March 14, 2014
Final Stats (PDF) I Final Stats
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Behind a trio of double-digit kill performances, the No. 14 Penn State men's volleyball team (14-4) opened the Active Ankle Challenge with a straight-set victory (25-17, 25-23, 25-20) against RV Cal State Northridge (6-12) Friday evening at Walter Pyramid.
Redshirt junior Nick Goodell fueled the offense with his third double-double of the season, tallying a team-high 15 kills to go along with a squad-best 11 digs. Senior Peter Russell totaled 12 kills, while junior Aaron Russell also posted double figure kills, adding 11.
Peter, redshirt freshman Matt Callaway and redshirt sophomore Matt Seifert all contributed multi-block performances, leading the team with two blocks apiece.
Trailing by one early in the opening set, 4-3, Callaway and Goodell sparked a 3-0 strike with back-to-back kills to bring the Nittany Lions ahead by two, 6-4. The Matadors quickly followed with a kill to remain within one, 6-5, but Penn State followed with a 4-1 spurt to go up by four, forcing CSUN to call a timeout.
Penn State came out of the break firing, using a 4-0 streak capped off by consecutive kills from Peter to extend the lead to as many as eight, 14-6. Regrouping, Cal State Northridge answered with two kills and a block to trim the advantage to five, 14-9. Holding off the Matadors, PSU did not let its lead dip below five points as the Nittany Lions rolled to a 25-17 win in set one.
Both Goodell and Russell hit .800 in the opening frame without a single attack error. Goodell led the way with eight kills, helping the squad to a .542 hitting clip in the first stanza.
Cal State Northridge shot out to a 6-2 start in the second set, forcing Penn State to call an early timeout. Penn State came out of the break with a 5-1 run to knot the frame, 7-all. The Matadors pounded a kill to take the lead, but a service error prevented CSUN from settling into an offensive rhythm, 8-8.
Trailing by one after a Matador kill, 9-8, PSU put together a 4-1 streak to capture a two-point lead, 12-10. CSUN rebounded with a 3-0 strike to reclaim the lead, 13-12, but an attack error re-tied the score, 13-13. Keeping it close, the two teams battled through three more tied scores before Aaron lifted the Nittany Lions ahead by one, 18-17, with a kill, causing Cal State Northridge to call a timeout.
Following the break, the Matadors teamed up for a block, followed by two PSU errors to pull away with a slim two-point lead, 20-18. A CSUN service error and a kill from Goodell re-tied the frame, 20-20, but Cal State Northridge connected on a kill to remain ahead, 21-20.
Battling back-and-forth, the two clubs fought through three more knotted scores until Goodell smashed a kill to make it set point, 24-23. Riding the momentum, redshirt freshman Andrew Roberts fired a service ace to secure a 25-23 win in the second set.
The Nittany Lions opened set three on a 5-2 run before the Matadors responded with six unanswered points to pull ahead by three, 8-5. Penn State recovered with a 3-1 streak, capped off by back-to-back kills from Seifert, moving within one, 9-8. Unable to sustain the momentum, CSUN surged ahead by three, 12-9, before Peter cut off the strike with a kill to make it 12-10.
Penn State continued to fight from behind, battling to an 18-all tie after a kill from Seifert and a CSUN attack error. Rallying, Peter pounded a kill and then teamed up with Callaway for a block to put PSU up by two, 20-18, forcing the Matadors to call a timeout. Cal State Northridge came out of the break with a kill, but an attack error and another block by Peter and Callaway kept the Nittany Lions on top, 23-19.
CSUN made one final attempt to mount a comeback with a kill, but a Matador attack error and a kill from Aaron secured a 25-20 win in set three to complete the sweep.
Next up, Penn State will close out the Active Ankle Challenge with a matchup against tournament host, No. 2 Long Beach State. The Nittany Lions and the 49ers will square off Saturday, March 15 at 10 p.m. ET.