You could say that the men's volleyball team is only winning the matches that count.

Manitoba defeated the fourth-ranked Lions in straight sets Saturday night, 15-8, 15-12, 15-11, to capture the title of a four-team tournament held in York. It was Penn State's second loss to Manitoba in three matches. Since the Bisons are a Canadian team, neither match counted as a blemish on the Lions' 10-1 record.

Freshman middle blocker Ramon Hernandez and senior outside hitter Charlie Bertran led the Lions with 11 kills apiece, while sophomore middle blocker David Muir added nine. Junior outside hitter Tom Gingrich led Penn State with three blocks.

Gingrich called the Manitoba match a letdown, but he wasn't sure why it happened.

"We just don't match up real well against Manitoba," Gingrich said. "As the season goes on we have to play really tough every match -- we can't let down."

"It was the first time in the season I felt that . . . nobody really took charge," senior outside hitter Jorge Perez said. "No one was really intense."

Gingrich added many of the starters were tired from being on the road so often.

"You look at our schedule and the traveling is a bit busy," Perez said. "That might have contributed to (the sluggish play)."

Perez did find one bright spot in the Manitoba match, though.

"Even though we played pretty bad . . . we were still in two of the games," he said.

In the tournament semifinals, the Lions picked up their 10th victory by defeating No. 17 Navy, 15-5, 16-14, 15-8. Sophomore outside hitter Ricky Roper led Penn State with 11 kills, while Bertran and Muir each added 10. Freshman outside hitter Ed Josefoski and Hernandez both had nine kills. It was the 15th consecutive victory for Penn State over the Midshipmen, a team it has never lost to.

Setter Scott Miller and Gingrich were sidelined for the Navy match with the flu. This gave Penn State a chance to display some of its depth.

"Navy's not really a tough team to play," Gingrich said, "but the guys who did play played well. They got done pretty quick."

"We started out pretty well," Perez added. "They came out strong in the second game."

Manitoba, meanwhile, crushed No. 14 George Mason, 15-8, 15-2, 15-2, setting the stage for a rematch of last Wednesday's five-set thriller at Rec Hall's South Gym. Manitoba won that night, 12-15, 15-6, 15-13, 13-15, 15-13.

The Lions will look to regain their vigor as they prepare to open their regular-season EIVA schedule. They will travel to George Mason on Tuesday and Navy on Wednesday.

"Its obvious to everyone that we are not coming out with that intensity or desire," Perez said. "That (loss to Manitoba) can open our eyes."