Spikers dropping in polls; UCLA No. 1

By JOSH DAECHE
Collegian Staff Writer

Beaten and embarrassed, but still standing in the polls after a tough road trip, the No. 13 Penn State men's volleyball team is receiving credit for its tough early season schedule.

The Nittany Lions may be 0-7 but the new polls have them only dropping one spot from last week's USA Today/ AVCA Coaches Poll.

The Lions, who have played the top five teams in the country the past two weeks, appear to have their composure together and should be ready for their next task against Rutgers-Newark tomorrow night at Rec Hall.

Though the Lions have struggled in the big games, a win tomorrow could be the best thing for a team in dire need of a jumpstart.

Around the court

No. 1 UCLA (3-1) remained on top after going 2-1 in the Hawaiian Outrigger Invitational.

The Bruins saw strong play from Adam Naeve and Brandon Taliaferro, who both were named to the Outrigger Invitational All- Tournament team. This week UCLA will play host to No. 5 Pepperdine and No. 12 Loyola Marymount.

No. 2 Lewis (3-1) is coming off an emotional week after defeating the Bruins in a five-game match (15-13, 7-15, 15-3, 7-15, 15-9) last Thursday at the Outrigger. Victor Rivera's 32 kills and Eduardo Quinones' 22 led Lewis. This weekend Lewis will host Ball State, Quincy and Park.

No. 3 Brigham Young continues to roll, bumping up its record to 6-0 after defeating No. 8 Stanford in three straight (15-6, 15-12, 15-3). The Cougars' offensive threat was Ossie Antonetti, who had 20 kills and four aces while hitting over .400 in the match.

The Cougars hope to keep their unbeaten streak alive Saturday when they host Winnipeg.