Jan. 28, 2011
By Kelsey Detweiler, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Bump, set, spike, dive - Penn State volleyball returns to the main gym of Rec Hall this weekend as the men's volleyball team faces two non-conference foes.
The No. 8 Nittany Lions will open with a Friday night matchup against No. 15 Loyola at 7 p.m. Penn State is 7-7 all-time against the Ramblers, and Loyola captured wins the last two times the teams met.
At 7 p.m. on Saturday evening, Penn State will then take on the Flyers of Lewis in yet another non-conference event. The No. 18 Flyers are on a 5-0 hot streak to begin their season.
No. 15 Loyola
The Ramblers are 4-0 this season under Loyola's most winningest men's volleyball coach Shane Davis, who captured his 150th career win this past week. The team is deep in experience this year as it has returned ten letterwinners to the roster, but the Ramblers have also added seven new faces to their 2011 roster.
Standing at 6-foot-6, junior opposite hitter Domenic Dewaele leads Loyola with a commanding average of 5.17 kills per set, followed by junior outside hitter Mike Bunting with a 3.73 average. Look for redshirt senior and setter Mike Hutz to be controlling the offense as he has recorded 147 assists already this season for an average 12.25 assists per set.
On defense, freshman opposite hitter Torey Darin leads the Ramblers with an average of 1.50 digs per set while Hutz is averaging 1.25 of his own. Freshman middle hitter Tim Frydendall has been solid to start this season as well, posting 9 total blocks already for an average of 1.12 blocks per set. The height of this Loyola men's team is a force to be reckoned with as the team has tallied and average of 2.31 blocks per set.
No. 18 Lewis
The Flyers are coming off a rewarding sweep over Lindenwood last week and have earned an undefeated 5-0 mark to start the season. Lewis is 7-15 all-time against the Nittany Lions, and has not defeated Penn State since 2004. The Flyers are a young team this season, carrying nine freshman and four sophomores on their 2011 roster.
So far this season the Flyers are out-hitting their opponents .339 to .168. Four of the starting players for Lewis are hitting .500 or better. Red-shirt freshman outside hitter Michael Adams and red-shirt freshman BJ Boldog share an average of .500, just below red-shirt junior middle blocker Aaron Flick who boasts an impressive .509 hitting percentage. However, still better year and leading the team in offensive power is sophomore middle blocker Rudy Brynac with an average of .571.
Boldog will be setting for the Flyers as he has already racked up 172 assists for an average of 10.75 assists per set.
With only one member of the team standing shorter than 6-foot-3, the Flyers have started to rely heavily on their big blocking. Four Lewis players are averaging .50 blocks per set or better, led by red-shirt junior middle blocker Matt Gallik with an average of .79 blocks per set. Gallik has already notched 11 total blocks including two solo blocks.
No. 8 Penn State
Our Nittany Lions are off to a good start as well with a 4-1 record overall, dropping only their first match to UCLA when they began play in Honolulu this season. Since that loss, Penn State has been on a 4-match winning streak and is hoping to take home two more this weekend to put the streak at 6.
Led by recently named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the week Joe Sunder, the Nittany Lion offense is becoming stronger and stronger each week. Red-shirt junior and outside hitter Sunder has already tallied 103 kills this season for an average of 5.42 kills per set. The next closest teammate behind Sunder is sophomore opposite hitter Tom Comfort with a 2.79 average.
Redshirt junior setter Edgardo Goas will be controlling the Nittany Lion offense as he has assisted his teammates 206 times this season for an average of 10.84 assists per set. Last week, Goas was named the EIVA Tait Player of the Week.
Goas also leads Penn State with 22 digs for an average 1.15 digs per set this season. The Nittany Lions average 1.74 blocks per set, but they are making good progress. Freshman outside hitter Nick Turko has contributed to 8 total blocks for an average of 1.00 blocks per set, and sophomore middle hitter Ian Hendries has established himself with 12 total blocks for an average of .86.
The Nittany Lions are heading into their second week of play at home and are looking to make things happen. Come out and watch No. 8 Penn State as they take on these two non-conference opponents.
