For the fourth and final time this regular-season the No. 11 Penn State men's volleyball team took on No. 14 Ohio State.

And this one was an epic.

Last night in Columbus, Ohio, the Nittany Lions needed a full five games to take down Ohio State, 3-2 (30-24, 30-21, 28-30, 34-36, 15-12). The Lions won the season series against the Buckeyes, three matches to one.

The win, though, could've been easier than it was. The Lions (16-7, 11-1 EIVA) jumped out to a convincing early lead and took the first two games, before falling into a rut and letting the Buckeyes (16-8, 4-4 MIVA) back into contention. And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

"We still got the 'W' and it feels good," senior co-captain Nate Meerstein said. "And not that we wanted it, but [losing Games 3 and 4] put a little pressure on us. Going into that fifth game it was do or die, so I think we handled it well."

The Lions, who clinched the EIVA regular-season championship last weekend with two wins in New Jersey, might have been a little weary from life on the road, Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said. And that might be some of the cause for the mid-match letdown.

Senior co-captain Matt Proper showed no signs of a letdown, though. The outside hitter shined for the Lions, tallying a career-high 29 kills at a .444 clip. He has consistently starred for Penn State this season, but particularly against Ohio State. In two of the first three matches against the Buckeyes this season, Proper notched 24 kills or more. He added last night's performance to his resume.

Also impressive for the Lions were junior outside hitter Alex Gutor, who recorded 20 kills on .371 hitting, and Kevin Wentzel, who had 16 kills and hit .310.

Directing the offense was sophomore setter Luke Murray, who for the past few weeks has filled in for injured senior Dan O'Dell. Murray dished a career-high 62 assists. O'Dell saw action in all five games, but only in a limited role. His 6-foot-7 frame was used mainly to increase the Lions' presence at the net.

O'Dell helped the Lions to 16 blocks. Gutor blocked a team-high six balls, but despite solid efforts from Penn State, Ohio State battled back.

The Buckeyes were scrapping for a win after a difficult weekend. They were swept twice this weekend, first on Friday to No. 10 Loyola (Ill.) and on Saturday to No. 12 Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne.

"One thing with the Buckeyes, they don't stop coming at you," Pavlik said.