Spikers continue slide, upset by Highlanders

Right now, the old saying "When it rains, it pours" is holding frighteningly true for the Penn State men's volleyball team.

Coming off a tough loss last Saturday to Rutgers-Newark, the Nittany Lions lost in four games (17-16, 6-15, 12-15, 10-15) last night to New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

"We've been soft recently," swing hitter Steve Aird said before the match. "We haven't been playing with a lot of heart, but I know we're going to put it together."

Despite the team's high hopes, it couldn't put a win together when the win should have come easiest.

The Lions started off strong in the first game and stunned the Highlanders by jumping to a 8-2 lead in the first game, but the Highlanders were determined to keep the game close. They pulled back to within a few points, but Penn State slipped past NJIT with a final score of 17-16.

After the first game, the Highlanders took command of the match. Converting on numerous Penn State errors and missed scoring opportunities, NJIT ran roughshod over the Lions and won the last three games with finals of 15-6, 15-12 and 15-10.

"It was terrible," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "We're up 8-2 in the first game and then all of a sudden we self-destruct."

Not even solid offensive play by the team veterans could save the Lions' ship from sinking. Swing hitter Tony Mazzullo racked up 27 kills, nine digs and six blocks on the night. Much to the dismay of the coaching staff, he was the only one to put up such numbers.

"Guys we've counted on all season have kind of curled up in a competitive fetal position," Pavlik said. "Our team right now feels we can get by with this kind of play and that won't work."

Last night's match marked the return of middle blocker Sergio Pampena who has been out of the line up since late January with an ankle injury. Although he is a crucial part of Penn State's game plan, Pampena saw minimal playing time in the match.

The loss to NJIT brings Penn State's record to a miserable 5-9. The team now has to look past last night's loss and focus on the Golden Dome Classic which will be held at Rutgers-Newark. Penn State will take on No. 9 Loyola at 5 p.m. today and No. 10 Lewis at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

But with this grueling loss, there is the question, will the Lions be able to pull their weight against these teams? Just looking at the top ten rankings of Loyola and Lewis, the going is not going to get any easier.

"The matches are only going to get more difficult," Aird said. "It's a matter of building up confidence and playing each point one point at a time."

If it's confidence they need, the Lions will have to look somewhere other than last night's match to find it.