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May 1, 2009

EIVA No. 1 Penn State (AVCA No. 5) Downs No. 5 Mason and Returns to the EIVA Championship Match

EIVA No. 1 Penn State (AVCA No. 5) Downs No. 5 Mason and Returns to the EIVA Championship Match

Reporter: Mark Myers
Special to EIVAvolleyball.com

There are ways to start to a match. And there's the way Penn State middle hitter Max Holt started the EIVA semifinals last night.

Holt's seven-point opening service line read: Ace, ace, Nittany Lion kill, George Mason attack error, ace, ace, and service error.

So, apparently, the only player who can stop Holt is Holt.

"I'll be honest. The only thing that gets in my head early on is how many points we can get," Holt said. "But when I start getting near eight aces [his Penn State record], I start pressing to get it, and I start making mistakes."

Holt's four-aces foreshadowed a match that would be thoroughly dominated by the Nittany Lions. His current total of 77 aces has already shattered his own Penn State single-season record of 55, which he set in 2007.

Penn State advanced to its eleventh consecutive EIVA final with a 3-0 (30-19, 30-22, 30-21) sweep of the fifth-seeded Patriots.

"We got beat pretty bad tonight. We couldn't match up to their power. The statistics, they just verify that," George Mason coach Fred Cho said. "You guys all saw the match; it was a bit of a bludgeoning."

Penn State hit a ridiculous .458 as a team, including a .582 percentage in the final set. The aforementioned Holt and fellow middle hitter Max Lipsitz combined for only 13 kills, but it was the Lions outside hitting duo of Will Price and Joe Sunder who led the Penn State offense. Sunder led both teams with 15 kills.

"I thought this was a really good way to open up EIVA playoffs for us against a team that we have a lot of respect for," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "Mason's been here in this position many times. I think we all know that they can do some damage."

In years past, the Lions Achilles' heel heading into tournament play was their service game. Penn State's jump serves were often inconsistent and would always be part of the reason for its routine exits in the NCAA Semifinals.

But over the last two years, the servers, especially Holt and last year's AVCA co-National Player of the Year, Matt Anderson, have allowed the Lions win some easy points, which is key in May.

"I think these guys are doing a pretty good job of recognizing that they don't want to be behind the line and cost our team chances to score," Pavlik said. "Serving is the one chance where you can be a little selfish and score those points."

Another improvement seen in the defending national champions is its defensive mentality. Pavlik said the Lions see an opponent's two-point run as a bleeding situation, but if they get it to three, the defense is hemorrhaging.

That defensive philosophy will have to continue if the Lions want to advance to Provo, Utah, and the NCAA national championships next week.

"At the beginning of matches, teams stay focused and then all the sudden something will happen to bring the momentum," Pavlik said. "We're tough to score on and I think that's what wears a team down."



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Conference News 2005-06 \| 2006-07 \| 2007-08 \| 2008-09 \| 2009-10 May 1, 2009 EIVA No. 1 Penn State (AVCA No. 5) Downs No. 5 Mason and Returns to the EIVA Championship Match EIVA No. 1 Penn State (AVCA No. 5) Downs No. 5 Mason and Returns to the EIVA Championship Match Reporter: Mark Myers Special to EIVAvolleyball.com There are ways to start to a match. And there's the way Penn State middle hitter Max Holt started the EIVA semifinals last night. Holt's seven-point opening service line read: Ace, ace, Nittany Lion kill, George Mason attack error, ace, ace, and service error. So, apparently, the only player who can stop Holt is Holt. "I'll be honest. The only thing that gets in my head early on is how many points we can get," Holt said. "But when I start getting near eight aces [his Penn State record], I start pressing to get it, and I start making mistakes." Holt's four-aces foreshadowed a match that would be thoroughly dominated by the Nittany Lions. His current total of 77 aces has already shattered his own Penn State single-season record of 55, which he set in 2007. Penn State advanced to its eleventh consecutive EIVA final with a 3-0 (30-19, 30-22, 30-21) sweep of the fifth-seeded Patriots. "We got beat pretty bad tonight. We couldn't match up to their power. The statistics, they just verify that," George Mason coach Fred Cho said. "You guys all saw the match; it was a bit of a bludgeoning." Penn State hit a ridiculous .458 as a team, including a .582 percentage in the final set. The aforementioned Holt and fellow middle hitter Max Lipsitz combined for only 13 kills, but it was the Lions outside hitting duo of Will Price and Joe Sunder who led the Penn State offense. Sunder led both teams with 15 kills. "I thought this was a really good way to open up EIVA playoffs for us against a team that we have a lot of respect for," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "Mason's been here in this position many times. I think we all know that they can do some damage." In years past, the Lions Achilles' heel heading into tournament play was their service game. Penn State's jump serves were often inconsistent and would always be part of the reason for its routine exits in the NCAA Semifinals. But over the last two years, the servers, especially Holt and last year's AVCA co-National Player of the Year, Matt Anderson, have allowed the Lions win some easy points, which is key in May. "I think these guys are doing a pretty good job of recognizing that they don't want to be behind the line and cost our team chances to score," Pavlik said. "Serving is the one chance where you can be a little selfish and score those points." Another improvement seen in the defending national champions is its defensive mentality. Pavlik said the Lions see an opponent's two-point run as a bleeding situation, but if they get it to three, the defense is hemorrhaging. That defensive philosophy will have to continue if the Lions want to advance to Provo, Utah, and the NCAA national championships next week. "At the beginning of matches, teams stay focused and then all the sudden something will happen to bring the momentum," Pavlik said. "We're tough to score on and I think that's what wears a team down."