No. 13 Penn State Men’s Volleyball Trounces St. Francis in EIVA Conference Opener
No. 13 M. Volleyball (6-4, 1-0) wasted no time in showing dominance in the EIVA Conference by demolishing St. Francis in three sets on Friday night at Rec Hall.
Around one thousand fans filled the stands on west campus to welcome the teams into conference play this past weekend.
“The attendance was about 1,000,” said Head Coach Mark Pavlik. “But the people in the stands made it feel more like 3,000. Our players fed off their energy.”
Penn State did not disappoint the passionate crowd, and opened the first set with a 3-0 run. Although St. Francis made multiple attempts to tie things up, Penn State eventually took an 11-9 lead and never looked back, claiming the first set 25-21.
The second and third sets showed strategy and poise by the Blue and White, who captured the sets 25-20 and 25-18, respectively.
The team was able to secure that final set win thanks to a match high sideout percentage of 72.
Consistent standout Chris Nugent (Fair Lawn, N.J.) tallied the highest number of team kills for the day with 16, while Luke Braswell (Manchester, Pa.) contributed 35 essential assists.
Nugent also notched the team high digs with eight.
Quiet but hardworking Calvin Mende (Redlands, Calif.) added 11 kills to secure the team win.
“I thought we were as aggressive as we’ve been all season long,” said Pavlik. “If we can keep moving in this direction, I like the achievement level that is possible for us at the end of the year.”
Penn State Men’s Volleyball hits the road for New Jersey this coming weekend as the team faces off against NJIT at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 10.
Around one thousand fans filled the stands on west campus to welcome the teams into conference play this past weekend.
“The attendance was about 1,000,” said Head Coach Mark Pavlik. “But the people in the stands made it feel more like 3,000. Our players fed off their energy.”
Penn State did not disappoint the passionate crowd, and opened the first set with a 3-0 run. Although St. Francis made multiple attempts to tie things up, Penn State eventually took an 11-9 lead and never looked back, claiming the first set 25-21.
The second and third sets showed strategy and poise by the Blue and White, who captured the sets 25-20 and 25-18, respectively.
The team was able to secure that final set win thanks to a match high sideout percentage of 72.
Consistent standout Chris Nugent (Fair Lawn, N.J.) tallied the highest number of team kills for the day with 16, while Luke Braswell (Manchester, Pa.) contributed 35 essential assists.
Nugent also notched the team high digs with eight.
Quiet but hardworking Calvin Mende (Redlands, Calif.) added 11 kills to secure the team win.
“I thought we were as aggressive as we’ve been all season long,” said Pavlik. “If we can keep moving in this direction, I like the achievement level that is possible for us at the end of the year.”
Penn State Men’s Volleyball hits the road for New Jersey this coming weekend as the team faces off against NJIT at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 10.
