Penn State's quest to win a third national championship was ended last night by top-ranked Stanford and their outside hitter Brad Lawson, who finished the match with a .821 hitting percentage and only one error from 28 swings. Stanford swept the Nittany Lions (30-25, 30-20, 30-18) to win their second national title.
With the teams even at 15-15 in the first set and both teams hitting well, Stanford turned to their serve to create free points. Three aces and several overpasses in the second half of the set enabled them to pull away and win the set 30-25. Despite the five point margin, Penn State still seemed to be in the match and carried this momentum into the second set.
More after the jump.
Finals Week has come and gone. Summer is upon us. As you pack up your car and prepare to leave Happy Valley for a few months, know that Onward State isn't going anywhere.
Just as we have been your go-to source for interesting news about Penn State and the surrounding community throughout the school year, the summer promises more of the same.
Read more after the jump.
Last night in Stanford, California, the #3 seed Penn State men's volleyball team took down #2 Cal State Northridge in dominating fashion. The Nittany Lions swept the Matadors 3-0 (30-21, 30-23, 30-28) to lock down their 2nd national championship berth in the last three years. Senior Will Price and Sophomore Joe Sunder both led the team with 18 kills each. First team All-American Max Lipsitz led both teams with nine blocks from the middle.
With the men's team in the national championship this year, Penn State has had a team (men or women) in the finals of the volleyball national championship in five of the last six opportunities. The women's team, of course, has won three national championships in a row, going back to 2007. They have been utterly dominant in the sport, having strung together 102 consecutive wins.
More after the jump.
Jared Judge sent in this helpful end-of-the-year tip for Onward State readers.
Students can return unused printer pages for LionCash (at 5 cents a page) by logging in at https://clc.its.psu.edu/Users/PrintingInfo.aspx and clicking the 'return' link next to the 'Buy Pages' button. It is a hidden feature that can only be used once a semester.
My question is: if IST students get unlimited printing, can they return unlimited pages for... unlimited LionCash!?! (Answer: no, no they can't.)
As the days grow hotter, so does the Penn State baseball team. The Lions have won their past two Big Ten weekend series against Ohio State and Michigan State, going 5-1 while averaging 14 runs/game during the span, including a 22-5 shellacking of the Spartans this past Saturday. With 10 games left on the schedule, Penn State finds themselves tied for third place in the conference, two games behind first placers Michigan and Northwestern. Their hot streak needs to continue in order to make the Big Ten Tournament, where only the top six teams compete.
One reason for Penn State's success is junior catcher and Johnny Bench Award nominee Ben Heath. Pitchers have not been able to contain him this year, as he is hitting a .383 batting average with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs. He is also masterful behind the plate, sporting a .989 fielding percentage. I was able to ask him a few questions on his accomplishments and this year's team. After the jump: what he had to tell me.
School may be out for summer, but Talor Battle will return to classes in the fall. According to FOX23 out of Battle's hometown of Albany, New York, a text message confirmed that the star guard of the Nittany Lions will take his name out of the NBA draft and return to Happy Valley for his senior season.
Neither the Penn State Athletic Office nor the NBA have not confirmed the validity of Battle's change of heart yet. He is still going to Oregon today to work out with the Portland Trailblazers, and he has until Saturday to officially withdraw his name from the draft.
More details after the jump.