UNIVERSITY PARK, P.A. – The Merrimack College men's volleyball team dropped its inaugural match to Penn State, 3-0. Miles Dewhirst led the team with five kills. Carson Bashford had a team-high 11 assists in the loss.  

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 0 #4 Penn State 3
Records: Merrimack (0-1) | #4 Penn State (4-0)
Location: University Park, PA

Rapid Recap

• The Nittany Lions jumped out to a quick three-point lead. After a service error the Warriors had a point. The score was 10-4 after a four-point Penn State run. Two straight points from Merrimack, including a service ace from Bashford put the Warriors down four. The Nittany Lions then added three, going up eight. Merrimack scored three of the next four point to cut the advantage to five. The Nittany lions then added four points to go back up by nine. Sage Gatling had a kill late in the set, but it was not enough for mount a comeback. The Warriors found themselves down 1-0.
• Back-to-back kills from Matthew Motes gave Merrimack a 3-1 lead early on in the second set. Penn State battled back, scoring the next three points, going up one. Both teams traded points for a good amount of the second set. Motes had a kill to put the Warriors down by two. The Nitty Lions then scored five of the next six points to go up six. The second set ended with Penn State scoring six of the last seven points to take the second.
• The Nittany Lions jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead in the second set. Dewhirst had a kill to put Merrimack down just three after a three-point streak. Penn State then added three points to go up by six. Two points by Merrimack cut it to four. Later on in the set Xander Thesz had a kill to pull the Warriors within eight after a Nittany Lion run. Merrimack fought hard but lost the third set.

Top Performers // Notes

• Kyle Standage led the team in digs with four.
• Three players each had three kills for the Warriors in the loss.
• Bashford and Motes were the lone Merrimack players with service aces.

Up Next
Merrimack heads home for its first home game of the season against Harvard on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m.