Men’s Volleyball Shocks No. 10 Penn State in Five Sets

Box Score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The IPFW men's volleyball team defeated No. 10 Penn State on Saturday night 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 19-25, 27-25, 15-11). This is the first win versus a ranked opponent this season for the Mastodons and the first win over Penn State since 2007.

The Mastodons recorded two wins versus ranked opponents last year as they took down No. 6 Lewis 3-2 at the Gates Sports Center on Feb. 3 and then recorded a 3-2 road win over No. 14 Loyola on Feb. 24. They have faced two ranked teams before tonight, playing both matches on the road.

The last time IPFW hosted Penn State in the Gates Sports Center was back during the 2011 season. PSU escaped with a 3-2 win on April 16, but they were not lucky enough to do that on Saturday as the Mastodons improve to 8-7 on the year with a 3-2 victory.

Eddie Rivera recorded his third double-double of the season with a team-high 15 kills and 10 digs. Rivera was the only Mastodon to reach a double figure kill total, but Luis Bertran joined his effort on the defensive side with a game-high 15 digs.

IPFW won the battle at the net with 14 team blocks compared to just six from Penn State. Ramon Burgos and Anthony Randolph each had five, but it was Bryan Saunders who led the team with six.

Penn State had three players record 10 kills or more. Aaron Russell was an impact player with 19 kills and 10 digs. Taylor Hammond was in charge of setting everyone up as he ended the game with 56 assists.

The opening set was close until Penn State went on a 3-0 run that gave them an 11-7 edge. The Nittany Lions kept the momentum and opened up an 18-10 advantage before an attack error ended the streak. The Mastodons got rolling late to erase part of the lead, but PSU was able to jump out to a 1-0 lead by recording a 25-18 win.

IPFW trailed Penn State early in the second set, but the highly contested game would be tied up at 15-15 thanks to a kill from Eddie Rivera. Neither team could separate themselves from the other as the score remained tied at 23-23. Eddie Rivera got IPFW to set point with a kill off an assist from Omar Rivera and a bad set from Taylor Hammond tied the game at 1-1 going into the break.

The third set featured back and forth action early in the game. Andy Sellan tied the set at 8-8, but the Nittany Lions went on a 5-0 run that forced IPFW to burn a timeout. After the pause in the action IPFW came out and scored the next three points of the game. It was then Penn State's turn to use a timeout. PSU took a close 13-11 advantage and turned it into a 19-13 lead. The Nittany Lions kept a four to five point cushion the rest of the way as they went up 2-1 with a 25-19 win.

IPFW showed toughness by pulling out a 27-25 win in set four. They quickly made a statement in the game by going up 7-2 early. The Nittany Lions would regroup and eventually tie the game at 11-11, but a sting of errors would push IPFW back out in front 16-11.

Penn State wouldn't go away in set four as Aaron Russell went on a roll by scoring three straight points for his team which tied the game at 21-21. The game was tied multiple times down the stretch, but it was an IPFW service error that knotted the game at 25-25. Ramon Burgos put IPFW at set point with a kill from Omar Rivera and Anthony Randolph iced the game with a service ace sending the match to a fifth set.

IPFW never trailed Penn State in the fifth set as they went on to record a big home win at the Gates Sports Center. The Nittany Lions burned a timeout after kills from Randolph and Omar Rivera which made the score 7-4. The game got within two at 9-7 after an IPFW service error, but the 'Dons kept their composure and would eventually hold a 14-10 advantage after a Randolph kill. PSU got to 11 points, but an attack error ended the night as IPFW pulled off the upset.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Men’s Volleyball Shocks No. 10 Penn State in Five Sets

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