Penn State Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Grand Canyon for 2nd Time in 2 Matches
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State flexed its muscles yet again at Rec Hall, defeating Grand Canyon in straight sets for the second straight match.
The Nittany Lions came flying out of the gates taking a 6-1 advantage early and forcing Grand Canyon coach Matt Werle to use a timeout.
Penn State continued to dominate the first set, showing off their size with blocks at the net and skill with effective service.
Grand Canyon continued to battle and capitalize off Penn State mistakes getting as close as four points. The Antelopes continued to stay within arms reach, but Penn State eventually finished off the first set taking it 25-18.
Penn State had five service aces in the first set compared to zero for Grand Canyon.
Cal Fisher, who led Penn State with four service aces on the night, said he had been tweaking with his serve but went back to what he was doing before. Fisher said he hopes to improve his toss a bit more and mostly work on consistency.
The second set was a much closer affair with the Nittany Lions and Lopes exchanging scores in rapid fashion. The second frame featured 11 ties yet the blue and white remained calm throughout.
“I think that’s really the personality of this team,” Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. “Nothing rattles these guys.”
Pavlik later went as far as to credit his players’ parents for the coolness they have exhibited on the court in the first handful of matches.
Penn State pulled away late in the frame and finished with a 7-0 run winning the set 25-18.
The Nittany Lions never allowed the Lopes to score more than 18 points in all three sets.
The Nittany Lions had a much more comfortable third set keeping the Lopes at arms length throughout. They finished Grand Canyon off in dominant fashion winning the third set 25-13.
Penn State was certainly feeding off the energy of their home crowd in the first few games of the season.
“The Wrecking Crew has stepped up a lot this year,” Fisher said.
Fisher even credited the volleyball student section for cracking some good jokes and teammate Sam Marsh admitted it is hard to always be stone cold when the crowd is as active as they were tonight.
Fisher led the way for Penn State with 15 kills and four service aces, both marks that led all players in the match.
Up next Penn State heads on the road for the first time this season without losing one set in their first four matches this season. The Nittany Lions will take on USC on Friday night for the Big Ten/Pac 12 challenge.
Maclain Young is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.
