March 7, 2014
Final Stats (PDF) I Final Stats
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Despite a one-set lead early in the match, the No. 12 Penn State men's volleyball team (13-4, 6-1) couldn't sustain the momentum, falling short in a 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 22-25) loss to No. 14 Ohio State (8-8, 4-4) on the road at St. John Arena.
Junior Aaron Russell and redshirt junior Nick Goodell fueled the offense with double digit kills. Russell led the way with 20 kills on .333 hitting, adding five digs and one block. Goodell followed closely behind with 15 kills, while also tallying five digs.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Hammond dished out 44 assists, anchoring the defense with a team-high nine digs. Redshirt sophomore Matt Seifert and redshirt freshman Matt Callaway totaled two blocks each to lead the Nittany Lion blocking unit. Seifert contributed six kills while Callaway notched four.
After falling behind early in the first set, 3-0, the Nittany Lions responded with a 9-2 run to take control of a four-point lead, 9-5. The Buckeyes quickly erased the deficit, using a 5-3 stretch to come within two, 12-10. Goodell halted the momentum with a kill, but OSU answered with a 3-1 spurt to narrow the gap to one, 14-13.
Pulling away, senior Peter Russell and Callaway teamed up for a block to spark a 6-1 streak that lifted the Nittany Lions ahead by as many as eight, 22-14. A PSU service error interrupted the rhythm, but Aaron followed with back-to-back kills to make it set point, 24-15. The Buckeyes held off two attempts, but an OSU service error handed Penn State a 25-17 win in the opening set.
Trailing by three, 8-5, in the second stanza, Peter attempted to spark a run with a kill, but a service error kept the Nittany Lions behind by three, 9-6. Rallying, PSU put together a 5-0 streak to capture an 11-9 lead, forcing the Buckeyes to call a timeout. Ohio State came out of the break with a kill, but Penn State held on to the advantage, using a 4-1 run to secure a four-point advantage, 15-11.
OSU rebounded with a 3-1 spurt to trim the lead back to two, 16-14, but Hammond and Goodell pounded a pair of consecutive kills to keep the Lions ahead by four, 18-14. Penn State couldn't shake the Buckeyes as Ohio State rallied with four unanswered points to the tie the set, 18-18.
After trading points to keep the frame knotted, 19-all, OSU pulled ahead by two, 22-20, helped out by a 3-1 strike. Goodell connected on a kill to keep Penn State within one, 22-21, but the Buckeyes closed out the frame on a 3-1 run to secure a 25-22 win in set two to even the match, 1-1.
Both teams battled back and forth in the first half of the third set until the Buckeyes broke open a 12-all tie with a block followed by a PSU attack error that lifted OSU up by two, 14-12. As Ohio State pulled ahead, 15-13, Goodell and Aaron paired up for two kills each to push Penn State ahead by two, 17-15, forcing the Buckeyes to call a timeout.
The Nittany Lions continued to roll after the break, using a 3-1 spurt to maintain a comfortable four-point cushion, 20-16. Ohio State came storming back with a 5-2 run to arrive within one, 22-21, causing Penn State to call a timeout. Following the break, the Buckeyes came from behind with a 4-1 strike to lock up a 25-23 win in the third set.
Down by one in the fourth, 4-3, Callaway and Aaron opened a 4-0 run with back-to-back kills to give Penn State a three-point lead, 7-4. Ohio State managed to battle within two, 8-6, but the Nittany Lions responded with a 3-1 spurt to maintain the edge, 11-7.
The Buckeyes wouldn't go away, following with a 4-1 to jump within one, 12-11. Penn State quickly answered with a 3-1 stretch to remain up by three, 15-12, but OSU connected on three consecutive points to tie it up, 15-15, forcing PSU to call a timeout.
Following the break, both clubs struggled to pull away with the lead, fighting through five more ties. Knotted at 21-all, a Buckeye kill and a PSU attack error lifted Ohio State up by two, 23-21, causing Penn State to call a timeout.
Aaron came out of the break with a kill, but the Buckeyes followed with another kill to make it set and match point, 24-22. OSU followed with an ace to secure a 25-22 win in set four to seal a 3-1 win in the match.
Michael Henchy and Miles Johnson paced the Buckeyes offense with double digit kills, led by 14 from Henchy. Andrew Lutz and Driss Guessous powered the defense with five blocks each, including two solo stuffs.
Next up, Penn State will head west for a pair of non-conference matches. The Nittany Lion square off against Cal State Northridge Friday, March 14 before taking on Long Beach State Saturday, March 15.