March 16, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 13 Penn State men's volleyball team (14-6, 8-1 EIVA) suffered a 3-0 (20-25, 17-25, 20-25) loss to ninth-ranked Ohio State (15-3) Saturday night. The Nittany Lions return to EIVA play on Saturday, March 23 with a visit to Saint Francis with action beginning at 7 p.m.
Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) was the team leader in kills with a match-high 14, while senior Tom Comfort (Orchard Park, N.Y.) posted 13. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) paced the offense with 29 assists and tallied four digs. Redshirt sophomore Connor Curry (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a team-best six digs and Russell added five.
Penn State was held to .168 hitting and posted 39 kills, two aces and 24 digs. The Buckeyes hit .478 with 38 kills, two aces, 26 digs and 13.0 team blocks.
After a close start in the first set, a 3-0 run by the Buckeyes had OSU up by three, 9-6. Two Comfort kills and an Ohio State error pulled the Lions within one, 10-9, but a Buckeye kill and Penn State error had the Lions falling behind by three, 12-9. Penn State fought to within two four times before a Buckeye block and a kill gave Ohio State a four-point lead, 16-12. Penn State called a timeout and used a 4-2 run to come within two, 18-16. The two teams traded points with the Nittany Lions staying within two, 21-19. After an Ohio State timeout, another Buckeye block pulled OSU ahead by three, 22-19. Junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) pounded a kill to bring Penn State within two, 22-20, before a Buckeye putdown and Penn State error had the Buckeyes at set point, 24-20. Penn State used its second timeout, but OSU's Andrew Lutz closed out set one for Ohio State with a kill for a 25-20 win.
Ohio State grabbed a 3-1 lead to start the second set. A short while later Penn State knotted the set at 7-7. However, a Buckeye kill and two consecutive Penn State errors gave Ohio State a 10-7 edge. Penn State called a timeout, but it failed to faze the Buckeyes. Ohio State took off on a 7-3 run for a comfortable 17-10 lead. The Nittany Lions used a second timeout, but the Buckeyes rattled off three more points to move their lead into double-digits, 20-10. A Buckeye error and a Comfort kill narrowed the gap to eight, 20-12. Despite two OSU kills, putdowns from Comfort and senior Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.) and two Buckeye errors moved the Lions within seven, 22-15. Even with a service error by the Buckeyes and a PSU kill, it was too little too late. The Buckeyes captured set two, 25-17, for a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Buckeyes leapt out to a 6-2 lead in the third stanza and never lost control. Penn State used a timeout, but Ohio State's lead grew to six, 9-3. Back-to-back Buckeyes errors helped Penn State move within four, 9-5, but a 6-0 OSU run had the Buckeyes up by 10, 15-5. Aaron Russell pounded a kill to spark a 4-0 run for PSU moved the Lions within six, 15-9, and forcing an Ohio State timeout. Penn State continued to fight as two points from Aaron Russell and one from redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) had Penn State within five, 16-11. Penn State narrowed the gap even further to three, 19-16. However, three Ohio State kills had the Buckeyes approaching set point, 23-18. Aaron Russell pounded a kill before another Buckeye putdown had Ohio State at set point, 24-19. A service error by the Buckeyes gave the ball to the Nittany Lions, but PSU also served an error for a 25-20 Ohio State win.
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.