UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Underdog Rutgers-Newark played well, but top-seeded Penn State downed the Scarlet Raiders in the semifinals of the EVIA Championship Tournament in the Recreation Building.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Junior opposite Austin Pappas paced the Raiders with 10.5 points on eight kills, an ace and three assisted blocks while senior setter Jeff Zornig ran the attack with 27 assists to finish his career just 43 assists short of 3,000. He also had three kills on as many attacks, roped an ace and got in on a pair of blocks.

Junior opposite Kenneth de Groh hit .455 with seven kills and just two errors on 11 swings while sophomore middle hitter Brett Pickens hit .444 with five kills and one error on nine attacks. De Groh also had six digs and two assisted blocks while Pickens posted a match-high six assisted blocks.

Junior outside hitter Marcin Midura totaled six kills and three assisted blocks while senior middle hitter Grant Metheny chipped in four kills, a solo block and three assisted blocks. Junior libero Zack Chambers had a team-high seven digs while handling 30 serves with just on reception error.

Joe Sunder and Tom Comfort paced the balanced Nittany Lion (23-7) attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while setter Edgardo Goas tallied 41 assists. Penn State takes on third-seeded Springfield College, which was a 3-1 upset winner over George Mason, in Saturday's championship match.

The Scarlet Raiders (17-12) bounced back from a sluggish first game to level the match with a 25-16 win in the second frame as de Groh and Midura notched two kills apiece.

The trip to the EIVA semifinal round caps a successful return by the Raiders to the EIVA Tait Division and the first winning record since 2004 when the team went 16-11.