Setter Scott Miller's homecoming was almost turned into a disappointing experience by No. 14 Ohio State on Saturday night.

But the Buckeyes' efforts fell short as the No. 4 men's volleyball team (13-1, 2-0 in the EIVA) prevailed Saturday night at Miller's alma mater, Eden High School near Buffalo, N.Y.

The match lasted five games but Penn State won 15-11 in the fifth and final game to send the Buckeyes back to Columbus. The scores were 9-15, 16-14, 15-8, 11-15 and 15-11.

Penn State was led by its middle. Middle blockers David Muir and Ramon Hernandez had hitting percentages of .500 and .449, respectively. The play of the middle was countered by the Buckeye defense, opening up the outside for the final game.

"It was pretty much a team effort in the final game," Coach Tom Peterson said. "The outside hitters had a chance to put some balls away."

Outside hitter Jorge Perez led the Lions with 34 kills. Outside hitter Charlie Bertran had 23, while Hernandez added 17.

Bertran also contributed five service aces. Muir and Miller had four.

Defensively, Miller had 17 digs in front of his hometown crowd. Outside hitter Tom Gingrich chipped in 13 and Hernandez had 11. Muir had five blocks, while Gingrich and Hernandez each added four.

Another key statistic was Penn State's 19 service errors.

"They kind of hurt our chances to win a lot easier," Peterson said.

Miller attributed the errors to a lack of concentration. Mental lapses were the reason why Penn State allowed the Buckeyes to take the match to five games, he added.

"As a team, we are not getting ready to play mentally," he said. "In warm-ups, you can tell. Everybody has got to do it (get mentally prepared) for themselves."

Peterson agreed, saying he noticed a slight let-up.

"We were not quite prepared mentally as far as just being up for the match," Peterson said. "There is a difference between mental preparedness and emotion. Everybody has to push themselves a little bit harder."

Miller hinted that the level of mental preparation is determined by the quality of the opponent.

"We shouldn't let it go to five games against the No. 14 team in the country," he said.

The mental letdown was also evident last Wednesday in Annapolis, Md., when No. 17 Navy also pushed the Lions to five games. The fact that the Lions won Wednesday and Saturday proves that the Lions can put it together when it counts.

Penn State continues with what Peterson calls the "hardest schedule of any team in the country," when it travels to Utah on Friday to face Eastern Montana in the morning and Brigham Young in the evening. The Lions will also face the Cougars on Saturday night.

"It will help us to get time in the gym practicing," Peterson said. "If you want to work on things, it has got to be in practice."