Charleston, W.Va. – Charleston drops a pair of games to EIVA opponent Penn State. The Golden Eagles took the opening set of game one, but the Nittany Lions rallied and won the next three sets for the match victory.  
 
GAME 1
 
The Basics:
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
Score: UC 1, PSU 3
Records: UC 11-13 (2-5 EIVA), Penn State 18-6, (7-0 EIVA)
 
How it Happened:
The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start in the opening set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead over the Nittany Lions. Penn State started to battle their way back, going on a 7-2 run to even the score at eight all. Charleston then scored the next three to jump ahead 11-8 but gave two points right back after a service error and then a Penn State service ace. The set continued to go back and forth until Charleston got the slight edge after a three-point run to take the 20-17 lead. The teams traded points once more, but Charleston's advantage held as they took set one 25-23.


Penn State did not let the first set loss affect them as they quickly took a 10-4 lead in the second set over Charleston. The Nittany Lions eventually extending their led to 20-13 and eventually taking the set 25-16. Charleston suffered nine attack errors in the set, hitting in the negatives (-.136) while Penn State had a hitting percentage of .348%.
 
Set three was and four were close, neither team taking a large lead in either set. Set three was back and forth until at 18-18 the Nittany Lions went on a three-point run to take a 21-18 lead that would help them reach the finish line at 25-21. In set four the teams battled back and forth, trading side outs. The Nittany Lions eventually took a close set four 25-22, the killer for Charleston being their ten service errors. The Golden Eagles had 15 kills in the set, three more than Penn State, and a higher hitting percentage at .481%.
 
GAME 2
 
The Basics:
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
Score: UC 0, PSU 3
Records: UC 11-14 (2-6 EIVA), Penn State 19-6, (8-0 EIVA)
 
How it Happened:
In set one of Saturday's match, Charleston was leading early in the set, 4-1 and then 9-6. Penn State then proceeded to score the next six points, three of which came from service aces. After gaining the lead, 12-9 Penn State, the Nittany Lions did not look back. Charleston scored the next point, but Penn State responded with another run to take a commanding 17-10 lead. The Nittany Lions continued to score and closed out the first set 25-14 over Charleston.
 
In set two, Penn State took an early 5-0 lead and eventually extended it to 9-2.  Penn State continued to control the set until Charleston found some momentum late in the set to cut their deficit to 22-18. Despite the late comeback, the Golden Eagles fell in set two 25-19 after allowing the Nittany Lions to score three of the last four points in the set.
 
Set three was back and forth, with neither team having more than a two-point lead until late in the set when Penn State went up 23-19. Charleston fought back and brought the set to 23-21, but after allowing a Nittany Lion kill, the Golden Eagles had their backs against the wall down 24-21. Charleston battled and scored the next three points on consecutive kills to bring the set score to 24-24. The set went back and forth for the next eight points for a score of 28-28, but Penn State scored the next two to complete the set victory 30-28 and take the match sweep.
 
Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will travel to Princeton for their final regular season series of the 2024 season. Game one is set for Friday, April 12^th at 7:00PM.