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Jan. 23, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Despite a late rally in the third set, No. 15 Penn State men's volleyball (0-5) fell short in a 3-1 (26-28, 24-26, 25-23, 21-25) loss to No. 1 Loyola (4-0) in its home opener Friday evening at Rec Hall.
Three Nittany Lions recorded double digit kills, led by redshirt senior Nick Goodell, who tallied 19 kills to go along with nine digs. Redshirt sophomore Spencer Sauter and senior Aaron Russell finished second on the team with 14 kills each.
In addition to a career-high 14 kills, Sauter added nine digs and led the team with five blocks to earn the first Mike Anderson Penn State Player of the Match award. Russell also contributed nine digs.
Redshirt sophomore Matt Callaway finished second on the team with four blocks, while also added eight kills on .500 hitting. Redshirt junior Taylor Hammond and redshirt senior Connor Curry led the defensive effort with 14 and 12 digs, respectively.
Trailing by three early in set one, 8-5, Penn State used a 6-3 stretch to tie the frame, 11-11. The Ramblers cut off the streak with a kill, but Seifert and Goodell answered with back-to-back kills to give the Nittany Lions the edge, 13-12. Loyola responded with three consecutive blocks to build the lead back to two, 16-14. Rallying, Penn State put together a 5-1 strike, capped off by back-to-back kills from Russell and Goodell to pull ahead by two, 19-17, forcing Loyola to call a timeout.
The Ramblers came out of the timeout with four straight to jump ahead, 21-19. Russell halted the momentum with a kill, 21-20, but Loyola followed with a 3-1 spurt to arrive at set point, 24-21. The Nittany Lions held off three more attempts, helped out by a pair of kills from Sauter to tie the frame, 24-24. The two teams exchanged points two more times to keep the score tied up, 26-26, before a PSU service error and a Loyola kill secured a 28-26 win in the opening set for the Ramblers.
Penn State shot out to an 8-5 lead in set two before Loyola put an end to the run with a kill, 8-6. Russell and Goodell answered back with a pair of kills to push Penn State ahead by four, 10-6, prompting the Ramblers to call a timeout. The Ramblers chipped away at the lead with a 4-2 stretch to move within two, 12-10, but an attack error kept the Nittany Lions on top by three, 13-10.
Loyola responded with a 7-2 run to take over a two-point lead, 17-15, but PSU answered right back with a 4-1 strike to go back up, 19-18. The Nittany Lions and the Ramblers continued to trade points, until Loyola rallied from behind by one, 23-22, with a kill and a block to make it set point, 24-23. Goodell looked to mount a comeback with a kill to knot the stanza, 24-24, but a Loyola kill and an ace handed the Ramblers a 26-24 decision in set two for a 2-0 lead in the match.
Trailing by two in set three, 10-8, Penn State used a 5-2 run to tie the frame, 13-13. Loyola ended the run with a kill, 14-13, but PSU regrouped with a 4-1 spurt to extend the lead to two, 17-15. The Ramblers battled back with a 3-1 strike to retie the score, 18-17. Penn State answered with a 5-2 streak to bolster the lead to three, 23-20. A PSU service error and block pulled Loyola within one, 23-22, but Penn State closed out the stanza with a 2-1 stretch to take set three, 25-23.
Tied at 11-11 in set four, Goodell sparked a 6-2 surge, that lifted the Nittany Lions ahead by as four, 17-13. Loyola charged back with a 5-1 strike to keep the score locked, 18-18. A Loyola service error brought Penn State up by one, but the Nittany Lions could not sustain the moment as the Ramblers used a 7-2 to take set four, 25-21 for a 3-1 win in the match.
Penn State returns to action tomorrow night, hosting No. 2 Lewis. The Nittany Lions and the Flyers are set to square off at 7 p.m. in south gym at Rec Hall.