Feb. 5, 2011
The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team rebounded Saturday evening with a convincing 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 26-24) victory against No. 13 Cal State Northridge. The match will air on Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
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. Sophomore Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.) was named the Mike Anderson Player of the Game for his efforts against the Anteaters. Redshirt freshman Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) led the Nittany Lions with 14 kills and posted three blocks. Redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) was second on the team with 11 kills and put up two solo blocks. Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 34 assists, while senior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had a team-high nine digs. Hendries led all players with six total blocks.
Penn State hit .357 and held the Matadors to .242. The Nittany Lions totaled 44 kills, five aces, 20 digs and 10.0 team blocks. Northridge finished the match with 30 kills, four aces, 19 digs and 4.5 team blocks.
The first set started out close and it wasn't until midway through the frame that Penn State started to pull away. With the score tied at 12-12, a 5-0 PSU run put Penn State up, 17-12. Northridge called two timeouts, but it failed to slow the Nittany Lions. Penn State maintained at least a four-point lead for the remainder of the set with the aid of kills from Sunder and Kegerreis and two Goas aces.
The Nittany Lions had developed a three-point lead to start off the second set. However, a 3-0 Northridge run had the score knotted at 9-9. The score tied three times before a block by Hendries and freshman Jace Olsen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and a Kegerreis kill had Penn State leading by two, 14-12. A PSU service error and back-to-back Matador aces put Northridge in the lead by one, 15-14, and forced a Penn State timeout. Kills from Kegerreis and sophomore Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) put the Lions back in the lead and sent Northridge to the bench. A PSU error had the score tied at 16-16, but two straight PSU kills put Penn State up by two, 18-16. After a second Matador timeout, the score would tie four more times before a 3-0 run by PSU had Penn State at set-point. The Matadors pounded one final kill before Kegerreis closed out set two for PSU with a kill, 25-22.
The third set was close for the entirety with neither team able to develop any momentum to take a substantial lead. Northridge had a two-point advantage, 13-11, midway through the set, but Penn State never let the gap grow. Northridge maintained control until a kill and huge solo stuff by Sunder had the score knotted at 21-21. A Northridge kill put the Matadors back in the lead, but a Matador error and a solo block by Hendries moved Penn State into the lead for the first time since the set began, 23-22. The Matadors fought back with a block to tie it up at 23-23, but a bad set by Northridge moved the lines in front again, 24-23. A PSU error kept Northridge in the fight, but two consecutive PSU kills secured the third frame for PSU, 26-24.
What's Next?
Penn State is back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions return home for the next two weekends. On Feb. 11-12, Penn State hosts Rutgers-Newark and Princeton before welcome Mount Olive and Lees McRae to Rec Hall on Feb. 18-19.
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