Klaas' 20 Kills Not Enough As No. 5 Penn State Defeats No. 14 Lewis, 3-1

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Four Flyers finished with double-digit kills but No. 5 Penn State defeated No. 14 Lewis 3-1 (30-26, 28-30, 30-25, 30-20) on Friday evening at Neil Carey Arena.

Senior Nathan Klaas (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) had a team-high 20 kills with seven digs. Freshman Ian Karbiener (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) recorded 14 kills and 12 digs. Junior Brian Muesenfechter (St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers) had 11 kills and 10 digs. Middle hitter Aaron Flick (North Ridgeville, Ohio/St. Edward) finished with 10 kills and hit .318. Senior setter Mike Iandolo (Orlando, Fla./Long Beach State) totaled 49 assists.

The first and third sets were similar with the Flyers playing the Nittany Lions point-for-point until late runs allowed Penn State to pull away. In the third set it was a 4-0 stretch to give the Nittany Lions an 18-15 lead.

The Flyers took the second set thanks to a run of their own. Lewis trailed 20-18 when they scored five straight with Iandolo serving. The stretch was highlighted by an ace by Iandolo following a Penn State timeout. Klaas finished off the set with a kill.

The fourth and final stanza was decided by a 5-0 Nittany Lion run midway through the set. It gave Penn State all the breathing room they would need.

Joe Sunder led Penn State with 20 kills 

Lewis out-blocked Penn State 13.0 to 10.0 but the Nittany Lions held a 60-46 edge in digs.

"Tonight showed us the level that a top five team plays," head coach Dan Friend said. "This was a good match for us to have early in the year. The key for us is to see how we respond tomorrow against St. Francis."

Lewis hosts No. 15 St. Francis at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Penn State improves to 6-1, Lewis falls to 4-1.