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Jan. 31, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's volleyball (2-6, 1-0) swept past Saint Francis (0-11, 0-1) in straight sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-18) Saturday evening in the 2015 EIVA opener at home in Rec Hall.
Senior Aaron Russell fueled the offense with 17 kills on .625 hitting, adding three digs and a team-high three blocks for Mike Anderson Penn State Player of the Match honors.
Redshirt senior Nick Goodell finished second on the team with seven kills, while sophomore Chris Nugent tallied six. Nugent impressed from the service line with a career-high seven aces.
Redshirt senior Connor Curry led the defensive effort with a match-high 11 digs. Redshirt junior Taylor Hammond passed out 33 assists, guiding the team to a .300 hitting percentage.
Redshirt freshman Aidan Albrecht made his collegiate debut, posting two kills, two blocks and one dig in his first start in the Blue and White.
Penn State came out firing, opening the match on a 9-3 run, prompting the Red Flash to call an early timeout. The Nittany Lions came out of the break with a block, 10-3, but Saint Francis used a 3-2 strike to trim the advantage back to six, 12-6. A kill from Goodell and an ace by Russell sparked a 3-1 spurt that pushed Penn State ahead by as many as eight, 15-7.
Saint Francis looked to get back on track with a 5-3 streak that moved the Red Flash back within six, 18-12. PSU continued to pull ahead, following with a 6-5 stretch to arrive at set point, 24-17. SFU followed with a kill to hold off the attempt, but a kill from Russell secured a 25-18 win in set one.
The Nittany Lions shot out to a 5-2 lead in the second set, powered by three kills from Russell. Saint Francis came storming back with a 7-3 run to move ahead by one, 9-8. PSU answered with a 4-1 streak to rebuild a two-point cushion, 12-10, forcing Saint Francis to call a timeout. A Nittany Lion attack error broke up the momentum, 12-11, but Penn State regrouped with a 6-3 streak to extend the advantage to four, 18-14.
The Red Flash looked to settle into a rhythm with a pair of kills and an ace, 18-17, but PSU responded with six unanswered points to arrive at set point, 24-17. Saint Francis held off just one attempt with a kill before Hammond turned and dumped the ball over the net for a kill to wrap up a 25-18 win in the second set.
PSU jumped out to a 7-4 lead in set three, capped off by four consecutive aces from Nugent, causing SFU to take a timeout. The Red Flash came out of the break with a 7-6 stretch to pull with two, 13-11, but a service kept Penn State ahead, 14-11. Unable to shake Saint Francis, the Red Flash followed with a 6-3 strike to tie the score, 17-17. Two SFU errors and an ace from Andrew Roberts quickly lifted the Nittany Lions up by three, 20-17, causing the Red Flash to call a timeout.
Penn State continued to roll out of the break as another ace from Roberts opened up a 4-1 streak that carried PSU to a 25-18 win in the third set to complete the sweep.
Penn State remains home next weekend, hosting Erskine in a non-conference matchup Friday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. at Rec Hall. The following afternoon, the Nittany Lions will host their annual PSU Alumni match at 3 p.m. in south gym.