Guillo Silva leaped in the air to block a quick set in a match against Ohio State on Jan. 25. When he returned to the ground, he landed on the foot of a Buckeye player. His foot twisted and pain flared in his ankle as Silva severely sprained it.

Sitting on his bed in his dorm room, casually dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt with a heavy layer of bandage wrapped around his foot and ankle, he discussed the injury.

"It was painful and frustrating to me," he said, "because I thought I was getting much better."

The second-degree sprain in his left foot sidelined Silva for over two weeks. He lived in the trainer's room during that time, building up the ligaments to normal strength.

Silva's ankle is an obstacle that he had to overcome, but overcoming obstacles is nothing new to the 6-5 Puerto Rican native. A newcomer to the program last year after transferring from Holy Cross, Silva injured his thumb and played on the third team, behind John Wasielewski and Jose Rubayo. During a match against USC at the UCLA Reebok Classic, Silva got his chance to prove what he could do, and has been starting ever since.

"When he came to us from Holy Cross," former coach Tom Tait said, "He had a lot of physical ability and talent that needed to be refined. He started doing some things on the right side that we've been looking for.

"He started creating problems for the opposition. He was blocking against some of the best left-side hitters in the country. When he started to produce offensively it was an extra bonus. He got the position and hasn't given it up."

Silva, whose father plays professional volleyball, started his career in the seventh grade at San Ignacio High School in Guaynabo, a suburb of San Juan. Guaynabo is a town near the beaches, where Silva spent much of his time playing the sport.

After graduating from high school and being named to the Puerto Rican High School Athletic Association all-star teams in both basketball and volleyball, Silva competed on the Puerto Rican Junior National Squad. Once again he wasn't an expected starter, but he captured the starting position against Cuba and later was named to the North-Central American and Caribbean All-Star team.

"Playing on the junior national team was the peak of my whole career," Silva said.

Silva, however, decided that it was time to concentrate on school and did not play varsity volleyball during his freshman year.

"Everyone was asking, 'Why aren't you playing in the universities on the collegiate level?' " he said. " 'Well,' I told them, 'I'm going into pre-med and it's pretty tough.' "

Silva played on the club team at Holy Cross and found that he had enough time for both athletics and academics. He said he became interested in Penn State since it had the top volleyball program on the east coast. Likewise, Penn State became interested in him.

"The coach from the University of Massachusetts called me," Tait said "and told me of a player who was wasting his ability up North and was playing at a level way under his potential."

Silva talked to Tait and liked the coach's philosophy and decided to transfer.

It was a move he never regretted.

"It's a great experience," he said. "and I'm getting a good education and seeing a lot of the States.

"I love playing volleyball," he continued. "It's a lot of fun and very exciting. Nothing has changed since high school. There's still that nervousness and tension, but it's always exciting when I'm playing someone new that'll try and beat you. It's always fun to go in and see what I can do different and how well I can perform and how I am going to progress."

A long-term goal of Silva's is to be a dentist, but at the moment he is striving to be named a first-team All-American and All-East player this year, a goal co-captain Robert Pierce believes Silva can achieve.

"As far as potential goes, he could be first-team All-American," Pierce said. "He has all the physical attributes. When he gets fired up there are few people that can stop him in the country."

"Last year one problem (he had) was inconsistency, and I think it was due to maturity rather than not knowing the skills," Tait said. "This year he's shown the kind of maturity to become an outstanding player. That's where he's shown the most improvement, both as a person and a player. He's starting to develop more and more the skills to become one of the outstanding players in the country."

Silva's family makes the trip from Puerto Rico to State College about five times a year to see him play. His ties to his family and his island make Silva long for Puerto Rico, and he wishes to return there as a dentist after he finishes his education.