April 16, 2011
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The ninth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (22-6) closed out its regular season with a 3-2 (20-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-12) triumph at IPFW (16-11). Redshirt junior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) had a match-high 24 kills to lead the Nittany Lions against the Mastodons.
Junior Ryan Wolf (York, Pa.) also posted double-digit kills, finishing second on the team with 11 on .429 hitting. Redshirt junior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 52 assists and led the team with five total blocks. Senior Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) was one of two players to record double-digit digs with 16. Wolf was second on the team with 11 digs. Sophomore Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) tied for second on the team with four blocks with classmate Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.).
The Nittany Lions registered a .270 attack percentage, edging the Mastodons who hit .255. Penn State totaled 58 kills, three aces, 54 digs and 9.5 total team blocks. IPFW posted 66 kills, three aces, 52 digs and 11.5 total team blocks.
The Mastodons opened the first set taking a 10-2 lead, with Penn State calling a timeout with the score at 6-1, but it failed to slow IPFW. The Nittany Lions were unable to recover, but were able to cut the gap to six, 20-14, after two kills from Sunder, one from Comfort and three IPFW attack errors. An IPFW timeout failed to slow Penn State as the Nittany Lions continued to close the gap to four, 21-17. A second IPFW managed to slow Penn State enough for to close out the first set, 25-20.
Penn State grabbed a slim 3-1 lead to start the second frame, but IPFW fought back to tie it up at 4-4. The score tied twice more before a 3-0 run by the Mastodons had IPFW up by three, 9-6. Penn State called a timeout and used three Sunder kills to knot the score at 13-13. Another 3-0 run by IPFW had the Mastodons leading 16-13 and Penn State calling a second timeout. Penn State came within one, 16-15, but it was the closest PSU would come for the remainder of the set. Despite a solo stuff by Sunder and a joint block by Goas and Turko, IPFW walked away with set two, 25-19.
The Nittany Lions came alive in the third stanza and grabbed a 6-4 lead early. IPFW called a timeout, but Penn State's lead grew to four, 9-5, after kills from Sunder and redshirt freshman Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.). Penn State maintained the lead and used a 3-0 run to increase its advantage to six, 16-10, midway through the frame. The Mastodons burned a second timeout and fought to within five, 25-20. However, three IPFW errors pushed Penn State back up by six, 23-17. The Mastodons managed three additional points before Wolf pounded a kill to give Penn State a 25-20 win.
IPFW had a 3-1 lead to start the fourth set, but Penn State was unfazed and worked to tie it up at 8-8. Neither team was able to develop any momentum to take a substantial lead as the score tied eight times before a Sunder kill and Goas ace moved Penn State in front by two, 18-16. Despite a kill from Darryl Shank, Sunder and Wolf each tallied a kill to make it 20-17 in favor of the Penn State. IPFW called a timeout, but Penn State's lead grew to four, 22-18, after two Mastodon errors. The Mastodons headed to the bench a second time and cut the gap to two, 22-20, with a block and a kill. Penn State called a timeout and earned a 25-22 victory after kills from Goas and Sunder and an IPFW error.
Penn State didn't waste any time in the fifth set and had a convincing 9-5 lead after errors began plaguing the Mastodons. IPFW called a timeout and used a 3-0 run to be within one, 9-8. Penn State called a timeout, but an IPFW kill had the score knotted at 9-9. Sunder put the Lions up by one, but a block by the Mastodons had the score tied again, this time at 10-10. Sunder pounded another kill and the Lions took the lead for good. Sunder pounded two additional kills and with the aid of two IPFW errors, Penn State earned a 15-12 fifth set win to take the match.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions have a weekend off before hosting the EIVA Championship on April 28 & 30. Semifinal matches are set for 5:30 and 8 p.m. on April 28 with the final set for April 30 at 7 p.m. in 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.