ELIZABETHTOWN -- It took the men's volleyball team four games to dispose of No. 3 UCLA on Thursday night.

The Lions were preparing for a tougher test Saturday when the two teams met in the finals of the Dutch Country Classic at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County. What it got was something it didn't expect -- a 15-5, 16-14, 15-12 sweep which earned the Lions the championship trophy.

The win was the ninth in a row (9-1) for No. 8 Penn State.

"I thought they would play a lot better than they did the last time," Coach Tom Peterson said. "All of us just pulled together. It shows we have a really, really nice team. It was a sweet win."

The first set was marked by a tenacious Lion defense. Penn State took a 6-5 lead and scored nine straight points to win the game. The second set saw the Bruins jump out to a 5-0 lead. After a Penn State timeout, setter Scott Miller rattled off three consecutive points to close the gap to 5-3. The Lions tied the score 6-6 on a Jorge Perez kill. With UCLA leading 14-13, Penn State fought off two game points. A Perez kill gave the Lions the lead 15-14 and a Bruin error gave Penn State the set, 16-14.

In the final game, UCLA would not go out quietly. Penn State finally won on its eighth game and match point with Perez serving.

Outside hitter Perez once again paced the squad with 30 kills. Outside hitter Charlie Bertran added 17 and middle blocker Ramon Hernandez chipped in 16. Bertran also accumulated 15 digs. Miller, outside hitter Tom Gingrich and middle blocker David Muir were credited with five blocks apiece.

The Bruins had an obvious height advantage. They sported a lineup with no starter shorter than 6'4", including 6'7" setter Mike Sealy.

Comparatively, only one Penn State starter is taller than 6'3", middle blocker David Muir who is 6'5". The lack of height forced Penn State to concentrate on crisp passing.

"We had to pass well," Peterson added. "We moved the ball pretty quick from one guy to another. We are not going to go straight at them. We've got to beat them by quickness, and we did."

UCLA reached the finals with a victory over Canadian powerhouse Manitoba. Penn State earned the rematch with a semifinal victory over No. 14 George Mason, 15-10, 15-7, 6-15, 15-5. In the game, Bertran suffered an injury to his left shoulder. The injury did not keep Bertran out of the final.

"I was not going to quit playing," Bertran said. "There was no way they were going to take me out. I knew my risk . . . but I wanted this game really bad.

"I just want to savor the win and not compare it to this or that, because there are some great points in everybody's career, down and up, and this is just a great up."

Manitoba took third place with a consolation victory over George Mason. Penn State will face Manitoba three times within the next week, including a showdown at 7:30 Wednesday in Rec Hall's South Gym.