Nittany Lions improve to 5-1 record with win over Trojans – Volleyball news
The men’s volleyball team of Mount Olive University (Trojans) was challenged by Nittany Lions of Penn State in a Penn State Invitational match on Friday, February 3.
The Lions demonstrated better game and stamped straight set win over Trojans. The finals set scores were 25-20, 25-6 and 25-12. It was the third consecutive victory for Lions and they improved to an overall record of 5-1 in the 2012 season.
On the other hand, Mount Olive (2-5) remained in the cold waters and suffered the loss of fourth match in row.
The Penn State Lions deserved to win the match as they recorded a colossal .507 hitting percentage against Mount Olive. They notched up a total of 41 kills, added seven aces, and had 21 digs.
On the defence side, they added 11.5 total team blocks. In response, the opposite team could only add 20 kills, 12 digs, and 3 blocks in the match. Overall, the Lions of Penn State dominated the Trojans and restricted them to a low score.
Sophomore Peter Russell, Freshman Aaron Russell, and sophomore Jace Olsen played amazingly well and hugely contributed to the success of Nittany Lions.
The first whistle of referee unleashed the Lions and they came up with powerful serves. The Trojans also showed good energy level and competed well in the first stanza. Both sides looked steady and score soared with close gaps.
As the game progressed, the exchange of long rallies started. The Lions attacked via junior Nick Turko and Nick Goodell and picked up lead before Trojans went up on scoreboard with two-point margin, 18-16. A 4-0 run once again put the Lions in lead. Mount
Olive tried to catch up but faced utmost resistance. Pumped-up Lions continued with success and went on front with set 1 win at 25-20.
Second set of the game turned out to be a one-sided affair. PSU totally benefitted the competitive edge and built a strong lead of 10-2. The Trojans trailed behind and caught up in a flurry of mistakes.
However, the PSU Lions did not show mercy and added quick points to cover the length of second set. The Trojans badly failed in the all respects and ended up with only six points in the second set. Penn State extended its lead to 2-1 by winning second set,
25-6.
Mount Olive was devastated after losing second set with such big margin. Tons of pressure mounted on them, which further affected their performance.
On the contrary, the PSU enjoyed a great rhythm and tone, and produced hits after hits. They rallied from an early lead of 8-2 to 14-4. With nice perfect combination of attack and defence tactics, they achieved a comfortable win over Mount Olive in third
set, 25-12.
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