Conference News
No. 14 Ohio State Upsets No. 6 Penn State
No. 14 Ohio State Upsets No. 6 Penn
State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 21, 2010 – The
sixth-ranked Penn State men’s volleyball team (16-4) suffered
a 3-1 (25-30, 30-20, 27-30, 23-30) No. 14 Ohio State (13-7) on
Sunday evening. The match will re-air tonight on the Big Ten
Network tonight at 9:30 p.m.
The loss was the first in Rec Hall for the Nittany Lions since the
NCAA National Championship match in 2006. UCLA won the title with a
3-0 sweep of PSU. Ohio State won its first match in the confines of
Rec Hall against PSU since a 3-0 victory against the Lions on Jan.
12, 1999.
Senior Max Lipsitz (Williamsville, N.Y.) led the Lions with 15
kills, while redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder (Greensburg, Pa.) was
second on the team with 14 kills and senior Will Price
(Gaithersburg, Md.) had 13. Redshirt sophomore Edgardo Goas (San
Juan, Puerto Rico) dished out 51 assists and had two aces. Junior
Dennis Del Valle (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) had a team-best 12 digs.
Freshman Nick Turko (Lewisberry, Pa.) led the team with five
blocks, while Lipsitz had four with two solo.
Penn State’s attack percentage was .314 to OSU’s .283
and the Lions outblocked the Buckeyes 10-9. However, Ohio State put
down 66 kills, had nine assists and 41 digs. The Nittany Lions
posted 56 kills, just two aces and 40 digs.
The Buckeyes grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first set, but an OSU
service error and back-to-back PSU blocks put the Lions in front,
4-3. Penn State maintained the lead until a 4-0 run by the Buckeyes
pushed Ohio State in front, 12-11. By midway through the set, the
score was tied at 15-15, but Penn State didn’t take the lead
until a Price kill and a OSU attack error made it 18-17 Penn State.
The teams remained close and when the Buckeyes took a 21-20 lead,
the Lions called a timeout. The break failed to slow the Buckeyes
who used a 3-1 run for a 24-21 advantage. A Sunder kill and an OSU
attack error brought the Lions within one and forced a Buckeye
timeout. Two straight Ohio State kills put the Buckeyes within four
points of taking set one, 26-23. Penn State called a timeout and
managed just two additional points on OSU service errors before the
Buckeyes claimed set one on a PSU service error, 30-25.
The second set started out close, but three straight Penn State
kills had the Lions leading, 10-6. Following an Ohio State timeout,
the Buckeyes fought to within two, 10-8, with a kill and a stuff.
Penn State was soon back up by four with a joint block by Price,
Turko and sophomore Ryan Wolf (York, Pa.) and an OSU error. Penn
State maintained at least a two-point lead until two consecutive
OSU kills had the Buckeyes within one, 15-14. A 6-0 PSU run shut
down the Buckeyes as the Lions surged ahead to a comfortable 21-14
lead. Penn State closed out the set holding the Buckeyes to just 20
points. Price and Turko had two kills apiece and Sunder and Lipsitz
had one to help Penn State win the second set, 30-20.
The third set was also close from the beginning with the scoring
tying nine times before a 3-0 run by the Buckeyes had Penn State
trailing, 13-10. The Buckeyes maintained control of the set and
with the help of five PSU errors had a 20-15 lead. A putdown by
Lipsitz and an OSU error brought the Lions within three, 20-17. The
teams traded points, but two Lipsitz kills and one from Price put
the Lions within two of tying the set, 23-21. The Nittany Lions
came within one on four occasions, but an OSU kill and a PSU error
allowed Ohio State the 30-27 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
Despite a small 6-4 lead in the fourth set, a 5-1 run by the
Buckeyes was the beginning of the end of the match. An early PSU
timeout failed to slow the Buckeyes who began a breakaway with an
8-5 run for a 18-12 lead. Turko, Sunder and Price each tallied a
kill for Penn State in the run. The Nittany Lions called a second
timeout and a service error put the Lions within five, 18-13.
However, the Buckeyes did not slow and a kill and two straight OSU
aces had Ohio State ahead, 24-16. After a service error by each
squad, two Ohio State kills had the Buckeyes within three of
winning the match, 27-18. A Sunder kill and an OSU attack error put
PSU within seven, 27-20, but answered back with two kills to be in
match-point position, 29-20. Penn State managed a 3-0 run and
forced a Buckeye timeout, but OSU closed out the match with a kill
for a 30-23 victory.








