Spikers cowed by 49ers

In Penn State's five early visits to the battlefield, the west has yet to be won.

Last year, Penn State's men's volleyball team agonized over a lack of tough West Coast competition in its schedule. This year, less than a month into the season, the Nittany Lions have played five such powerhouses and have beaten none. The latest battle was fought this weekend against No. 4 Long Beach State.

After a grueling five-game defeat on Thursday night in Rec Hall, the Lions traveled to Philadelphia to play the 49ers on Friday and Saturday nights. Their long journey resulted in two more losses (15-8, 18-15, 16-17, 13-15 and 13-15, 5-15, 15-13, 5-15).

While Penn State regularly wins blowout victories in the East, the West Coast has still not been conquered.

"What had happened in all three matches was we played really well 'till we get to the fourth (game)," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "That's when we get really bashed with errors."

Penn State lost the lead about five times in the three matches played against the 49ers. In losing these leads, the Lions failed to get the game-winning 15th point.

"We just couldn't execute," Penn State setter Dan Pollock said. "We would wait for Long Beach to roll over and give us the game. We weren't going out there and making the plays."

Penn State also suffered from a loss in its lineup. Injured with a sprained right ankle, middle blocker Sergio Pampena was sidelined on crutches. Pavlik juggled the starting six in all three matches in order to compensate.

Though the loss of the emotional leader in Pampena was still felt, redshirt freshman middle blocker Dan Hoechst and swing hitter Eric Houston filled the position well. In the three matches against the 49ers, Houston totaled 55 kills and Hoechst blocked a combined 16 times.

"I added a new look for Long Beach," Houston said. "Since I am not a starter, they haven't scouted me. I think that depth is definitely an advantage for our team."

Despite the two losses, Pavlik does not regret his choice to include the difficult West Coast competition in his team's schedule. Penn State's 1-5 record would most likely be 6-0 if the Lions chose easier battles in the East. But Pavlik said the positives of his choice outweigh the negatives of a losing record.

"We are playing with a confidence right now," Pavlik said. "We feel that any guy in the East to beat us will have to put up a monumentous effort. Now with us being 1-5, we might as well be the best 1-5 team in the country."

Regardless of Pavlik's positive outlook, the numbers still show a losing record for Penn State. And Pollock said those numbers still hurt.

"I don't think there is anything positive to a 1-5 record," Pollock said. "It doesn't matter who we play, with a 1-5 record, we feel pretty bad."