offensive attack throughout the night.

But it was Penn State getting off to a hot start, as a perfect six-for-six hitting performance from Toby Ezeonu allowed the Nittany Lions to draw first blood on the road.

After only hitting .069 in the first set, the Buckeyes settled down and played much cleaner volleyball in the second. Ohio State hit .308 en route to its only set victory of the night, and Hurley put an exclamation point on the second game with a set-point kill.

Outside hitter Michal Kowal began stepping up in a big way as the third set rolled around. His four kills in the third game alone helped propel the Nittany Lions to a victory in a set that they never trailed in, and put the blue and white on the brink of an upset.

But the Buckeyes stormed out of the gate in the fourth set. Do-it-all setter Michael Wright racked up two service aces, a kill, an assist and a block to give Ohio State a quick 5-0 advantage.

But Penn State slowly ate away at the deficit, thanks in large part to clutch hitting from veteran Michael Valenzi. A kill from the senior sparked a 5-0 Nittany Lion run that gave Penn State a 17-16 lead.

The two teams primarily traded points back and forth from there, with the exception of a quick 3-0 burst from the Buckeyes which included back-to-back Hurley kills. Ohio State got the Nittany Lions to set point on three separate occasions, but couldn’t seal the deal.

With the score knotted at 27, the Nittany Lions got back-to-back kills from Kowal and Valenzi to put the bow on a massive win.

Penn State finished the match with four players having double-digit kills. Ezeonu led the way with 14, while Valenzi finished with 13 after a seven-kill fourth set. John Kerr registered 12 terminations and a career-high 12 digs for the Nittany Lions, while Kowal ended with 10 kills.

Hurley – who entered the night with seven career collegiate kills – ended with a match-high 16 in a breakout substitution performance. But it wasn’t enough to overcome a complete, well-rounded performance from the road team.

Penn State and Ohio State will rematch in Rec Hall on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m.

Kasey Kreider is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email kmk6865@psu.edu.