Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Lees-McRae on Senior Night
Penn State built on its three game winning streak as they took down the Lees-McRae Bobcats at Rec Hall, 3-0, on Friday.
The Nittany Lions opened the game strong, racing to a 7-2 lead. Sophomore Aaron Russell tallied up six first set kills to help lead the Nittany to a dominant 25-15 first set win in one where it looked as though they could do no wrong.
Lees-McRae continued to have no answer in the second set for Penn State's dominant attack as Russell continued his strong play with a hulk-like serve that caught the center of the Bobcats defense for an ace and Penn State's 19th point of the set. The Bobcats were able extend the set one point after a center line violation. The Lions ended up winning the set 25-16 on the next point.
Kyle Mars arose an x-factor off the bench as the senior outside hitter continued the very efficient play for the Nittany Lions in the third set, showing his skills on both sides of the ball, throwing up seven kills of his own along with two blocks. The Lions went on to win the set, 25-20.
After the game, Mars, the senior from Rochester, NY, gave some praise to his fellow teammate Scott Kegerreis following their dominating senior day performance.
"It’s things that me and Scott are used to doing, coming off the bench and doing what we can for the team. But there was some senior night flow and it was fun to play back in Rec Hall."
Head Coach Mike Pavlik addressed how desperation and experience has played a huge role in the team's bench production and success.
"It seems to pop up just about every time we sit in here. We have experienced depth and at this time of year with that experienced depth through our seniors so there is a little bit of desperation since this is their last go around. At this time of year it is something that's good to have."
Penn State will be on the road again to play their next game on April 12th when they play the 21-6 Concordia University Eagles in Irvine, CA. With a challenge awaiting them, the Nittany Lions have a week to prepare to go for what could be their third winning streak of the season of at least five games.
Zachary Lacher is a junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email zjl5023@psu.edu.
