April 13, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 13th-ranked Penn State men's volleyball team (19-6) earned a 3-1 (25-13, 19-25, 25-22, 25-20) win against Concordia Friday night. This was the first meeting between the two teams.
Redshirt sophomore Nick Goodell (Ambridge, Pa.) led all players with 19 kills on .361 hitting. Sophomore Aaron Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) was second on the team with 15 kills. Redshirt freshman Taylor Hammond (Mission Viejo, Calif.) paced the offense with 38 assists, while Goodell had a career-high six aces. Goodell and Russell each posted seven digs, while Goodell and redshirt freshman Matt Seifert (Reading, Pa.) led the team with five blocks each. Russell and senior Ian Hendries (Cardiff, Calif.) put up four blocks apiece.
Penn State hit .250 against Concordia. The Nittany Lions totaled 51 kills, 10 aces, 31 digs and 11.0 total team blocks. The Eagles hit .136 in the match and had 39 kills, three aces, 33 digs and 7.0 team blocks.
Penn State grabbed a 6-2 lead to start the first set after two blocks, two Russell kills and a Hendries ace. Concordia called a timeout and used a 4-0 run to knot the score at 6-6. Goodell gave Penn State another comfortable lead with a kill and three consecutive aces for an 11-6 advantage. The Eagles cut off the run with a kill and narrowed the gap to three, 12-9, after two PSU errors. An Eagle service error gave the ball to the Lions who score four straight points for an eight-point lead, 17-9. The two squads traded points until a Russell kill and two Concordia errors put the Nittany Lion lead in double-digits, 23-13. Goodell notched his fourth ace of the set to make it set point, 24-13, before an Eagle error secured set one for PSU, 25-13.
The second set began much like the first with the Nittany Lions grabbing a 6-2 lead. Concordia called an early timeout and regrouped. The Eagles took off on a 5-0 run to take a slim 7-6 lead. After a Penn State timeout, a Russell kill tied the set at 7-7, but three straight Concordia points had Penn State trailing, 10-7. The Lions narrowed the gap to one twice, but another 3-0 run by the Eagles pushed Concordia back up by four, 14-10. Seifert pounded a kill and the teams went back and forth with Concordia maintaining at least a three-point edge. Penn State was unable to come any closer for the remainder of the set. Concordia continued to press and increased the gap to six, 23-17. Despite two Goodell putdowns, Concordia came away with set two, 25-19.
The third frame started out close, but the Eagles grabbed control early with a 7-4 lead. Following a Penn State timeout, Concordia continued to maintain control. Trailing 11-7, Russell put down back-to-back kills to bring the Lions within one, 11-10. A Concordia error and another Goodell ace tied the set at 12 all. The score tied three more times before a double block from Goodell and senior Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) and two PSU kills gave the Lions a two-point lead, 17-15. Despite an attack error, another Goodell kill and two Eagle errors gave the Nittany Lions breathing room with a 20-16 lead. After a Penn State service error, a Russell kill and a Concordia error increased Penn State's lead, 22-17. Concordia prolonged the set fighting to within two, 24-22, to force a late Nittany Lion timeout. Seifert closed out the set with a kill for a 25-22 win.
Penn State's momentum carried into the fourth stanza with the Lions taking a 3-0 lead to start. A Concordia kill and two PSU errors tied it up at 3-3. Concordia managed to move ahead, 5-4, but junior Peter Russell (Ellicott City, Md.) put down a kill to knot the set at 5-5. An Eagle error gave the Lions a 6-5 edge, but two points from Concordia gave the lead back to the Eagles, 7-6. Turko tied the set at 7-7 with a kill. The scored tied three more times before a 6-0 Penn State run had the Lions ahead by six, 16-10. Despite a Concordia kill, a Goodell putdown and a joint block by Seifert and Peter Russell had Penn State ahead by seven, 18-11. Two PSU errors pulled the Eagles within five, 18-13, but a Peter Russell kill had Concordia calling a timeout. Another two PSU errors cut Penn State's lead to four, 20-16, but two Eagle mistakes had the Lions with a six-point lead, 22-16. Two Concordia kills sandwiched a putdown by Goodell before a kill by Aaron Russell put Penn State at match point, 24-19. Goodell went on to close out the set with a kill for a 25-20 win.
Penn State is back in action on Saturday, April 13 at 10 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions face No. 4 UC Irvine.
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.