Feb. 11, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (8-3, 3-0 EIVA) defeated Rutgers-Newark (8-1, 1-1 EIVA) Friday night, 3-1 (25-19, 28-26, 29-31, 25-19). Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills against the Scarlet Raiders.
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 Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) was named the Mike Anderson Player of the Game for his efforts against Rutgers-Newark.
Redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led all players with 17 kills, while Turko was second on the team with 13 on .750 hitting. Freshman Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) was third on the team with 10 kills. Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 53 assists and Sunder led the Lions with three aces. Senior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) tallied nine digs and Turko was a wall at the net with four blocks.
Penn State hit .322 against Rutgers-Newark, while the Scarlet Raiders were held to .286. The Nittany Lions totaled 65 kills, nine aces, 28 digs and 6.5 team blocks. Rutgers-Newark posted 51 kills, two aces, 22 digs and 12.0 team blocks.
Despite the Scarlet Raiders taking a 6-4 lead to start the match, a 4-0 run by the Lions put PSU in the lead, 8-6. The Nittany Lions maintained control until 3-0 run by Rutgers-Newark had the score tied at 13-13. Turko put the Lions back in the lead with a kill and Penn State held onto the lead for the remainder of the set. The Scarlet Raiders kept it close until, with a slim 17-16 edge, the Lions used a 4-1 run to take a 21-17 lead. Rutgers-Newark called a timeout, but it failed to slow PSU as its lead grew to 23-19. The Scarlet Raiders used a second timeout, but a Penn State ace and a Rutgers-Newark error secured set one for PSU, 25-19.
The Scarlet Raiders had the early lead in set two, 10-6, forcing Penn State to burn a timeout. Penn State answered back with a 4-0 run to knot the score at 10-10. Rutgers-Newark called a timeout, but it failed to slow the Lions or give any momentum to the Raiders. The score tied three times before two straight PSU errors moved Rutgers-Newark up by two, 15-13. A Sunder putdown and a Rutgers-Newark error tied it up at 15-15. Neither team managed to develop any momentum as the score tied five more times until two consecutive kills from the Scarlet Raiders sent Penn State to the bench. The Nittany Lions fought back to tie the set at 24-24, but allowed the Scarlet Raiders two more set-point opportunities. A Rutgers-Newark error and a Russell kill put the Lions in the lead, 27-26. The Scarlet Raiders called a timeout, but a Hendries ace put the Lions up 2-0 in the match with a 28-26 win.
Penn State took a 5-1 lead to start set three and held on to control until a 3-0 Rutgers-Newark run had the score knotted at 10-10. The Nittany Lions fought back taking a 14-11 lead until a 4-0 run by the Raiders put Rutgers-Newark on top, 19-18. The squads went back and forth before a Sunder kill and a Rutgers-Newark error had PSU at set-point, 24-22. However three straight PSU errors put the match in Scarlet Raider control, 25-24. Penn State held Rutgers-Newark at set-point three times before a kill and a block by the Raiders earned Rutgers-Newark a 31-29 third set win.
Rutgers-Newark jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the fourth frame before a 6-1 PSU run had Penn State leading 9-6. The Scarlet Raiders fought to within one, 10-9, but a 3-0 run by the Lions had PSU leading by four, 13-9. A Rutgers-Newark timeout slowed PSU enough to allow the Scarlet Raiders to fight to within one, 17-16, but a timely PSU timeout allowed the Lions to regroup. A 6-1 run by Penn State gave the Lions plenty of breathing room with a six-point lead, 23-17. Penn State allowed the Raiders just two more points before sophomore Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.) closed out the set and the match with a kill, 25-19.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. against Princeton. Action is set for 4 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.