Jan. 28, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The eighth-ranked men's volleyball team closed out a successful weekend with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-17) victory against No. 12 Pacific at the Ken and Dave Dunlap Invitational hosted by Ohio State. Four Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills in the win.
Redshirt freshman Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) posted a match-high 17 kills on .382 hitting, while sophomore Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) had a career-high 15 on .393 hitting. Redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) tallied 11 kills with a .345 hitting percentage and junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) posted 10 with only one error in 15 swings for a .600 attack percentage. Redshirt senior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) paced the offense with 59 assists and redshirt freshman Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) recorded a personal-best nine digs. Turko and Goodell led the team in blocks with five apiece.
The Nittany Lions hit .391 against the Tigers and posted 64 kills, seven aces, 41 digs and 9.5 total team blocks. Pacific hit .305 and had 52 kills, four aces, 39 digs and 5.5 team blocks.
Neither team managed to develop any momentum in the first set as the squads were neck-in-neck to the very end. Penn State had a 17-16 lead when Pacific called its first time out. The teams went back and forth tallying kills until a PSU error put the Tigers in front, 21-20. Penn state called a timeout, but Pacific moved ahead by two, 24-22, forcing the Lions to call a second timeout. Goodell pounded a kill for PSU, but Florian Gornik closed out the set for Pacific with a kill, 25-23.
Penn State opened the second frame taking a 6-3 lead after four straight kills. Pacific used a timeout, yet Penn State continued to lead as the balanced offense by the Lions continued to dominate. With the Lions leading 14-9, Pacific burned its second timeout. It failed to slow the Lions as a kill from Turko, a Sunder ace and two errors pushed Penn State ahead by seven, 17-10. Pacific managed a 3-0 run, but kills from Aaron Russell and Peter Russell kept Penn State ahead by six, 19-13. The Tigers fought to within four, 19-15, but it was the closest they would come for the remainder of the set. Three errors by Pacific and a Penn State block gave Penn State a convincing 25-17 second set win.
The third stanza was much like the first with neither team breaking away early. However, thanks to a Goodell kill as well as a joint stuff by Goodell and Turko Penn State had a two-point edge, 16-14. After a Pacific timeout, the Tigers closed the gap and took the lead with a 4-1 run, 18-17. Penn State called a timeout, and used a Turko putdown and a block to move in front, 19-18. A service error made it 19 all. The score tied twice more before a Peter Russell kill and a Pacific error had Penn State leading by two, 23-21. The squads traded kills until Sunder put the set away, 25-23.
The Nittany Lions took control, 7-4, in the fourth set sending Pacific to the bench early once again. The break didn't faze the Lions who used a 6-3 run for a 13-7 lead. After a second Tiger timeout, Pacific fought to close the gap to three, 16-13. A Nittany Lions timeout kept the Tigers at bay as three kills and a block had Penn State leading by give, 20-15. The Tigers were allowed two final points before a Goodell kill won the set, 25-17, and the match with a kill.
Penn State opens its home slate on Feb. 3-4 when it hosts the Penn State Invitational. The Lions take on Mt. Olive on Friday at 7:30 p.m. followed by Cal-Baptist on Saturday, also at 7:30 p.m. Ohio State plays in the earlier match both days at 5 p.m.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2012 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.