UNIVERSITY PARK - Penn State handed George Mason its first EIVA loss this season in a five-set thriller last Saturday. The Nittany Lions did so without their star right side hitter Calvin Mende, but more intriguing was the libero situation.
Incumbent starter Royce Clemens did not travel with the team over the weekend. Redshirt freshman Declan Pierce is Clemens' backup, but in a critical weekend, head coach mark Pavlik made arguably his most interesting lineup change of the season - starting Lee Smith at libero.
Smith, who is listed as an outside hitter, might have the best ball control on the team, according to Pavlik, but plugging him in at libero was highly unexpected for anyone outside of the Penn State coaches' room.