| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | #10 Penn State
| 25 | 28 | 29 | 3 | | #12 USC | 22 | 26 | 27 | 0 |
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| Penn State Statistical Leaders | | - Kills: J. Penrose - 17 - .462 (17-5-26) | | - Blocks: M. Callaway -4 | | - Digs: R. Clemens- 11 | | - Aces: C. Nugent - 2 |
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| Stat Comparison | PSU | USC | | Kills | 46 | 39 | | Hitting Pct. | .277 | .256 | Assists
| 43 | 37 | | Aces | 4 | 4 | | Digs | 30 | 24 | Blocks
| 7.0 | 3.5 |
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Jan. 7, 2016
- Post-Game Press Conference
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 10 Penn State men's volleyball (1-0) swept No. 12 USC (0-1) (25-22, 28-26, 29-27) in their season-opening match as they hosted the Trojans on the first day of the PAC-12/Big Ten Challenge at Rec Hall.
Jalen Penrose (17) and Chris Nugent (15) led Penn State with double figure kills on the night. Matt Callaway finished the match with five blocks, while Royce Clemens finished with 11 digs in his Penn State debut.
Nugent and Penrose would both finish hitting above .400 on the night with at least 15 kills each.
The Nittany Lions and the Trojans battled point-for-point, tying the score 10 times, before a pair of back-to-back blocks from Matt Callaway gave the Nittany Lions a 19-18 lead late in the first set. Penn State would capture the first set on a 6-3 run following the blocks by Callaway.
"I liked the calm intensity we had out there," said head coach Mark Pavlik. "We didn't try to do more than we were capable of, I think we just had the belief in what we've been doing and let that carry us through."
Penn State came out in the second set on the attack taking an early 4-0 lead over USC.
USC would go on a 9-5 run to knot things up at nine apiece early in the second set. Penn State and USC continued to trade points, tying the score up six times before arriving at a 23-23 tie. The Nittany Lions looked to regroup following their second timeout of the set, but a service error by each team would see Penn State and USC tied again at 24-24.
Junior Chris Nugent would contribute on every point during the 4-1 run to take the second set as Nugent recorded three kills and assist Callaway on a block sending USC to the third set down 0-2.
As they had all game long, USC and Penn State would trade points early on before meeting at a 10-10 tie off a kill from Lee Smith. PSU and USC continued to keep it tight throughout the frame.
Tied up at 16-16, USC used a 4-0 run to pull ahead by four, forcing Penn State to take two timeouts over that stretch. The Trojans looked to finish out the set strong but a 7-3 run by the Lions would see the teams once again tied at 23-23. Penn State would finish the set, and the game, on a 6-4 run as an attack error by USC capped the night for the Trojans who fell to 0-1 on the season.
Next up, Penn State closes out the PAC-12/Big Ten Challenge with a matchup against UCLA. The Nittany Lions and the fifth-ranked Bruins square off at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8. Fans can catch a live stream of the event on GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State men's volleyball is on Facebook and Twitter! Fans can follow the Nittany Lions @PennStateMVBALL or online at www.facebook.com/PennStateMensVolleyball.
