Penn State's quest to win a third national championship was ended last night by top-ranked Stanford and their outside hitter Brad Lawson, who finished the match with a .821 hitting percentage and only one error from 28 swings. Stanford swept the Nittany Lions (30-25, 30-20, 30-18) to win their second national title.
With the teams even at 15-15 in the first set and both teams hitting well, Stanford turned to their serve to create free points. Three aces and several overpasses in the second half of the set enabled them to pull away and win the set 30-25. Despite the five point margin, Penn State still seemed to be in the match and carried this momentum into the second set.
More after the jump.