"We'll be back."

That was the sentiment of the alumni men's volleyball squad after it lost to the varsity team in the 17th Annual Alumni-Varsity Volleyball Classic last weekend.

Even though the alumni didn't win a single game, they played hard and showed signs that, with some practice, they could have competed.

"These guys came back to State College from all across the country. We are just happy that they could come back for this weekend," said Dr. Tom Tait, the alumni coach.

Tait, who founded the classic, said it was not uncommon for the alumni to beat the varsity squad back in the late '70s and early '80s.

"When the All-Americans from the mid-to-late 1970s came back within a couple of years of graduation still in good shape, they would beat the varsity teams handily," Tait said. "But now it has been 12 or 13 years since they graduated and they are not as young and agile as they once were."

Penn State Coach Tom Peterson said the match was a tribute to the players who put the men's volleyball team among the nation's elite. It gave the alumni a chance to relive the past, if only for an afternoon.

"The alumni were the ones (who) built the foundation to our program and they enjoy and welcome the chance to come back and compete with our team," Peterson said.

Alumni Rick Genday, a 1980 graduate, said the alumni team didn't want to make the varsity squad look bad in its initial showing of the 1993 season.

"We had to build their confidence going into the season, so we took it easy on them," Genday said with a laugh. "The best thing that we accomplished all day was the break at the Skellar just before the match began."