After dropping only two games through its first seven EIVA matches this season, the No. 6 Penn State men's volleyball team hit a bump in the road last night.
Against the No. 1 ranked team in Division III, Juniata, the Nittany Lions (15-5, EIVA 8-0) were pushed to five games before eventually winning 3-2 (26-30, 30-19, 30-22, 28-30, 15-10).
"If there's a script to Penn State-Juniata matches over the past few years, this would fit it," coach Mark Pavlik said.
Behind stars Nate Ocasio and National Division III Player of the Week Matt Fritz, Juniata defended its home court from the start. Aided by seven Penn State service errors and four hitting errors the Eagles took Game 1 26-30 and put the Lions in an early hole.
However, the Lions would settle down and bounce back after dropping the opening stanza and take both Games 2 and 3.
Seemingly in their typical groove, the Lions led by five points at two separate points in Game 4. In that game, Penn State would commit 10 hitting errors and post a pitiful .088 team hitting percentage before allowing Juniata to pull even at two games apiece.
"We were up 23-18 and thought they would rollover, but that came back to bite us," Pavlik said.
Where a lesser team would have entered Game 5 on a down note, Penn State regrouped and had its best hitting game of the entire match, posting a .545 team hitting percentage.
"Game 5 started out with Max Holt serving," Pavlik said. "He got us out to 3-0 and we never trailed after that."
With star outside hitter Alex Gutor suffering through arguably his worst match of the season (10 kills, 11 errors, -.031 hitting percentage), Penn State's young trio of sophomores Max Holt and Matt Anderson and freshman Max Lipsitz stepped up.
Holt led the trio offensively, hitting .690 on the strength of a career-high 21 kills. Anderson hit .381 with 22 kills and Lipsitz hit .429 with 12 kills, but led the team with 10 blocks.
But it was Holt's performance that earned praise from Pavlik.
Earlier this season Pavlik said that Holt is the type of player that should always stand out -- last night was one of those nights.
"[Holt] has the ability to put something together like that."
Notes: Nearly two-thirds of the way through the EIVA season, the Nittany Lions hold the division lead with an EIVA record of 8-0. Princeton, Saint Francis and George Mason are the closest three teams to the Lions, with just three losses apiece.
Penn State can clinch the top seed in the EIVA tournament with wins over Princeton and Saint Francis this weekend.
Penn State's opponent last weekend, Rutgers-Newark, has mathematically eliminated itself from returning to the EIVA's top division after starting its conference slate with an 0-11 record.
