Today in Penn State sports: Aug. 19, 2017
Everything you missed in Penn State sports — and isn’t covered elsewhere in the CDT — from Aug. 19, 2017:
Swimming
McHugh, Ryan advance at World University Games
TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan Current Penn State swimmer Ally McHugh reached the finals in the 400-meter IM, while alum Shane Ryan advanced to the semifinals of the 100-meter backstroke at the 29th World University Games that started Saturday.
McHugh finished second in preliminaries with a time of 4 minutes, 41.47 seconds — 0.65 seconds behind first place — to advance to the finals. In the more loaded field for the 100-meter backstroke, Ryan placed fourth out of 61 competitors with a time of 54.71. He’ll swim in the semifinals.
Both will compete again Sunday morning.
McHugh is representing the U.S., while Ryan is swimming for Ireland.
Men’s volleyball
Trio of ex-Lions start for Team USA
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. Former Penn State All-Americans Matt Anderson, Max Holt and Aaron Russell played their first matches this year with the U.S. national team Friday night in the USA Volleyball Cup at Sears Centre Arena.
The U.S., ranked No. 2 in the world, was swept by No. 1 Brazil 25-21, 25-23, 29-27. Brazil also took two meetings in South America earlier in the week.
The trio of former Nittany Lions were all in the starting lineup, as they were for nearly every match of last summer’s bronze-medal-winning trip to the Olympics. Anderson and Russell led the team in scoring with 10 points each. Anderson posted his on nine kills and a block while Russell had eight kills and two blocks. Holt added four kills and an ace.
All three took most of the summer off to rest after a long stretch of Olympic preparations, the summer games in Brazil, quickly followed by the start of their professional seasons overseas.
“I’ve got some more things I’ve got to work on; getting back into the rhythm of the game and the flow and just the overall competition,” Anderson told USAVolleyball.org. “You lose a little bit, regardless of how much time you take off.”
Russell also was recovering from a major ankle injury while playing with his pro team in Italy in the spring.
“I have a little work to do. But I love the way that my teammates supported me throughout,” Russell told USAVolleyball.org. “I think right now my movements are a little bit awkward. But I’m trying to work through that.”
The teams meet again Saturday night.
This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 11:33 PM with the headline "Today in Penn State sports: Aug. 19, 2017."