Against Loyola, the Lions lost 3-0 (25-30, 29-31, 28-30), missing several opportunities to take command of the match. They out-hit and out-dug the Ramblers and led at several junctions in the second and third games. In game two, Penn State was up 13-6 and 20-15 but gave up strings of three and four points to allow the Ramblers to come back. Penn State struggled to block the Loyola attack from that point on and lost 31-29. In game three, Penn State again had chances to take over. They led early and stayed close, but the offense could not compensate for inconsistent defense.
The difference in the match was Loyola's play at the net.
The Ramblers out-blocked the Lions. Shawn Schroeder controlled the net with four blocks and also registered a match-high 14 kills.
"I'm not so sure we were prepared to play," Pavlik said. "I told the team I was disappointed. I wondered if we would recover against Lewis."
Penn State certainly did recover by defeating Lewis 3-2 in a back and forth match. The Lions led the first game 29-27, but gave up four straight points, letting the game slip away. After losing a game it felt it should have won, Penn State's intensity rose. Penn State handled games two and three rather easily winning 30-19 and 30-26 and looked as though Lewis was down for the count. Then, with a lead late in game four, Penn State couldn't close it out. Lewis fought back to win 35-37 and forced a deciding fifth game.
"When we lost game four," Pavlik said, "I thought, 'Oh boy. We let it slip away again.' "
In the fifth game, Penn State's blocking took control. The Lions dominated the net, taking the game 15-11 and winning the match 3-2. Junior Keith Kowal and sophomore Kevin Wentzel led with 18 kills each.
