March 9, 2012
MALIBU, Calif. - The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (13-2) suffered a 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 21-25, 25-20, 10-15) loss to 10th-ranked Pepperdine Thursday evening. The Lions continue play against No. 4 USC on Friday, March 9 at 10 p.m. ET.
Redshirt senior Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) led the Lions with 21 kills on .469 hitting. Freshman Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) and junior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) were second on the team with eight kills apiece, while redshirt freshman Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) and junior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, Pa.) had eight kills each. Redshirt senior Edgardo Goas (San Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 56 assists and Sunder led the squad with nine digs. Turko had a team-high five total blocks.
Pepperdine held Penn State to .273 hitting. The Nittany Lions totaled 65 kills, seven aces, 26 digs and 6.0 total team blocks. The Waves hit .367 with 46 kills, four aces, 28 digs and 18.5 team blocks.
The first set was close with neither team breaking away early. Nearing the midpoint of the set, three straight points for the Nittany Lions had Penn State with a 12-9 lead. Penn State maintained a slim lead, but capitalized on an ace and kill from Turko for a three-point edge, 18-15. Pepperdine called a timeout and fought to within one, 19-18, but a Sunder putdown and a Pepperdine error had the Lions in front by three, 21-18. A 4-0 Wave run moved Pepperdine into the lead, 22-21, forcing Penn State to burn both timeouts. Sunder knotted the score at 22-22 with a kill, but an error had the Waves back in the lead, 23-22. Sunder pounded another kill tie it up again before an attach error by Pepperdine put Penn State back in the lead, 24-23. The score tied once more before an error and a kill from sophomore Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) tallied a kill for a 26-24 win.
Penn State fell behind 6-1 to start the second frame and never recovered. The Nittany Lions closed the gap to two, 10-8, but a 4-1 Pepperdine run had the Waves ahead, 14-9. The Waves lead grew to six, 18-12, before Penn State worked back to within four, 21-17. The Lions were aided by two kills from Goodell, one from Turko and two from sophomore Jace Olsen (Manhattan Beach, Calif.). Despite three kills, one each from Sunder, Aaron Russell and Turko, two service errors and a Pepperdine kill gave the Waves the second set victory, 25-20.
Pepperdine took the lead in the third frame, but Penn State did not let them run away early. Trailing 10-6, Penn State called a timeout and narrowed the gap to one, 12-11. Pepperdine answered back with two straight points for a three-point cushion, 14-11. A dumb by Goas had PSU within two, 14-12, but that was as close as the Lions came for the remainder of the set. Pepperdine worked back up to a five-point lead sending Penn State to the bench for a timeout. As the set began to wind down, Penn State mounted a 6-3 run to come within three, 23-20. Pepperdine called a timeout and regrouped enough to pound a kill to be at set point, 24-20. Aaron Russell recorded one final kill for PSU before a service error secured set three for Pepperdine, 25-21.
The Nittany Lions grabbed a 7-5 lead in the fourth stanza and Pepperdine called an early timeout. Despite the Waves tying the score at 13 all midway through, Penn State was back on top thanks to a Comfort kill and a Sunder ace for an 18-16 lead. Following another Pepperdine timeout, a service error by the Lions had the Waves within one, 18-17. However, an error by Pepperdine and a Turko ace had the Lions with a 20-17 advantage. The Waves came no closer than two points for the remainder of the set. Three Aaron Russell kills and one from Sunder helped Penn State take the set, 25-20, and force a fifth and deciding set.
Pepperdine wasted no time in the fifth and had a convincing 9-4 lead. Penn State called a timeout and used a 4-1 run to be within two, 10-8. Pepperdine called a timeout and slowed the Lions enough to work back up to a four-point lead, 12-8. Sunder pounded two kills as Penn State's final points as a Pepperdine kill and block won the set, 15-10, and the match for the Waves.
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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