Jan. 29, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team (6-1) closed out its first home weekend of the season with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-19) sweep of Lewis (6-1). The Nittany Lions are back in action on Feb. 4-5 at Rec Hall when they host UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge. Tonight's match will air on the Big Ten Network at 10 a.m. on Feb. 2.
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. Senior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) was named the Mike Anderson Player of the Game for his efforts against the Ramblers.
Redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led all players with 18 kills on .516 hitting. Freshmen Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) and Jace Olsen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) contributed eight kills apiece. Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 35 assists, while Del Valle had a match-high 10 digs. Senior Alan Mars (Rochester, N.Y.) and Kegerreis put up three blocks each.
Penn State hit .355 against Lewis and totaled 46 kills, four aces, 35 digs and 5.0 total team blocks. The Flyers hit .258 and finished the match with 38 kills, four aces, 26 digs and 10.0 team blocks.
The first set started out close before a Kegerreis kill and back-to-back Sunder aces had Penn State leading by three, 10-7. The Flyers stayed within two points until a 3-0 PSU run moved Penn State ahead by four, 15-11. The Nittany Lions maintained control as the set continued and two straight kills from Kegerreis increased Penn State's lead to five, 20-15, and forced Lewis to take a timeout. After the timeout, the Flyers embarked on an 8-3 run to knot the score at 23-23. Penn State called a timeout and a Lewis service error put the Nittany Lions back on top. A PSU service error tied the set at 24-24, but another Lewis service error and an Olsen kill secured set one for PSU, 26-24.
The second frame began much like the first with neither team developing any substantial momentum. However, a Mars kill sparked a 5-0 PSU run and sent Lewis to the bench. Lewis fought to within two, 12-10, but three consecutive Penn State kills had the Lions leading by five, 15-10. The Nittany Lions' lead only continued to grow as two Sunder kills and a Lewis attack error had Penn State ahead by six, 18-12. After a Flyer timeout, the teams went back and forth but Lewis was unable to steal any momentum from the Lions. Leading 23-18, a Lewis attack error and a Sunder kill gave Penn State a 2-0 lead in the match with a convincing 25-19 second set win.
It wasn't until midway through the third stanza that Penn State managed to break away from Lewis and take a 13-10 lead. The Flyers kept it close, but the Nittany Lions had increased the gap to five, 19-14, thanks to kills from Sunder, sophomore Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) and Olsen. Lewis called a timeout and cut Penn State's advantage to two, 19-17. A Penn State timeout failed to slow the Flyers who used a joint block by Matt Gallik and Jay Petty to come within one of PSU, 19-18. Penn State allowed Lewis just one more point as two Sunder kills and two Lewis attack errors closed out the set, 25-19.
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.