March 8, 2018
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| Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, Hawai'i | --- | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
HONOLULU, Hawai'i - Penn State battled No. 4 BYU to five sets Thursday night in the Stan Sheriff Center in its opening match of the Outrigger Invitational, falling 3-2 (25-21, 27-29, 22-25, 25-19, 13-15) to the Cougars.
The Nittany Lions took the opening set to hold an initial 1-0 lead, but BYU turned the tables quickly taking sets two and three leaving that match in the favor of the Cougars 2-1.
Set four saw Penn State dominate as the Nittany Lions end the set on a 10-5 run sparked by multiple Matt McLaren kills. McLaren finished the match with a team-high 19 kills as well as two service aces and three blocks.
Tied 2-2, Penn State kept it close knotting the set on six separate occasions including an 8-8 tie late in the set. BYU's Gabi Garcia Fernande landed the kill that clinched the set and match for the Cougars.
Two other Nittany Lions registered double-digit kills on the night including Calvin Mende (18) and Kevin Gear (10). As a team, Penn State outhit BYU finishing with a .314 hitting percentage to BYU's .302.
Both teams tied in team blocks each posting 11.0 as a squad.
Penn State returns to the court in a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament match as the Nittany Lions take on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawai'i at 12 a.m. ET.
For more on Nittany Lion men's volleyball, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateMVBall.