March 27, 2009
University Park, Pa. - The eighth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team defeated Princeton in three games (30-20, 30-23, 30-27) Friday night at Rec Hall to improve to 19-3 and 9-0 in the EIVA. The Nittany Lions need one more win to clinch their 25th conference title.
Senior middle hitter Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the Lions with 11 kills on .500 hitting as senior middle hitter Jon Sherrick (Mountville, Pa.) posted nine kills on .727 hitting. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) collected six kills in two games while senior opposite Ryan Sweitzer (Lancaster, Pa.) notched five kills on an errorless six swings in two games to hit .833. As a team, Penn State attacked at a .400 clip for the match.
Redshirt freshman setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 38 assists while sophomore libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) collected a match-high 13 digs.
Penn State recorded its sixth double-digit service ace total of the year, posting 10 aces and only committing 11 errors. Holt led the way with four winners while Goas and junior outside hitter Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) each collected two and Sweitzer and Sunder notched one apiece.
The Nittany Lions also claimed the blocking game, 10.5 to 4.0, led by Holt with seven, Goas with four and two each from Sherrick, sophomore Alan Mars (Rochester, N.Y.) and freshman Ryan Wolf (York, Pa.).
A Goas, Holt and Sunder block put Penn State ahead 9-4 to start the match and another block from Holt and Goas pushed the lead to 15-7. Kills from Sunder and junior middle hitter Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) made it 18-11 and a Holt kill and Sunder ace pushed the Lions up 22-14. A Holt ace and kills from Sweitzer and Price gave Penn State the 25-16 advantage before a Sunder kill ended the game, 30-20.
Penn State jumped out to the 11-2 lead in the second game behind a Sherrick and Price block and a Goas ace. A Holt and Sweitzer block pushed the score to 13-3 and a Sweitzer ace and kills from Sunder and Holt made it 18-7. Two Sherrick kills gave Penn State the 23-15 advantage and a Holt and Goas block made it 25-19 before a Mars kill ended the game, 30-23.
The Lions went up 5-3 in the third stanza behind a triple block from Wolf, Sherrick and Mars. A kill by senior outside hitter Jay Stauffer (Columbia, Pa.) and a Holt ace put Penn State ahead 10-8. The score remained close, with a Mars and Holt block giving the Lions the two-point cushion at 15-13. A Goas, Holt and Wolf stuff made it 17-14 before a solo Holt block gave Penn State the 19-17 lead. A Mars kill pushed the Lions ahead 22-20 but Princeton closed the gap, going up 23-22 on an ace. Two Stauffer kills put Penn State back on top, 26-25, and a Holt ace made it 28-25 before a Mars kill ended the game, 30-27.
Penn State closes out the regular season on Saturday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. when it hosts Mount Olive College. Prior to the match, the seniors will be recognized for their contributions to Penn State and the men's volleyball program. Admission to the contest is free.
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.