Feb. 17, 2012
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The fifth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team improved to 9-1 overall in 2012 with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-17) win at Harvard Friday night. The Nittany Lions remain undefeated in EIVA play at 3-0.
Redshirt freshman Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) led the team with 15 kills on 20 errorless swings for a .750 hitting percentage. Sophomore Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) was second on the team with eight kills on .462 hitting, while freshman Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) had seven kills on nine attempts for a .778 attack percentage. Redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) also tallied seven kills. Redshirt senior setter Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 38 assists and redshirt freshman Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a team-best nine digs. Goas and Aaron Russell led the team with two blocks apiece.
Penn State hit a season-high .544 against the Crimson and totaled 44 kills, six aces, 26 digs and 3.0 team blocks. Harvard hit .227 and finished the night with 26 kills, two aces, 13 digs and zero team blocks.
The Crimson grabbed a 3-1 lead before kills from Goodell and Aaron Russell had the score tied early at 3-3. The teams were neck-and-neck until two straight Harvard errors put the Lions ahead by two, 9-7. Penn State maintained at least a one-point advantage until a 3-0 run moved the Lions ahead by four, 14-10. Harvard called a timeout, but Penn State's lead grew to five, 17-12, thanks to kills from Goodell and Aaron Russell. Harvard managed to close the gap to four, 20-16, but another two errors moved Penn State back ahead by six, 22-16. A Goodell kill and a Harvard error had Penn State at set point, 24-18, but the Crimson held the Lions for two points before Sunder pounded a kill to close out the set for PSU, 25-20.
Penn State jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second frame. The Crimson fought to within one, 5-4, but three Penn State kills pushed the Nittany Lion lead to four, 11-7. Two PSU errors had Harvard within two, 11-9, but the Nittany Lions embarked on a 9-1 run for a 20-10 advantage. DJ White cut off the run with a kill, but Goodell and junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) kept Penn State moving towards a set two win after each tallying a kill. Two PSU service errors were Harvard's final two points, before two Crimson mistakes and a Sunder ace gave Penn State a 2-0 lead in the match with a convincing 25-13 second set win.
Harvard took the early lead in the third stanza, 6-4. However, Penn State's offense came alive as kills from Goodell, Turko and Peter Russell, as well as back-to-back aces gave Penn State a slim 9-8 lead. Harvard knotted the score at 9-9 with a kill, but Penn State regained the lead after a put down by Peter Russell. The score tied four more times before a 4-0 Nittany Lion run gave Penn State a comfortable 17-13 lead. The teams traded points with Penn State maintaining at least a three-point edge. With a 20-16 lead, kills from Peter and Aaron Russell had PSU leading by six, 22-16. Matt Jones recorded the final point for the Crimson off a kill, before the Lions ran away with the set courtesy of three consecutive kills for a 25-17 win.
Penn State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Sacred Heart. Action is set for 8 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.
Penn State men's volleyball is on Twitter. Follow @PSUVolleyball to get the inside scoop.