Puerto Rican players lead no. 9 Penn State to victory against Saint Francis

Puerto Rican players lead no. 9 Penn State to victory against Saint Francis

University Park, PA

Redshirt Junior outside hitter Joe Sunder led no. 9 Penn State with 18 kills, Senior libero player from Toa Alta, PR, Dennis Del Valle had a team-high of eight digs, and the Nittany Lions had a four set victory (25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22) against the Red Flash from Saint Francis University.

San Juan, PR native setter Edgardo Goas (Redshirt Junior Penn State) made 43 assists, 6 kills and 6 digs on the opening night of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) 2011 tournament.

After a first set win, the Nittany Lions faced a tough Saint Francis team that started the second set with an early 6-0 lead. Early hitting error from Saint Francis gave Penn State a 9-8 second set lead, but the Red Flash’s powerful offensive attack combined with service and hitting errors made by the home team, prepared the scene for a third set that began with a tied match.

Service error from the Red Flash gave Penn State an 8-7 defining lead during the early stages of the third set.

The fourth set was not easy for Penn State as Saint Francis came close (24-22) on the score before the Nittany Lions secured the victory with a kill from Joe Sunder.

“The offense wasn’t flowing at the beginning. This was a tough night”, expressed Penn State’s setter Edgardo Goas. “On the last two sets, we were able to control the ball better.”

For the Red Flash, Collin Sherwin led the offensive with a total of 14 kills.

With the victory, Penn State improves to a 3-1 NCAA record (1-0 EIVA).

The Nittany Lions will play today at 4:00pm (5:00pm in Puerto Rico) against Springfield College.

Rafael Díaz-Torres
The Daily Sun
Puerto Rico