The No. 11 Nittany Lions (14-10, 7-0 Tait) opened the weekend with a huge win over George Mason, sweeping the Patriots, 15-10, 16-14, 15-4. Saturday the Lions swept Eastern Mennonite, 15-7, 15-7, 15-6, and followed that yesterday with a 15-3, 15-1, 15-4 victory over Vassar.

Against George Mason, the Lions were led by middle blocker Sergio Pampena, who was an unstoppable 20 of 27 from the floor, hitting .630 for the match. Swing hitter Tony Mazzullo was solid as well with 20 kills and a match-high 11 digs.

The turning point in the match came in the second game when Penn State was down 14-10. The Lions responded with nine straight side outs and won the game, 16-14.

"The guys just kicked it into another gear," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "We had nine straight side outs. "It was like boom, side out, boom, side out, one after the other. There were a few hitting errors during that stretch, but for the most part the guys played hard, and it was great to see the guys respond from being down by that much of a deficit in front of a hostile crowd."

Penn State setter Jose Quinones continued to dominate at the position with solid passing and strong defense. Quinones finished the match with 56 assists and seven digs.

Though the Patriots dropped the match, they did receive solid play from Chris Prince and Scott Smith. Prince had 22 kills, while Smith added a match-high six blocks.

Prior to the match, George Mason retired former star and head coach Ulvado Acousta's number. Acousta died in a swimming accident last February in Hawaii.

Saturday in Penn State's win over Eastern Mennonite, the Lions received quality contributions from a variety of different players. Outside hitter Eric Houston led the Lions with 19 kills, while middle blocker Adam Whitescarver added 13 kills and a match-high eight blocks in the sweep.

"We played a little sluggish against Eastern Mennonite," Pavlik said. "Everyone seemed a little tired after a Friday's match against George Mason."

Yesterday, Penn State returned home and appeared hungry to finish off the weekend with another win. The Lions took on Vassar and wrapped up the weekend the way they started it -- with a three-game sweep over the Brewers.

The Lions went back to their bread and butter by smashing the ball up the middle. Middle blocker Dan Hoechst, who had 11 kills on 15 attempts, led the Lions.

Throughout the match, Pavlik went to his bench and allowed all of his starters to rest after the first game. Outside hitters Josh Briggs and Steve Aird played well for the Lions. Aird and Houston contributed five digs while Briggs had a team-high three blocks.

For the first time since January, Penn State fans saw senior Dan Pollock get the nod at the setter position while his replacement Quinones sat out with stiffness in his back. Pollock led Penn State with 33 assists and added four digs in the two games he played.

Penn State's next task comes when it takes on EIVA rival New Jersey Tech at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Rec Hall.