Feb. 7, 2009
University Park, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team crushed Springfield in three games (30-21, 30-20, 30-20) Saturday night in Springfield, Mass., to improve to 8-0 and 4-0 in the EIVA. The Pride evens its record at 4-4 and falls to 0-3 in the league.
Senior opposite Ryan Sweitzer (Lancaster, Pa.) led all players with 14 kills on .545 hitting while senior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) and junior outside hitter Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) each collected 10 kills. Holt again added his name to the record books with a perfect 10-for-10 attacking night to hit 1.000, tying the single-match school record set by Norm Keil against Rutgers-Newark on Feb. 16, 2002 and again by Zeljko Koljesar versus Springfield on April 20, 2002. As a team, Penn State attacked at a .412 clip.
Redshirt freshman setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) directed the offense with 36 assists and added in three kills as sophomore libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) and redshirt freshman outside hitter Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) both produced a match-high seven digs, a career-high mark for Sunder. Junior middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) notched a personal-best five digs to go along with his seven kills.
Penn State recorded its fourth double-digit team service ace match of the season, blasting 10 aces against the Pride. Price led the way with three winners as Holt, Sweitzer and Sunder all posted two and Goas added in one.
The Nittany Lions also dominated the blocking game, 13.0 to 3.5. Holt notched eight stuffs, a season high mark that is also one shy of his career best. Sunder tallied a personal-best six blocks as Sweitzer and Lipsitz both posted three, Goas garnered two and Price and senior middle hitter Jon Sherrick (Mountville, Pa.) both tallied one.
A Holt kill gave Penn State the 8-4 lead to start the match but Springfield fought back to tie the game at 12-12. Three ties ensued before a Pride attacking error and a Lion triple block from Holt, Sweitzer and Sunder pushed Penn State ahead 17-15 and a Sweitzer ace made it 19-16. Lion kills from Sweitzer and Holt gave Penn State the 21-17 advantage and a Price, Sweitzer and Lipsitz block made it 25-19 before a Holt and Sunder stuff ended the game, 30-21.
The Lions jumped out to the early 9-5 lead behind a Sweitzer put-away and a Sunder and Holt block made it 16-10. A Sunder ace coupled with Holt and Goas kills pushed the score to 20-11 and the Lions remained in control, going up 24-15 on a Price ace and 27-18 on a Holt kill before a Sweitzer kill ended the game, 30-20.
Two Penn State triple blocks - one from Holt, Sweitzer and Sunder and another from Sunder, Holt and Goas - put the Nittany Lions ahead 13-7 to start the third game. Two Price kills and a Sunder put-away made it 18-13 and a Holt and Goas block pushed the Lions up 20-14. A Holt solo stuff and Sunder ace made it 24-16 and a Sherrick and Lipsitz block gave Penn State the 27-18 advantage before a Springfield attack error ended the game, 30-20.
Penn State returns home to host Harvard and No. 12 Ohio State next weekend at Rec Hall. Prior to the match with the Buckeyes on Saturday, Feb. 14, the Nittany Lions will hoist last season's NCAA Championship banner to the Rec Hall rafters. Both matches are set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets At Hershey.