March 3, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (13-1) played its first five set match of 2012 and came with a 3-2 (25-17, 25-19, 27-29, 22-25, 15-13) win against the ninth-ranked Buckeyes (13-6). The Nittany Lions defeated their third top 10 team and fourth top 15 team this season.
Three Nittany Lions posted double-digit kills with redshirt freshman Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) leading the way with a career-high 20. Redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) posted 15 and sophomore Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) tallied 11. Redshirt senior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 54 assists and had eight digs, while junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) had a career-best five aces. Sunder led the team with 13 digs and redshirt freshman Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) had 10. Freshman Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) led the team in blocking with five, while Peter Russell posted four.
Penn State hit .273 against the Buckeyes and totaled 67 kills, six aces, 44 digs and 8.5 total team blocks. Ohio State registered a .262 hitting percentage and had 53 kills, three aces, 47 digs and 13.0 team blocks.
Penn State opened the match taking a 3-0 lead, which they never relinquished in the first set. Midway through the frame the Lions lead, 12-9, before a 5-1 run moved Penn State ahead by seven, 17-10. Ohio State called a timeout, but it failed to slow Penn State. The Buckeyes closed the gap to five, 20-15, but the Lions used a 4-1 run to move into set point position, 24-16. A service error gave the Buckeyes one final point before Turko pounded a kill to secure a 25-17 set one win.
The second frame started out with neither team able to take a commanding lead. Nearing the halfway mark, kills from Goodell and Goas and a Sunder ace gave PSU a three-point edge, 12-9. Ohio State called a timeout, but it didn't faze the Lions as they held onto a two-point lead until a 4-1 run had Penn State leading by five, 18-13. Ohio State called a second timeout, but again it didn't slow Penn State enough to allow Ohio State a chance to challenge. Penn State's lead grew to six, 20-14, a it held onto for the rest of the set to capture a 25-19 victory.
The Nittany Lions trailed for almost the entirety of the third stanza. However, Penn State battled back from a four-point deficit to trail by only one, 22-21. Ohio State called a timeout and a PSU service error gave the Buckeyes a two-point cushion, 23-21. Kills from Goas and Goodell knotted the score at 23-23, but another error moved OSU back in front, 24-23. Peter Russell put down a kill to tie it up once again, but a solo block by the Buckeyes' setter had them in set point position for the second time. Goodell kep thte set alive for PSU with a kill, but Ohio State fired back with a kill to take the lead again, 26-25. A service error returned the ball to Penn State, but Mik Berzins tallied a kill for the Buckeyes for a 27-26 lead. Goodell managed one final kill to make it 27 all, but two straight Buckeye kills ended the third set in Ohio State's favor, 29-27.
Penn State took a slim 4-2 lead in the fourth set, but Ohio State stayed with Penn State tying it up at 4-4 thanks to two PSU errors. The score tied seven more times before Ohio State grabbed a two-point lead, 13-11. The Buckeyes controlled much of the middle of the match, until an OSU service error and a kill from senior Ryan Wolf (York, Pa.) had the score at 17 all. The Buckeyes moved back ahead by two, 20-18, and forced a Penn State timeout. A Goodell kill and a Penn State block made it 20-20 and sent Ohio State to the bench. Despite a kill by Shawn Sangrey, a Sunder kill and an OSU error moved Penn State in the lead, 22-21. Penn State's lead was short-lived as four consecutive errors gave Ohio State a 25-22 fourth set win.
Penn State headed to a fifth set for the first time in 2012 and it wasn't looking too favorable for the Lions as the Buckeyes took a 6-4 lead. Two OSU errors helped the Lions knot the score at 6-6. The score tied two more times before a Sangrey kill and an Ohio State block moved the Buckeyes ahead by two, 10-8. Penn State called a timeout and after two Sunder kills and one from Aaron Russell, the Lions were on top, 11-10. Ohio State called a timeout and again moved back into the lead, 12-11. Goodell tied it up at 12-12 with a kill before a Sangrey kill moved Ohio State back in front, 13-12. Sunder pounded a kill and an OSU error had Penn State leading, 14-13. Junior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) put down a kill to secure the victory for Penn State.
Penn State hits the road for seven matches starting with Pepperdine and USC on March 8-9. Penn State returns home on April 6-7 to host Sacred Heart and Harvard.
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.
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