Feb. 1, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The sixth-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (7-1) came away with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-18) win against Pfeiffer (5-2) Friday night at Rec Hall. Redshirt junior Scott Kegerreis (Honeybrook, Pa.) was honored as the Mike Anderson Penn State Player of the Game for his performance against the Falcons.
Kegerreis led Penn State with 11 kills with only one error in 13 swings for an impressive .769 hitting percentage. Redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) was second on the team with eight kills. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) paced the offense with 36 assists and classmate Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a match-high nine digs. Redshirt freshman Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.) and Goodell led the Lions with two blocks apiece.
Penn State registered a .284 hitting percentage and held the Falcons to .175. The Nittany Lions totaled 39 kills, six aces, 28 digs and 5.0 total team blocks. Pfeiffer put down 29 kills and had two aces, 23 digs and 6.0 team blocks.
Penn State took a 3-1 lead to start the first set after a kill from senior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) and two Pfeiffer errors. The Falcons fought to within one, 4-3, but Penn State maintained at least a one-point edge until a 5-0 run pushed the Lions up by seven, 15-8. Pfeiffer called a timeout, but Penn State followed with three straight points for an 18-9 lead. Despite two PSU errors, two kills from Seifert and an ace from freshman Zack Parik (Woodridge, Ill.) had the Lions leading 21-12. The Falcons called a second timeout and the Falcons tallied a block. However, a Pfeiffer service error and a Turko kill had Penn State within two points of taking the set, 23-13. The Nittany Lions had two errors to allow the Falcons within eight, 23-15, but a solo stuff by junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Pa.) had the Lions at set point, 24-15. Peter Russell served an ace to close out set one, 25-15.
Pfeiffer was the team on top early in the second frame with a 3-1 lead. The Falcon lead grew to three points, 5-2, before a Pfeiffer service error and back-to-back kills from Kegerreis had the score knotted at 5-5. The Falcons moved back on top, 7-5, but Penn State answered with another Kegerreis kill to tie it up at 7-7. Two Pfeiffer errors gave Penn State its first lead of the set, 9-7. The Falcons used a timeout and managed to move back in line with the Nittany Lions at 11-11. A block by Goodell and Turko gave Penn State a slim, 12-11 advantage. Throughout the middle of the set, neither team was able to develop any momentum to make a strong run. The Falcons moved ahead by one, 16-15, forcing a Penn State timeout but Pfeiffer soon saw the Lions retake the lead, 19-18. The score tied one final time before a Pfeiffer error and a Goodell kill had Penn State leading by two, 21-19. The Falcons closed the gap to one on three occasions before Goodell pounded a kill for a Penn State set point, 24-22. A Pfeiffer error secured set two for the Lions, 25-22.
Penn State leapt out to a 6-2 lead in the third stanza forcing an early Pfeiffer timeout. The Falcons fought to within four, 10-6, but a kill by Kegerreis sparked a 7-3 run for a comfortable 17-9 lead. The Falcons headed back to the bench, but the Lions continued their run with four straight points to take a 21-10 lead. A PSU error and a Falcon ace proved to be the start of a 6-2 Pfeiffer run cutting the Lion lead to six, 23-17. Kegerreis pounded a kill to end the run and put the Nittany Lions at match point, 24-17. The Falcons tallied one final putdown before Goodell hammered a kill for a 25-18 third set victory.
Penn State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions host Mount Olive in the South Gym of Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State men's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State men's volleyball 2013 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets.