Jan. 24, 2016
By Jack Milewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Replacing Aaron Russell was never a thought coming in to this season for the Penn State men's volleyball team. But after sweeping through their weekend series against Ball State and IPFW, the Nittany Lions (4-2) may be starting to find a rhythm.
Chris Nugent, the leading attacker on this Penn State team, displayed why he is the best all around player on the Nittany Lion squad and why he may be the best bet in filling some Aaron Russell-like roles on the floor. Nugent complied 28 kills in the two matches, hitting well over .500 for the weekend.
Nugent showed his versatility with cut shots, roll shots, back row quicks and all around power at times. The junior is a six-rotation player, who leads not only with his attacking prowess but also with his power behind the service line. The well-rounded play of Nugent was in full effect on Friday and Saturday. However, no matter his stats on the court over the weekend, Nugent stayed modest and was quick to deflect the praise to his teammates.
"I never really expect to get a kill, I always hope I can get one," said Nugent. "When Taylor [Hammond] puts it up there for me to take hard swings it makes it pretty easy because I know where that ball is going to be all the time."
Even his approach to hitting seems simple when Nugent explains it. On the court it may seem complex, moving around, taking swings from back row and front row, but Nugent sees it a different way.
"I just see the ball go up in the air from Taylor (Hammond) and try and hit it past the block," said Nugent. "I don't think too much about it."
The best attribute for Nugent this season is filling a role that Russell filled so effectively all of last year, stepping up when the game starts to get tough. He is a dynamic player at all times, but brings a sense of calm to his team when they need him the most.
"I try not to do anything differently, I just try and stay confident no matter what the situation is," said Nugent. "The big thing is I try not to let the game effect how I'm playing and just try and keep hitting high hard swings."
Nugent would be the first to tell you that he was not solely responsible for the stellar effort put forth this weekend by the Nittany Lions. In game one, it was his teammate Jalen Penrose who proved to be electric with 15 kills on 25 swings. Penrose is one of, if not the most dynamic force on the Penn State team and it showed with a great performance in game one.
"I just treat every game like a new game," said Penrose. "I wanted to finish all of Taylor's good passes with good swings and was able to for the most part."
In game two, the supporting role fell on a more unassuming character in Andrew Roberts. Roberts, known more for his role as a serving specialist on the team, stepped in during the second set for a struggling Penrose and had an immediate impact on the court.
"He really helped out a lot," said Nugent. "I was able to get single blocks to hit past and they had to pay a lot more attention to Andrew because he was hitting so well so he really helped the whole team."
Roberts has been on the team for four years now and is one of the veterans who head coach Mark Pavlik leans on for leadership. He also knows the system extremely well due to the amount of time he has been a Nittany Lion.
"He's an old man," said Pavlik. "He did a great job coming in and filling a role for us. He knows the system very well and he is a reliable player so we feel confident putting him in a lot of different scenarios."
Roberts compiled nine kills on the night and hit over .400. He was consistent and really provided a rhythm for the Nittany Lions who were lacking just that in the first set.
"I wasn't really sure how it was going to go," said Roberts. "After I got that first kill I started to get into a rhythm and then I just played my game and took swings like I know how to."
Coming off their first weekend sweep of the year, Penn State has now won seven sets in a row and nine of its last 10. The Nittany Lions will have a lighter schedule next weekend as they only play one game. They will be away at St. Francis on Saturday.