Two matches pitting the Penn State men's volleyball team against ranked opponents. Two nights apart. Two very different results.
Just 21 hours after the No. 9 Nittany Lions edged the defending national champions, No. 11 UC Irvine, in a five-set thriller, they took on No. 4 BYU at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. in the first match of the Active Ankle Challenge.
And though the Lions fell to the Cougars 3-1 (30-26, 33-31, 25-30, 30-26), coach Mark Pavlik said his team's effort was much more satisfying this time around.
"Am I pleased that we lost? No," Pavlik said. "But am I pleased that we did what we did and can come away learning something from this match? Absolutely. I thought we played well. I'm not jumping for joy about it, but I am happy with our performance."
Three Lions -- the go-to-trio of Will Price, Max Lipsitz and Joe Sunder -- tallied at least 20 kills while junior libero Dennis Del Valle picked up 16 digs.
Pavlik said the difference between Wednesday and Friday night's matches, however, was the team's total focused attitude. In the Irvine match, Penn State allowed the Anteaters to go on four separate 3-0 runs. Against BYU, Pavlik said his team fought hard to restrict separation.
"We were better at limiting the stretches of points against us," the coach said. "This was a more even approach and it was a better effort."
Pavlik said the Lions learned from their win Wednesday -- which he referred to as "lackluster" -- and will continue to learn from their loss Friday night to a "very very physical BYU squad."
"It's why we come out here," Pavlik said. "And I'm glad we come out here because it allows us to improve."
