The second chance was successful with a kill by Fisher. The first chance at set point resulted in a service error. After Hawaii scored the next point, the Lions went on a 3-0 run that included a pair of kills by Fisher. Following a timeout by head coach Mark Pavlik, Penn State tied it up at 21-21 with a triple block by Wildman, Fisher, and Ezeonu. They kept the lead until Hawaii retook the lead at 21-20. They battled back to take a 14-11 lead on a 6-0 run that was capped by a Fisher ace. The Lions found themselves down 9-4 but wasted little time in erasing the deficit. The true grit of Penn State was shown in set four as it pulled out a 25-23 win while facing elimination. Owen Rose had the final point of the set with a kill. One of Ezeonu's aces came during a 4-0 run that put the Lions up 19-12. Wildman had three aces in the set, while Ezeonu added two. The Lions had just eight kills, including two apiece from Kowal, Wildman, and Fisher, but added five points on aces and two on blocks. Penn State was clearly a team that wasn't ready for its season to end as it rolled to a 25-16 win with its back against the wall in the third set. The Lions then got within one again at 24-23 before the Warriors clinched the set on a Penn State service error. Penn State pulled within one late at 23-22 following a Wildman kill and a Hawaii attack error. 455 hitting but the set was much closer as the Warriors pulled out a 25-23 win. It was Mouchlias carrying Hawaii again in the second set with seven kills on. The Lions still led 17-16 after a Hawaii service error, but the Warriors then pulled away with a 7-0 run. Wildman had two aces during a 4-0 run that put Penn State up 13-9. 571 hitting to lead Hawaii to a 25-20 win in the opening set. Mouchlias was strong out of the gate with five kills on. but in the end couldn't overcome a 25-kill night by Hawaii's Dimitrios Mouchlias. The Lions came back from down 2-0 to force a fifth set. The Lions also received solid contributions from Ryan Merk (9 digs), Michal Kowal (11 kills, 8 digs), and Toby Ezeonu (6 kills, 3 aces, 3 blocks). Cole Bogner tallied 42 assists and five digs. Cal Fisher finished with 14 kills, seven digs, and two aces. 353 with 15 kills and had seven aces to set the record for a match in the semifinal round of the national tournament. Penn State's three senior captains left it all on the floor in their final collegiate match. The Rainbow Warriors are the two-time defending national champions. Hawaii improved to 29-2 and will play UCLA in the championship match on Saturday. The Nittany Lions were ranked in the top four of the AVCA Coaches Poll all season, including one week in the top spot. Penn State wrapped up the 2023 campaign with a record of 27-4. – Another memorable Penn State men's volleyball season came to a close Thursday with a 3-2 (25-20, 25-23, 16-25, 23-25, 15-10) loss to second-seeded Hawaii in the semifinal round of the National Collegiate Championship.
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