Men’s Volleyball Suffers First Setback

Friday, January 17

University Park, Pa.

7 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

2-1

Penn State

2-2

IPFW

Penn State

1/17/2014 9:52:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

BOX SCORE | BOX SCORE (.pdf) | BOX SCORE (.html)

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In a showdown between two of the nation's top ranked teams, it was No. 12 Penn State who came out on top Friday night 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-23), handing the 14^th ranked IPFW men's volleyball team its first setback of the season.

Reigning MIVA Offensive Player of the Week Eddie Rivera recorded double digit kills for the third consecutive match to pace the Mastodons, finishing the night with 11 while adding a team-high six digs. Elon Fyfield followed with eight kills and Bryan Saunders and Ramon Burgos added seven apiece.

The night opened with a thrilling first set as no team led by more than two until the frame's final points. With the 'Dons trailing 20-18, a Penn State service error narrowed the deficit to one, but the Nittany Lions rebounded with two straight points to take the largest lead yet. IPFW attempted to rally back getting kills from Saunders and Fyfield to make it a 23-21 Penn State advantage, but back-to-back Mastodon errors gave the home team the first set 25-21.

The second set started just as tight with the teams battling back and forth playing to a 6-6 tie. However, it was all Penn State from there as the Nittany Lions reeled off three straight points before breaking it open with an 8-3 run, ultimately winning 25-16.

Trailing two sets to none, IPFW had its back against the wall in set three. Eddie Rivera and Omar Rivera combined for three kills to start the stanza to help propel the 'Dons out to an early 4-2 lead. The Mastodons would remain in front until a 3-1 run by Penn State tied the score 9-9. The Nittany Lions continued to ride their momentum, eventually pulling ahead 18-13. IPFW had one last rally in them scoring eight of the next ten points to retake the lead 21-20, but it wouldn't be enough. Penn State turned to its leader Aaron Russell, and the 2013 EIVA Player of the Year recorded two straight kills for PSU, as the Nittany Lions came from behind late to escape with the set 25-23 and complete the sweep.

After hitting .303 in the first set, IPFW struggled offensively over the next two hitting at a .182 and .171 clip. The 'Dons hit .219 for the match with 38 kills compared to Penn State who finished with a .322 hitting percentage and 43 kills.

IPFW will look to bounce back against the Saint Francis Red Flash tomorrow. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST inside DeGol Arena on the campus of Saint Francis University.

~ Feel the Rumble ~