July 21, 2010 at 6:08 PM

Soccer: Men's

U.S. U-20 team advances

Christine Nairn and the United States are moving on to the knockout round. Just like the men's national team, the U-20 women's team defeated South Korea 1-0 Wednesday to win their group in their final game and will advance to the next level of play in Bielefeld, Germany. The U.S. will face Nigeria at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday. Nairn, a sophomore midfielder at Penn State got her third straight start for the Americans while incoming freshman Maya Hayes got her second consecutive starting nod. The U.S. scored on a 21st minute Sydney Leroux goal, her fifth of the tournament. Hayes has appeared in all three matches and had assists in the first two games, a streak that ended Wednesday. Nairn played the full 90 minutes plus stoppage time and ended the game in the defensive midfield role. The win helps the U.S.'s path to the finals as they avoid a quarterfinals match with rival Mexico. Should they advance, the Americans would also not have to Germany or North Korea, two teams expected to contend with the U.S. for the title, until the final. Nairn was part of the U.S. team that won the 2008 U-20 World Cup in Chile and a title in Germany would be her second World Cup win. The Nittany Lions return to State College on August 3 to begin their preseason and open the regular season on August 20 at West Virginia. Comments
July 20, 2010 at 9:52 PM

Volleyball: Men's

Rules change expected in 2011

Soon, every point will count just a little bit more.

At its annual summer meeting, the NCAA Men's Volleyball Committee voted to make the number of points required to win sets 25 points instead of 30, effective in the 2011 season.

The rule is not officially implemented yet -- it still needs final approval from the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP). However, in an e-mail, committee chair Brian Summers said that approval will "likely come later this summer."

The proposed change comes in response to a coaches' survey the committee sends out each year to all Division I, II and III institutions.

This year's survey, e-mailed to 89 coaches shortly after the conclusion of the 2010 season, included the question: "Sets 1-4 should be played to___ points?"
Of the 65 coaches who responded, 64.6% voted in favor of 25 points, while the remaining 35.4% opted to stay with 30 points.

What's perhaps even more telling is that 16 of the 26 Division I coaches included in that survey (an overwhelming 72.7%) voted in favor of shortening the sets.

Penn State coach Mark Pavlik, whose Nittany Lions made it to last year's national championship match, said he doesn't think the change will drastically alter his team's training regimen in preparation for the 2011 season. If anything, Pavlik said, he'll have his team play a few simulated sets to 25 points in fall practices so they feel comfortable with the new rule.

"And it will be easier for the new guys coming in," Pavlik said. "Because all high school and club teams play to 25 points so they're used to it already."

In addition to high school and club, Olympic volleyball and international teams also play 25-point sets.

And, in 2008, the NCAA women's volleyball committee revised its rule book to have sets played to 25 points, instead of 30.

In an NCAA press release published following that amendment, NCAA women's secretary-rules editor Marcia Alterman said: "The 25-point sets will add an intensity and excitement level to our matches that has been missing. I believe that players, coaches and fans will agree that the critical nature of every point will emphasize the need for focus and consistency to every play."

That seems to be the sentiment of the NCAA men as they shift gears to shorter sets, too.

And, Pavlik noted, the upcoming rule change to collegiate men's volleyball will essentially unify their sector with the entire volleyball community. "You know, I'm not quite sure how this new rule will play out," Pavlik said. "But it will be interesting to watch."

-Emily Kaplan

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July 20, 2010 at 8:44 PM

Soccer: Men's

Nairn talks Switzerland win

After a surprising 1-1 tie with Ghana in the FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup, the United States bounced back with a strong 5-0 win over Switzerland.Penn State midfielder Christine Nairn, a co-captain for the U.S. took the time to talk about Saturday's game in an e-mail from Dresden, Germany.Ghana's athleticism caught the U.S. off guard and prevented the Americans from getting into their control-oriented style of play. Against the Swiss however, the U.S. struck early and often, scoring three goals in the first 25 minutes."Going into this game, the team as a whole was more focused," Nairn said. "We knew that we had to keep the width as much as possible against Switzerland in order to be successful. We knocked the ball around a lot more, found a rhythm, and put away our scoring opportunities."Prior to the match, Nairn said the team was a little nervous, knowing they needed the three points given for a win. However, scoring the five goals was a solid confidence boost for the team.The key to shutting down the Swiss attack was isolating forward Ramona Bachmann. That role fell to the central midfield, composed of Nairn and Amber Brooks. After failing to get much attack out of the middle in the first match, Brooks and Nairn focused on playing a better game."[Bachmann] is a great player that can tear teams apart by herself," Nairn said. "Amber and my roles were to keep her under control and organize the team. We have been working a lot on our shape (between Amber and I) and I think it definitely paid off in that game."In order to keep Switzerland contained, Nairn had to drop back in the midfield and play a more defensive role, something she doesn't have to do for the Nittany Lions. While relinquishing some of her playmaking duties to lock down opponents won't affect Nairn much at Penn State, it's something she's happy to do for country."I am playing for the National team right now. My role here is to be more of a defensive presence and leader by organizing us defensively," Nairn said. "I am happy to be on the field and representing my country and if playing a more defensive role will get me on the field, I am happy to do it."The U.S. ends group play today against South Korea, which has scored eight goals in two matches. With a win over South Korea, the U.S. would win the group, but would advance with a tie due to Ghana losing to South Korea Saturday.While the opportunity to take the group is there for them, Nairn and her teammates are staying focused on themselves. With every game they play, the goal of the U.S. team is to get better. "We know that [South Korea] have many attacking personalities, but we are working on shape and continuing to open up the game with our width," Nairn said.The U.S. plays South Korea at 12 p.m. today and the game is broadcast on ESPNU or online at espn3.com.- Andrew Robinson Comments
July 8, 2010 at 8:43 PM

Wrestling

Bubba Jenkins criticizes old coach

Bubba Jenkins, who will wrestle at Arizona State next season, recently had some interesting comments regarding his old coach Cael Sanderson.

In an article for The Arizona Republic, Jenkins tells writer Jeff Metcalfe:

" 'I don't like him at all,' said Jenkins, whose release from Penn State to immediately compete elsewhere prevented him from transferring to another Big Ten or Big 12 school. 'He's not someone I would send my kid to or want leading my team. It was time to move.' "

Nick Kosmider of StatePress.com also recorded Jenkins' comments, though they weren't identical to what was said in Metcalfe's story. Jenkins was quoted as stating:

" 'He's got his fans and people who are going to love him, but I've dealt with him as a person, and I know who he is as a person. He's not someone I would send my kid to and not someone I would want leading my team, so it was time to move on.' "

Months ago, Sanderson said he and his staff wouldn't release Jenkins to a Big Ten or Big 12 team because of competition reasons. Some saw the decision as a double standard after Iowa State (of the Big 12) allowed Cyler Sanderson to transfer to Penn State in the wake of Cael taking the head coaching job in State College.

But with a Penn State diploma, Jenkins could have made the decision to wrestle for any school -- regardless of conference -- as the Penn State coaching staff would then have no control over his move.

-Brendan Monahan.

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