Despite fighting back from a two-game deficit, the men's volleyball team fell to the University of Manitoba in a marathon match Friday night at Rec Hall.

Manitoba defeated the No. 12 Lions, 15-12, 15-9, 6-15, 12-15, 15-9. It was the third time in three nights Manitoba defeated Penn State.

Manitoba made it a three-game sweep of Penn State in another five-set match Saturday night. The Lions fell, 7-15, 15-3, 15-4, 12-15, 13-15, at Conestoga Valley High School.

The Lions drop to 7-8, 1-0 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and Manitoba raised its record to 42-5 in international competition.

The Lions were without the services of starting outside hitter Charlie Bertran and middle blocker Tito Nunez, who were rested by Coach Tom Peterson.

Both teams showed streaks early in Friday's match.

A Soren Pederson service ace helped Manitoba grab a 2-0 lead. The Lions, behind three Guillo Silva kills and two Kevin Mosbacher blocks, scored the next seven points to lead, 7-2.

Manitoba would have two more runs left. The first of five points, evening the score at 8-8, was countered by a four-point Penn State swing giving the Lions a 12-8 advantage. But the Canadians scored seven unanswered points, winning 15-12.

Midway through game two, with Manitoba up 7-5, an apparent Jim Schall dig was disallowed when it was ruled that the ball hit the floor. Manitoba raced to a 12-5 lead and never looked back, winning 15-9.

In game three the momentum began to swing in Penn State's direction. Manitoba led early, 5-3, but Silva came through with a key block and kill to even the match at 5-5. Silva's play electrified the crowd and boosted the Lions to a 15-6 rout.

Penn State jumped to an 11-2 lead in game four behind kills by Todd Shirley, and John Wasielewski and a block by Winfield Evens. But late in the game Penn State made two straight service errors and allowed Manitoba back in the game.

The Lions went on to win, 15-12, and even the match, but Peterson felt the momentum switch.

"With two good teams the momentum goes up and down," he said. "But they started playing well in the fourth game . . . You could just tell that the next game they we're going to be up for it. We were not quite as aggressive as we were before."

Manitoba coach Garth Pischke agreed.

"We really let down in the back court in the third and fourth game," he said. "Penn State outplayed us vastly on defense, passing and serving -- the smaller things that you don't notice that much. They dug a lot of balls and we didn't dig any in the third and fourth game. We had to make a attitude change and that's nothing I can do -- it's something that the players had to do themselves. Luckily we've been in that situation before many times."

The fifth game was played in fast score, in which side outs are scored as points. The two teams battled back and fourth until Manitoba setter Dale Iwanoczko took control. Iwanoczko had two kills down the stretch, the last to end the game and match.

"In the fifth game we had a few off passes," Shirley said. "It goes a lot quicker though, you're not able to side out and come back. So every serve, every pass, every hit really counts in the fifth game."

Silva led the Lions with 33 kills and four blocks. Jorge Perez and Shirley contributed 27 and 11 kills, respectively.

"We made some key digs," Pischke said. "We dug No. 16 (Silva) about three times in a row and he got tired. We just kept the ball in play and I think that's what helped us win."

Peterson agreed.

"They came up with some pretty nice digs and a few things that saved them . . . they're a nice big team."

Despite a good effort, the end result was the same as the Lions lost again the following evening in five games. Silva once again led Penn State with 23 kills and four blocks. Other top performers were Perez (18 kills, 4 blocks), Bertran (16 kills), Nunez (11 kills) and Shirley (5 blocks).

The Lions will face EIVA foe Navy at 5 this afternoon in the South Gym. Penn State defeated No. 19 Navy earlier in the season at the Mizuno/Nittany Lion Invitational, 15-9, 11-15, 15-13, 15-8.