Feb. 7, 2016
By Jack Milewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Penn State didn't need contributions from its entire lineup, but the Lions sure got just that in their straight-set victory over Mount Olive. Penn State won it's fourth straight match and turned to their deep bench for much of the second and third set.
The Nittany Lions rode key performances from a few players who normally fly under the radar as the reserves came in and took over the game for Penn State. The Nittany Lions have a plethora of talent on the bench and that was finally showcased tonight in the victory.
"We have to get them time," said Pavlik. "Tonight seemed like a good night to get a bunch of different guys looks and we were happy with the performance overall from everyone who played."
A regular starter, Spencer Sauter, led Penn State but two of the top three contributors kills-wise were players who aren't normal main stays in Penn State's starting lineup. Aidan Albrecht, who got the start, poured in eight kills while Lee Smith followed right behind with seven of his own. Albrecht, who joined the previous match against St. Francis in the second set, got 21 attempts on the night, a career high.
"He played great against St. Francis so we rewarded him with the start tonight," said Pavlik. "It wasn't just the game last week either, he had a really good week of practice as well."
Smith, who hasn't started a match yet this season for Penn State, came in as a sub early in the second set and stamped his footprint on the match with three kills soon after he was subbed in.
"[It was] good to get Lee and Kevin Gear some playing time in this game," said Pavlik. "There were some errors that they made but we expect that. For the most part I was very pleased with the effort from both of them and Lee played a very strong match for us on the outside."
Gear was also a strong contributor, like Pavlik mentioned. Despite the mishaps from the line and a communication error, Gear was consistent in the role he played. He put away three kills on three attempts and offered an imposing presence in the middle when Matt Seifert was out of the lineup.
The reserves for Penn State were the key contributors as Chris Nugent and Matt Seifert took a seat for the majority of the match. Still, even without possibly their two top players, the Nittany Lions seemed to not miss a single beat.
"I think it is because of the attention to detail everyone has at practice," said Pavlik. "We had a lot of guys playing tonight that haven't that much yet, but they didn't seem to miss a beat and everyone played well."
For Penn State, EIVA play will begin next weekend as they take on Harvard and Sacred Heart on the road. For the Nittany Lions, it is the first two game road trip of the season and a long one at that. Pavlik said that the only difference; however, is that the team will just have to get ahead of their academics in preparation.
"I don't think the mentality is much different for a road trip," said Pavlik. "The biggest thing for the players is to get ahead of their studies and prepare well. They have plenty of time to work on the bus so that is the only big difference on road trips."
Penn State will take on Harvard at 7 p.m. on Friday and then Sacred Heart on Saturday at 7 p.m.