Spiker momentum dissipates against OSU

Most teams can ride the momentum of a big win throughout several games, but every time the Penn State men's volleyball team gets a key win, it seems to fall flat in the next game. This weekend was no different.

After winning against George Mason Thursday night, the No. 15 Nittany Lions lost in four games (7-15, 4-15, 15-9, 6-15) Saturday to No. 6 Ohio State. It was Penn State's second loss to Ohio State this season.

For the Lions (6-12), beating the Patriots was a crucial first step to pulling themselves out of a deepening rut. The Lions came out of Thursday's match with renewed self assurance, but the Buckeyes quickly challenged their confidence.

The Buckeyes stunned the Lions in the second game by bursting out to a 11-2 lead. The Lions couldn't do much to slow down the aggressive offense of Ohio State's René Esteves who posted a team-high 25 kills in the match. Ohio State rolled over the Lions with a 15-4 victory.

The first two losses woke up the Lions as they jumped out to a 6-4 lead in game three. They looked ready to finish the game at 14-6, but the Buckeyes closed the gap to 14-9. Penn State won the game 15-9.

Ohio State opened a 3-0 lead in the fourth game and quickly expanded it to 8-3. The Buckeyes continued to manhandle the Lions and finished the match with a 15-6 win.

"We can't string wins together," Pavlik said. "They say winning is the world's greatest anesthetic and when we lose, it really brings us down.

"Now when wins are harder to come by it creates a level of frustration within individuals and when they come in to the gym every day now, they just have to say, 'We're going to get better,' and do it."

Despite the loss, though, Penn State still had many strong performances from its key players.

Holding true to form, Mazzullo guided the Lions with 27 kills, five digs and three blocks. Middle blocker Brad Miller had 16 kills, five digs and three blocks.

Middle blocker Sergio Pampena had his strongest game since coming back from an ankle injury. He posted 12 kills, one dig and three blocks.

None of these statistics are personal highs for the year, however. Penn State coach Mark Pavlik believes the Buckeyes won because they were able to shut down the Lions' attack by taking away Penn State's outside hitting option.

Pavlik also said if the team wants to get back on top of things, it has to come through when opportunities present themselves.

"It's the same old thing, we're not putting balls away when we have the opportunity to score," Pavlik said. "If we can get more productive with point scoring I think we'll do better."