Friday, January 10, 2014

Hawaii vs Penn State

Outrigger Warrior Invitational

Penn State Nittany Lions
2014 Record: (0-1) (0-0)
Top Players: Aaron Russell, Peter Russell, Connor Curry
Head Coach: Mark Pavlik
Series Record: 12-8
Last Meeting: Jan. 10, 2013 (3-2 PSU)

Coverage:
Televised: OCSports
Live Stats: HawaiiAthletics

Set One: 25-20 (Penn State)
There was the same starters as opening night and Hawaii started off really slow. However Penn State played well. Their libero Connor Curry had eight digs in this set alone and that stat is impressive in a women's game as well. Tonight seems to be the opposite of last night where Olsen and Zarkovic are playing the best but not much production from the middle.

Set Two: 25-22 (Hawaii)
Hawaii pulled off the set due to Aaron Russell having a few errors and cooling off. The a Warriors had better defense in digging and blocking. The only reserves this set were Timmer and Fey as serving specialists. Zarkovic still leading the team with his 10 kills. West also playing well with his kills and blocks.

Set Three: 26-24 (Hawaii)
This set was given to the team who can put the ball down first as both teams hit over .500 but Hawaii won it. The Warriors were up 15-11 at one point then subbed in Franciskovic as blocking sub for Ramos and seeing him win a joust with his 6'5" height excites me because he is athletic. Olsen and Zarkovic continued to impress along with West.

Set Four: 25-21 (Hawaii)
There was more good rallies in this set and some good digs. Sedore struggled throughout the match so he didn't start and freshman Hendrik Mol had his collegiate debut. Franciskovic and Fey both came in as subs. Fey had a nice serve and dig on match point. Zarkovic also had two clutch kills at the end of the set.

Overall:
Penn State brought out Hawaii's flaws which was their block. However Hawaii cleaned it up throughout the next few sets and Penn State made more errors than usual. There were a few career highs tonight with Zarkovic and his 22 kills, Olsen getting 15 kills, Fey with two digs, Mol with three kills, and Kanatake with seven digs. This match also showed that Hawaii can play against top teams.

Next Up:
UCLA Bruins 
1/11/14: 7pm HT (Outrigger Invitational Day 3) (Championship Match)

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