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March 13, 2015
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Led by a double-double performance from senior Aaron Russell, No. 15 Penn State men's volleyball (8-9) won its fourth consecutive match with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-16) victory against Cal State Northridge (5-13) Friday evening in the opening match of the Asics Tournament at Walter Pyramid.
Russell led the Nittany Lions in nearly every category, recording a match-high 16 kills on .500 hitting, while also adding 10 digs and five aces.
Redshirt freshman Jalen Penrose had a career-high night, finishing second on the team with six kills to go along with a career-best six digs, three blocks and one ace.
Redshirt junior Matt Seifert, redshirt sophomore Matt Callaway and sophomore Chris Nugent all finished tied for third on the team with five kills apiece. Seifert added a team-high four blocks, while Callaway added three.
Penn State out-aced the Matadors 12-1, as six different Nittany Lions tallied at least one ace. Redshirt junior Nick Goodell and Nugent finished tied for second on the team behind Russell with two aces each.
Tied up early in the first set, 6-6, a kill from Russell followed by an ace from Goodell lifted the Nittany Lions ahead by two, 8-6. The Matadors answered back with a kill to move back within one, 8-7, but the Nittany Lions answered with a 4-1 strike to go up by four, 12-8, causing CSUN to call a timeout.
The Matadors tallied two in a row out of the break, but PSU used a 4-2 stretch to remain in control of a four-point lead, 16-12. With Penn State unable to sustain the momentum, CSUN battled back on a 5-1 run to knot the frame, 17-17. Nugent looked to lift the Nittany Lions ahead with a kill, 18-17, but the Matadors answered with a block to keep the score tied, 18-18.
The two teams traded points to keep the score tied, 20-20, before a kill from Penrose and an ace from Russell brought the Nittany Lions ahead by two, 22-20, prompting CSUN to call a timeout. Nugent and Seifert came out of the break swinging, putting down back-to-back kills to make it set point, 24-20. Russell closed out a 25-20 win in the first set with his fifth kill of the frame.
Penn State and Cal State Northridge kept the score tied up for most of the opening portion of the second set. With the score locked up at 11-11, a CSUN service error sparked a 4-0 run capped off by a pair of kills from Russell and Nugent that lifted the Nittany Lions ahead by four, 15-11. The Matadors looked to slow the momentum with a timeout, but PSU used a 3-2 stretch with all three kills from Russell to pull ahead 18-13.
Penn State regrouped with a 3-1 spurt capped off by a block from Penrose and Seifert to extend the lead to as many as seven, 21-14, causing the Matadors to call a timeout. CSUN came out of the break with three unanswered points to trim the Nittany Lion advantage back to four, 21-17. A kill from Russell and an ace by sophomore Zack Parik looked to spark a final offensive push, but the Matadors followed with three in a row to keep within three, 23-20.
Callaway quickly set Penn State up for set point with a kill, 24-20, but CSUN looked to mount a comeback with a block. A Matador attack error thwarted the comeback attempt, giving Penn State a 25-21 win in the second set.
Holding on to a slim three-point lead in set three, 9-6, Penrose looked to give the Nittany Lions some room with a kill, but two Penn State errors put the Matadors within two, 10-8. PSU got back on track with a 5-1 run to move Penn State ahead by as many as six, 15-9, forcing CSUN to call a timeout.
The Matadors looked to spark some momentum with a kill, 15-10, but a triple block from Penrose, Nugent and Callaway opened up a 6-4 stretch that widened the PSU margin to seven, 21-14.
Cal State Northridge attempted one final comeback with a block, 21-15, but Penn State followed with a 3-1 strike to arrive at match point, 24-16. Russell wrapped up a 25-16 win in the third set with his fifth ace of the game to complete the sweep.
Next up, Penn State plays its final match of the spring break series on the road, taking on tournament host Long Beach State Saturday, March 14 at 10 p.m. ET in Walter Pyramid.