May 6, 2010
Post-match press conference audio
STANFORD, Calif. -
The third-seeded Penn State men's volleyball team (24-7) advanced to the NCAA National Championship match after defeating second-seeded Cal State Northridge (23-10), 3-0 30-21, 30-23, 30-28). It is the second time in three years the Nittany Lions will play for the national title. The Nittany Lions defeated Ohio State and Pepperdine in 2008 for their second NCAA Championship title.
Penn State will take on Stanford, the winner of the second semifinal match, in the national championship match. Action is set for 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Saturday, May 8 in Stanford's Maples Pavilion. Watch the match live on ESPN2. Listen via Penn State All-Access on GoPSUsports.com or on WRSC-FM (103.1) with Dean DeVore and Dr. Tom Tait in the State College area.
Senior Will Price (Gaithersburg, Md.) and redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led the Nittany Lions with 18 kills apiece. Redshirt sophomore setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 49 assists and junior libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had a match-high 17 digs. Senior middle blocker Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) was a wall at the net with nine total blocks, including two solo.
The Nittany Lions registered a .355 attack percentage, while holding the Matadors to .193. Penn State posted 56 kills, fie aces, 45 digs and 11.0 total team blocks. Northridge finished the match with 38 kills, no aces, 27 digs and 12.0 team blocks.
The Matadors opened the match with a 2-0 lead thanks to two PSU errors. A putdown by Price had the Lions on the board and another Price kill and one from Sunder had the set tied early at 3-3. An attack error by CSUN's Tanner Nua gave PSU its first lead, 4-3, but the Matadors tied it right back up at 4-4. A dump go Goas, a huge solo stuff by Price and a Sunder kills had the Lions soon leading 7-4. The Matadors fought back to within one, but a CSUN error and a Sunder ace had the Lions back ahead by three, 9-6. The Nittany Lions used a 4-1 run to establish a five-point advantage and force the Matadors to call a timeout. By midway through the frame, the Matadors were within one of PSU, 15-14, but two Sunder kills and a Goas ace put the Lions in the lead by three, 18-15. Another 4-1 run by PSU moved the Lions ahead by five, 21-16. Freshman Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) tallied an ace and sophomore Ryan Wolf (York, Pa.) put down a kill in the run. After a second CSUN timeout, a Wolf kill and back-to-back Price aces increased Penn State's lead to seven, 24-17. Two PSU errors cut the advantage to five, but a Price kill and two straight blocks by Lipsitz brought the score to 27-19 in favor of Penn State. The Matadors managed two final points, but kills by Lipsitz and Sunder put the Nittany Lions at set point. A Nua attack error secured set one for PSU, 30-21.
Lipsitz put the Lions on the board in set two with a kill, but CSUN took the lead after a Theo Edwards kill and a block. Penn State took the lead with two straight kills, but the score tied six more times before a joint block by Lipsitz and Wolf and a Sunder kill had Penn State with a two-point edge, 10-8. Following a Matador timeout, a huge Lipsitz stuff increased the gap to three. However, a 3-0 Matador run had the score knotted at 11-11. The score tied twice more before a monster kill from Price and a CSUN error made it 15-13 in favor of PSU. A 4-1 run by the Lions, with Price tallying four kills, put Penn State in front by four, 19-15. The Matadors called a second timeout and managed the first point after the break, but a Lipsitz kill followed to keep PSU up by four, 20-16. Jacek Ratajczak put down a kill for CSUN before the Lions embarked on a 5-0 run for a 25-17 lead. The Matadors came within six, 29-23, but Price closed out the set for PSU with a kill, 30-23, to give PSU a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Nittany Lions took a 5-1 lead to start off set three. Wolf and Lipsitz opened the set with two consecutive joint stuffs before Sunder tallied a kill and Lipsitz had two. Northridge took a timeout, but the Nittany Lions failed to let up as kills by Turko and Price and a Matador error increased the lead to 8-2. The Matadors took their second and final timeout. The Nittany Lions hung on to a strong lead and by halfway through the set, PSU was up by five, 15-10. Penn State held on to the lead, but CSUN began to fight back. As the set began to wind down with leading by six, 25-19, a 4-0 Matador run cut Penn State's lead to two, 25-23. A Northridge service error put the Lions up by three, but the Matadors had a 3-1 run to come within one, 27-26. Penn State took a timeout and regrouped. Price put down a kill, but Matador John Baker answered right back. Lipsitz tallied another for PSU, but CSUN's Frank Gaudino followed suit. Sunder closed out the set and the match for PSU with a kill for a 30-28 victory.
Penn State will take on Stanford, the winner of the second semifinal match, in the national championship match. Action is set for 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Saturday, May 8 in Stanford's Maples Pavilion. Watch the match live on ESPN2. Listen via Penn State All-Access on GoPSUsports.com or on WRSC-FM (103.1) with Dean DeVore and Dr. Tom Tait in the State College area.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.