There was a bittersweet finish to the No. 7 Penn State women's volleyball team's season, a season in which the Nittany Lions touched the Big Ten Championship Trophy, but fell on Dec. 10 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

No. 9 UCLA (21-11) was the team that took the Lions down, 3-1 (24-30, 30-22, 25-30, 28-30), ending any Penn State (29-3) hopes of touching another championship trophy before 2004 was finished.

If it's any consolation, the team that did eventually win it all, Stanford, was a team Penn State beat in Palo Alto, Calif. Oh, and the national runner-up? Big Ten compadre Minnesota, a team Penn State beat on the road, too.

Maybe that's why Penn State coach Russ Rose was so frustrated over the way the Lions bowed out of the tournament.

"I was disappointed more in our effort than the outcome," Rose said. "I would have liked us to play harder, and I would have liked us to have played better. If we had played better and lost, then I would feel fine."

Freshman middle hitter Melissa Walbridge continued her late-season scoring surge with a team-high 15-kill performance that equaled her career-high.

Fellow freshman Kate Price contributed 14 kills in the losing effort, and even had a career-high four blocks. Sophomore Cassy Salyer's 12 kills rounded out the team leaders.

Overall, however, Penn State's offensive performance could only be classified as poor. The .189 hitting percentage was only the fourth time all season the Lions attacked under .200.

The Bruins themselves posted a .249 hitting percentage, even though the Lions outblocked UCLA 15-12. It was the back-row players of UCLA who really had the Lions' number, outdigging Penn State 87-68.

"UCLA's libero [Chrissie Zartman] played very well," Rose said. "We hit too many balls at her."

Game one of the match was all Bruins at the start, as they opened up to a 10-6 lead. The Lions surged toward a tie, and the teams traded points up to 16 before UCLA broke away and took the game.

Penn State dominated the second game, and looked closer to the Lions Big Ten Championship form. But game three grew ugly as UCLA led 28-18 before the Lions mounted a six-point run, making the game score a bit more respectable.

Game four started sloppy, and the Lions led at one point by as much as 18-13, before UCLA crept back. A 28-28 tie was broken by consecutive UCLA kills, sealing the win while ending Penn State's season.

Tournament tidbits

Stanford was the lowest-seeded team to ever win the NCAA Championship, seeded 11th. The lowest team to ever reach the semifinal round was last year's 13th-seeded Minnesota team. This was Stanford's sixth national championship.

Besides Minnesota's berth in the finals, both Ohio State and Wisconsin reached the round of eight -- representing the Big Ten.

Honor roll

Junior setter Sam Tortorello was named a first-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and senior outside hitter Syndie Nadeau received second-team All-America honors.

Walbridge was named to the Washington Regional NCAA All-Tournament team after her gutsy performance against UCLA.

Time to reload

Only three Lions will be graduating at the end of the year, seniors Syndie Nadeau, Tabitha Eshelman and Ashley Pederson, and the 2005 incarnation of the Penn State women's volleyball team will bear a striking resemblance to the 2004 version. Juniors Kaleena Walters and Tortorello have one last chance for a NCAA Championship, with Price, Salyer and Walbridge all returning with starting experience.