The globetrotting men's volleyball team opens a three-day, three-city tour at 7:30 tonight in Rec Hall's South Gym.

Tonight the Lions (7-2) play Rutgers-Newark, and then hop on the bus right after the match to travel to Fairfax, Va., to play rival George Mason at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. From Virginia, the Lions get back on the bus and head for Annapolis, Md., for a 2 p.m. Sunday matchup with Navy.

"The older guys pretty much have the mindset that we travel a lot and we're not around a lot and it's not going to bother us," junior Todd Shirley said.

The Lions did not play the Knights at the Golden Dome Classic, but co-captain Robert Pierce said that the opposition is a highly emotional team.

"If things are going well for them, the crowd is into it and they make some really good plays, they're going to be playing out of their heads," Pierce said. "If you keep the momentum on your side you're going to keep them down."

Tomorrow's contest with George Mason will be the third meeting of the year between the two teams. The Lions have beaten the Patriots twice this season, and Coach Tom Peterson hopes that the third time will not be a charm for the Patriots.

"To beat a good team three times in a row is pretty darn tough," the first-year coach said.

The Lions have not met the Midshipmen yet this season.

"They'll probably be a typical Navy team, semi-competitive but not really competitive as a team like (George) Mason or Rutgers (Newark) would be," Shirley said.

Ball State handed the Lions their second loss of the season last weekend in a tough five-game match. The players and Peterson think the loss will spur them on.

"There are times when a loss is very beneficial," Peterson said. "We've talked about it, and our attitude is we're going to do pretty well dealing with that loss."

"I think we should go 3-0 this weekend," outside hitter Jorge Perez said. "This week has been a little bit better in practice than last week."

This weekend's home contest is only Penn State's second of the season, and the team has just three more before the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association playoffs start. Pierce said this will be an extra incentive for the young Lions.

"Everyone's looking forward to it," Pierce said. "Everyone's going to be pumped up. I look for people to come out swinging and diving and throwing their bodies everywhere."

Peterson said Charlie Bertran will not play again this weekend because of injury, while Guillo Silva is "day by day" and John Wasielewski will see limited action.