Jan. 28, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (5-1, 2-0 EIVA) defeated No. 14 Loyola-Chicago Friday evening, 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-20, 29-27). Tonight's match will air on the Big Ten Network on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 9 a.m.
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. Freshman Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) was named the Mike Anderson Player of the Game for his efforts against the Ramblers.
Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills against the Ramblers led by redshirt junior Joe Sunder's (Greensburg, Pa.) 28. Freshman Jace Olsen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was second on the team with a career-high 15 on .545 hitting and Kegerreis finished third with personal-best 14. Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 62 assists and was second on the squad with eight digs. Senior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) led the Nittany Lions with 14 digs, while sophomore Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.), Olsen and Sunder each put up two blocks.
Penn State hit .358 against Loyola and posted 71 kills, nine aces 43 digs and 5.0 team blocks. Loyola finished the match hitting .342 with 51 kills, three aces, 35 digs and 11.5 team blocks.
Despite Sunder pounding a kill to open the match for Penn State, Loyola took control of the first set early and held on until midway through the frame. Trailing by two, Penn State used a 3-0 run to take a slim 14-13 edge. After a Loyola timeout, Eric Daliege knotted the score at 14-14 with a kill. A kill by Olsen and a Rambler attack error moved PSU up by two, 16-14, but two PSU errors and a Rambler ace had Loyola back in front, 17-16. After a Penn State timeout, Loyola's lead grew to three, 20-17, to send Penn State back to the drawing board. The timeout failed to cut off the Ramblers' momentum as Loyola used two kills from Joseph Smalzer and one from Mike Bunting to claim set one, 25-21.
Penn State took a 7-4 lead in the second stanza and had Loyola calling an early timeout. The Ramblers capitalized on three PSU errors to come within one, 8-7, but a kill and an ace from Olsen had Penn State up by three, 10-7. Penn State's lead grew to four, 13-9, after two kills from Sunder and one from Kegerreis. The Nittany Lions maintained control and were holding onto a four-point lead by midway through the set, 15-11. After a Rambler timeout, a Kegerreis kill and a Loyola error moved the Lions ahead by five, 17-12. The squads traded points before Penn State embarked on a 7-2 run to secure set two, 25-16.
The Nittany Lions leapt out to a 8-2 lead in set three, forcing Loyola to call two timeouts. A service ace increased Penn State's lead to seven, 9-2, before a service error put the ball in Loyola's hands. A 5-2 Rambler run moved Loyola within three, 12-9, to send Penn State to the bench. The Ramblers fought to within two, 13-11, before a 5-1 run moved the Nittany Lions ahead by six, 18-12. Loyola answered back with a 3-0 run put the Ramblers within three, 18-15. The squads went back and forth, but Loyola was unable to come any closer than three points for the remainder of the set. Penn State won set three to take a 2-1 lead in the match, 25-20.
Loyola dominated the start of the fourth and final set at the beginning taking a 6-1 lead. A 3-0 run brought the Lions within two, 6-4. However Penn State wouldn't take the lead until an Olsen kill sparked a 6-0 run putting the Lions up by four, 13-9. Penn State's lead only continued to grow after a 5-1 run had the Lions up by seven, 18-11. A 5-0 Loyola run forced a Penn State timeout after the Lions' lead was cut to two, 18-16. Penn State managed to maintain control until three straight errors put the Ramblers in front by one, 24-23, and in set-point position. Olsen pounded a kill to tie the score at 24-24, but Loyola fired back with a kill of its own to take a 25-24 lead. The score tied three more times before a Olsen kill and a Rambler error earned Penn State a 29-27 fifth set win.
What's Next?
Penn State is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions host Lewis in the Main Gym of Rec Hall.
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.