State College, Pa. — The University of Charleston men's volleyball team battled the top-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions to a five-set match in the EIVA Conference Tournament semifinals, ultimately falling 3-2 after forcing a decisive fifth set.
The Basics:
Location: State College, Pa. (Rec Hall)
Score: Charleston 2, Penn State 3 (25-20, 19-25, 16-25, 25-22, 8-15)
Records: Charleston (14-15, 4-8 EIVA), Penn State (21-7, 12-0 EIVA)
How It Happened:
Set one went the way of the Golden Eagles with a 25-20 win. Penn State had the early lead at 6-3, but Charleston responded. A few Penn State errors along with kills from Lucas Torres sparked a 4-0 run to give UC a 7-6 lead. The set stayed even through 15-15 before Charleston created separation. Torres and Samuel Alo picked up key points, including a block together, and Pavlin Ivanov added another block to extend the lead to 19-15. That momentum shift gave the Golden Eagles confidence late. Tymoteusz Zadeberny added a late service point, and two Penn State errors helped Charleston close out the set.
Charleston carried that energy into set two, taking an early 8-3 lead. Penn State responded with a 9-2 run that included two service aces to take a 12-10 advantage. A Torres kill and a Penn State error tied things back up at 13-13. From there, Penn State raised its level and played with more urgency, knowing the importance of the set. They built a gap to 24-18, which was too much for Charleston to overcome, taking the set 25-19.
In set three, Penn State again took control early, reaching double digits quickly while Charleston sat at five points. The Nittany Lions extended that lead to 16-7 before Charleston found a brief spark. A Penn State error along with kills from Kai Cousins and Torres cut the deficit to 16-10, but the momentum didn't last as Penn State stayed in control and finished the set 25-16.
With Penn State leading 2-1, set four was a must-win for Charleston and they delivered. The Golden Eagles came out strong, reaching 10-5 first and holding a small lead through the middle of the set. With the score at 21-19, Braxton Francis picked up a key kill, and two Penn State errors gave Charleston a three-point run to reach set point. Penn State answered with a quick push to make it 24-22, but Lucas Torres came through with a clutch kill to secure the set 25-22 and force a fifth set.
In the final set, Penn State's recent experience in five-set matches showed. The Nittany Lions, having played in multiple five-set battles late in the season, came out strong and went on a 5-1 run early to take a 10-5 lead. Charleston stayed within striking distance but could only add three more points in the set, including one from freshman Dimitris Manikas. Penn State maintained control from there and closed out the set 15-8 to win the match 3-2.
Offensively
Lucas Torres led Charleston with 22 kills, while Samuel Alo and Max Nissen each added eight kills. Braxton Francis chipped in seven kills on a .462 hitting percentage.
Defensively
Charleston recorded 21 block assists as a team, while Joonatan Salpakari totaled seven digs and Max Nissen added six digs.
Up Next:
Charleston concludes its 2026 season and will look to build on its postseason performance with a strong returning core and added talent heading into next year.
