M. volleyball's Cinderella trip ends with Nittany Lions

The men's volleyball team needed nothing short of a miracle last Thursday night. Apparently someone forgot to tell the volleyball gods. What the squad got was an excellent performance that did justice to what they have accomplished this season. However, against some teams, even a performance that good isn't always enough.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, their opponent in Thursday's Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference semifinals was Penn State. The Nittany Lions have been ranked in the top ten nationally all season, and entered this game at the No. 7 spot. No EIVA opponent even came close to beating them this year. Nonethless, Princeton put forth a solid effort, but this was only good enough to keep the game close. The Tigers seriously challenged Penn State in the first two games only to fall in both and then drop the third, closing their season with a record of 16-11.

Princeton advanced to this semifinal match against the Nittany Lions with a 3-2 defeat of Juniata College Saturday, April 19. That win, coupled with a recent sweep of EIVA No. 2 George Mason, had the team's spirits riding high as they went off to face the defending champions. This time, however, Goliath was just too much.

Led by EIVA Player of the Year Carlos Guerra's 16 kills, Penn St. dominated Princeton in nearly every statistical category. More important than kills or blocks was a slightly less exciting stat: errors. Princeton knew coming in that it would be impossible to beat the Nittany Lions without a near-perfect performance, a lofty goal against any team, much less this one. Service errors ended up spelling doom for the team, as Penn State seized on a few simple mistakes to ward off the Tiger challenges.

Despite their mistakes, however, the Tigers did not go down without a fight. Senior opposite hitter Dennis Alshuler and sophomore outside hitter Blake Robinson both posted 10 kills, and junior Jason Liljestrom handed out 30 assists. Freshman libero Mark Stevens recorded eight digs, while freshman middle Brian Hamming and sophomore middle Sean Vitousek came up with three blocks apiece.

Princeton raced out to a 7-3 lead in the first game, though the Nittany Lions were able to make up the deficit and tie the game at 10 apiece. Penn State then gained the advantage, but the Tigers twice came back to tie the game up at 21 and then 25 points. From here, Penn State showed why they are the league's best, winning the next five out of eight points to grab the first game, 30-28.

The Tigers continued to fight throughout the second game, overcoming an early 3-1 deficit to forge a 7-7 tie early on. But two Princeton service errors — with the contest tied at 12 apiece and then 22 apiece — gave the Nittany Lions a one-point lead that they would ultimately build on. Penn State's Keith Kowal closed the game with a kill.

Though Princeton remained resilient in the early stages of the third game, a series of Tiger attack errors gave the Lions a four point lead at 19-15. From that point on, the Nittany Lions separated themselves even more, earning the 30-22 victory and outhitting the Tigers, .333 to .138.

These numbers, however, don't do justice to what the team accomplished.

"We gave them a real run for their money," said Hamming. "We played them as tough and as close as anyone in the conference has all year."

Penn State, with seven first or second-team all-conference players on its roster, simply brought too much talent to the table. The fact that the Tigers were able to keep the Nittany Lions on their heels throughout the game is a testament not only to their willpower but also to the improvements made throughout the season. With Alshuler as the only four-year senior, the youthful Princeton team went through some growing pains early on. They played their best when it counted, however, overcoming their low fifth seeding to win their first postseason game and give Penn State a realistic challenge.

Though Alshuler will be sorely missed, the rest of the starters will all be returning for next season. Judging from Thursday night's effort, Penn State and the rest of the EIVA should be concerned.