STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 2, 2001 -- The Penn State men's volleyball team fell to Hawai'i in an emotional five-game preseason exhibition match at Rec Hall Friday night, 26-30, 30-27, 26-30, 30-23, 22-24. Juniors
Zeljko Koljesar (Kitchener, Ontario) and
Carlos Guerra (Tamaulipus, Mexico) had 27 kills apiece to pace the Nittany Lions. First team All-American Costas Theocharidis tallied 23 kills to lead the Warriors while Dean Miladinovic added 22.
The Nittany Lions started out quick in the first game, going ahead 14-8 on a Warrior service error. But behind strong serving by Theocharidis, Hawai'i came back to knot the score at 18. From then on the teams traded points until a 6-2 run at the end of the game sealed it for the Warriors.
The second stanza was much of the same. With the scored tied at 24, sophomore middle hitter Norm Keil (St. James, N.Y.) tallied a kill that would prove to put the Lions up for good. A Guerra kill ended the game at 30-27. The Nittany Lions hit .324 in the second game, compared to .233 for the Warriors.
After the break, the Warriors came out strong behind kills from several different players. But Penn State was able to regain ground behind the strong play of Guerra and Koljesar. A Warrior service error would tie the game at 17, but that is as close as the Lions would get in game three. Two Hawaii kills ended the game 30-26.
Game four began with a 6-2 Nittany Lion run behind tough serving from junior Kevin Hodge (Dublin, Ohio). This margin, along with the play of Penn State, would prove too much for Hawai'i, as the Lions never trailed. The closest the Warriors would come would be 13-14, but three Guerra kills squelched any idea of a Hawai'i comeback. Penn State went on to win game four 30-23.
The Nittany Lions started game five on fire. Five Penn State kills and a Hodge service ace put the Lions up 7-2. But the side change at eight points proved to be a momentum change as well. Two Penn State errors knotted the score at 10, and from then on the two teams traded points, kills and superb play. Senior setter Jos¨¦ Qui?ones (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) made a spectacular save in the bleachers followed by a Guerra kill to tie the score at 14. Another Guerra kill from the left side put the Lions up 15-14, but an out-of-bounds block knotted the score at 15. A Penn State attack error gave the Warriors the advantage at 16-15, but Guerra added another kill, this time from the right side, to stave off another match point. Hodge and Guerra combined for a block to put the Lions up 17-16. Penn State service and attack errors again tied the score, 17-17. Penn State fought off another match point when Koljesar and senior Jason Hawkins (Lake Mary, Fla.) combined for a monster block to tie the score at 19. Hawaii went up 20-19 with a Miladinovic tip to the middle of the floor, but Koljesar answered with a rip from behind the three-meter line. A block by Guerra and Qui?ones put the Lions up 21-20, only to be answered by Miladinovic. The teams exchanged kills again, but two attack errors ended the game for the Nittany Lions, 24-22.
Qui?ones ended the night with 78 assists. The Penn State career assist leader also tallied six kills and seven digs. Libero Ricky Mattei (San Juan, Puerto Rico) paced the Lion defensively with a match-high 17 digs.
Penn State will be back in action Saturday night, Nov. 3, at Rec Hall to complete their two-match exhibition series with Hawai'i. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
