At least it doesn't count on their record.

The men's volleyball team (9-1) went the distance only to lose to Manitoba in five in last night's exhibition game in Rec Hall's South Gym.

The No. 4 Lions fell in the rally game, 15-13, to give Manitoba the win. In a rally game, a team does not have to be serving to score a point. The scores of the first four were 12-15, 15-5, 15-13 and 13-15. The match does not officially count on the Lions' record. Penn State faced Manitoba three times in the fall and dropped all three games in Canada.

"We seem to have battles like this every time we play," Manitoba coach Garth Pischke said. "Both teams know each other, so it's going to be a real slugfest. It makes for real entertaining volleyball."

Pischke added that he feels Penn State is fielding one of the best teams it has had in a long time.

Last weekend at the Dutch Country Classic, Manitoba finished third behind UCLA and champion Penn State. The two did not meet in that tournament.

Penn State led only once in the fifth game at 7-6 on a service ace by setter Scott Miller. Manitoba scored twice to take an 8-7 lead. The teams then traded points. Kills by outside hitter Aaron Zoerner gave Penn State its eighth and ninth points. Manitoba took an 13-11 lead. After a Lion timeout, Penn State tied the score at 13 thanks to a Manitoba receiving error and a kill by middle blocker Ramon Hernandez. This was the Lions' last roar as Manitoba eventually won 15-13 on a Steve Welch kill.

"Just like a win over UCLA doesn't make our season, a loss to Manitoba here doesn't break our season," assistant coach Mark Pavlik said.

"We should have put them away," outside hitter Jorge Perez said. "Hopefully we will learn from this and the next time we get in a five game match we will put them away when we are supposed to."

Outside hitter Charlie Bertran paced the Lions with 35 kills and eight digs. Perez added 23 kills. Miller and outside hitter Tom Gingrich each notched nine digs. Hernandez added 21 kills and 12 blocks, including two solos. Gingrich scored two service aces.

"I think quality wins like the wins we have had against UCLA and Ball State is good for a team," Pavlik said, "and I think quality losses are good for a team. This was a quality loss."

The game also marked the return of middle blocker Winfield Evens. Evens was sidelined with a shoulder injury up to this point, but saw no action last night.

Penn State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opener. The short lead quickly diminished because of good Manitoba blocking. Manitoba scored the last three points. Hernandez was called for a lift, giving Manitoba the win, 15-12.

The Lions opened up a 5-0 lead in the second game, including four straight points from opening server David Muir. A three-point deficit at 8-5 was the closest Manitoba came to overtaking Penn State. It was the blocking on the Lion's side of the net that marked this game, particularly Hernandez and Gingrich. Penn State aptly won game point on a Hernandez block. The final score was 15-5.

"At points I think they (were keying on me)," Perez said. "Especially when I was swinging around, they were moving two men over and they were blocking me pretty well. There's not much I could have done."

In game three, with Penn State trailing 8-4, Muir sat down for the rest of the night. He was replaced by Zoerner. The Lions responding by tying the score at 8 on a Gingrich service ace. With the score tied at 13, Penn State got the side out on a Perez kill. After a Hernandez kill and a Manitoba error, Penn State garnered victory, 15-13. At this point Manitoba trailed two games to one.

"You just can't coach effort like that," Pischke said. "It's nice to see the guys take it upon themselves and come back."

The biggest margin in the fourth game was a 6-3 Manitoba advantage. The teams once again waged a defensive tussle. Trailing 10-11 with Hernandez serving, Penn State took a 13-11 lead after a Hernandez kill, a Bertran kill and a Manitoba error. The Lions would score no more as Manitoba scored four in a row culminating with setter Dale Iwanoczko's dump to give Manitoba the game, 15-14.

Pischke said that his team's greater height was not an advantage until the later matches, when Penn State tires, and it makes blocking easier for Manitoba.