Jan. 22, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (4-1, 2-0 EIVA) defeated Springfield College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-18) to take its second conference victory in as many nights and begin its conference schedule 2-0. Redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led all players with 15 kills.
In honor of All-American Matt Anderson's father Mike Anderson, who passed away unexpectedly in 2010, the Penn State volleyball family has chosen to honor one Nittany Lion at the conclusion of each match in honor of Mike. Sunder was named the Mike Anderson Player of the Game for his efforts against the Pride.
Following Sunder, freshmen Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) and Jace Olsen (Manhattan Beach, Ca.) tallied six kills apiece, and Olsen was second on the team with five digs. Redshirt junior setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 32 assists and was one of three Nittany Lions with four digs. Senior libero Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had a match-high ten digs, while Sunder and sophomore Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) posted three blocks apiece.
The Nittany Lions hit .316, while Springfield attacked at a .114 clip. Penn State totaled 39 kills, five aces, 31 digs and 8.0 team blocks. The Pride posted 25 kills, three aces, 17 digs and 6.5 team blocks.
The first set was close at the start as the Lions traded points with the Pride to a 3-3 score. Four straight errors by Springfield put Penn State in front 7-3. The squads would trade points moving the score to 10-6 in favor of PSU. Two Penn State errors moved the Pride within two. The Nittany Lions failed to break away as the Pride managed to stay within two points by midway through the frame, 14-12. A Pride service error and a Kegerreis kill pushed the Lions back in front by four, 16-12, but the Pride came back, as three consecutive Penn State errors had the Pride within one, 16-15. The Lions went back and forth with the Pride for the rest of the set, until two Sunder kills and a Springfield hitting error put the Lions in front, 23-20. Olsen would do the rest pounding two kills to win the set, 25-22.
The second set began in much the same fashion as set one, as Olsen would trade errors with the Pride's Greg Falcone to even the score at 1-1. Back-to-back kills from Turko and Sunder put the Lions out in front 3-1. A 5-0 run by the Lions put Penn State in firm control of the set, 8-2. A Turko service error and Kegerreis kill moved the score to 9-3 before the Lions went on a three-point run courtesy of a Pride hitting error and two straight kills by sophomore Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.). Springfield's Cal Palumbo momentarily took control of the match, registering a kill and two straight aces, but a service error would give the ball back to Penn State with the Lions ahead 13-6. The score moved to 18-11 before Penn State took control. A Goas ace and three Springfield hitting errors moved the Lions ahead 22-11. From there they didn't look back, as a Springfield error and two Kegerreis kills sealed the second set for the Lions, 25-15.
The third set saw the Lions take an early 2-0 lead on an Olsen ace and Turko kill. The squads went back and forth moving the score to 7-5, before a Sunder kill and Springfield attack error had the Lions ahead by four, 9-5. Penn State maintained at least a three-point advantage until three straight kills by Sunder gave Penn State a 14-8 advantage. Sunder and the Pride's Alberto Bravo traded the next three kills, moving the score to 15-10. Penn State continued to dominate and had a 20-14 lead as the match began to wind down. Springfield fought to within four, 20-16. However, it was the closest the Pride would come as three Pride errors sent Penn State away with a 25-18 victory.
What's Next?
Penn State is back in action on Friday, Jan. 28 against Loyola, followed by Lewis on Jan. 29. Both matches will take place at Rec Hall at 7 p.m.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2011 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.