Sacred Heart
Penn State University
Sacred Heart Edged in Second Straight Five-Set Battle by No. 15 Penn State
4/11/2026 6:08:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
From the opening set, Sacred Heart set the tone. After a tight early exchange, the Pioneers broke the frame open behind aggressive serving from Armaan Dosanjh, who sparked a run that completely shifted momentum. Zach Flynn and Aleksa Mandic took advantage in transition, while Aaron Johnson and the block slowed Penn State at the net. What was a close set quickly turned into a SHU takeover, as the Pioneers rolled to a dominant 25-15 win.
Penn State answered immediately in the second. The Nittany Lions came out sharper in serve receive and much more efficient offensively, jumping out to an early lead and never allowing Sacred Heart to settle. The Pioneers struggled to find rhythm, with Penn State's block tightening the floor and forcing errors on SHU swings. Every short-lived Sacred Heart run was met with a quick Penn State response, and the visitors evened the match with a 25-16 set win.
The third set turned into a grind from the first serve. Neither team could create separation as rallies extended and momentum constantly swung back and forth. Mandic and Jack Krausz carried much of the offensive load for SHU, answering Penn State point for point through the middle of the frame. Late in the set, the tension escalated with long rallies and high-pressure swings on both sides. Sacred Heart held firm in the biggest moments, fending off Penn State at the end and escaping with a 27-25 win to regain the lead in the match.
Set four was mayhem. Sacred Heart looked in control late, building toward what seemed like a match-clinching finish in front of the home crowd. The Pioneers earned multiple chances to close it out, but Penn State refused to go away. The Nittany Lions extended rallies, defended everything in sight, and slowly chipped away at the SHU lead. What had been a celebratory moment turned into a collapse under pressure, as Penn State clawed back to steal the set 28-26 and force a fifth.
The decisive fifth set belonged to Penn State early. Riding the momentum of the comeback, the Nittany Lions came out clean and efficient, putting Sacred Heart on its heels with strong serving and steady sideout play. SHU tried to respond behind Mandic and Johnson, but Penn State never allowed a sustained run. The visitors pulled away midway through the frame and closed out the match 15-9.
Mandic led the way with 15 kills, while Jack Krausz added 11 and Johnson chipped in seven kills along with a strong presence at the net. Dosanjh directed the offense with 37 assists in the hard-fought five-set battle.
With Princeton losing to George Mason today, the Pioneers have clinched a spot in the EIVA Tournament for the first time since 2017. They travel to Newark on April 17th as they face NJIT in the last EIVA weekend series before the first-round begins on April 22nd at either Penn State or George Mason.
