Eastern domination has become the rule for the men's volleyball team.

It was another Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association opponent and another victory for the Lions (9-5 in NCAA competition, 2-0 in the EIVA). The scene has become all too familiar to Navy, Rutgers-Newark, East Stroudsburg and George Mason, the t The Lions' 15-2, 15-10, 15-5, trouncing of the Midshipmen moved their overall EIVA record to 34-2 since the association formed in 1986.

In that time Penn State has won the EIVA tournament championship three times, sending those teams to the NCAA Final Four.

"Penn State, the school itself, continues the tradition," Coach Tom Peterson said. "If you're from Penn State and playing Navy your supposed to win.

"It's a mind-set, so you play up to that level most times . . . You get it in your mind that 'Hey we're Penn State and we don't lose to Navy.' So in crunch time you say 'Hey we're playing good and we're not going to let Navy beat us and Navy thinks he One of the reasons Penn State is so tough to beat in the East is the top competition out West.

"A very good reason for our success is that we are able to play teams from California," outside hitter Guillo Silva said. "That is the first thing you got to do in order to improve. You got to play the good teams in order to be better."

The real key to success may be that Penn State has been able to recruit the top players on the East Coast and from Puerto Rico.

"A lot of it has to do with recruiting," senior co-captain John Wasielewski said, adding that many of the top Eastern players are from Pennsylvania and western New York.

Wasielewski is from Hamburg, N.Y.

"I think both Tom Tait (former head coach) and Tom Peterson know what they're looking for and they go out and get it," he added. "They don't hold back, they get the players they want and (George) Mason and Navy and Rutgers (Newark) all always a step Silva who is from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, agreed.

"I think . . . (Tom) Tait's job of recruiting and building up a strong program has helped us bring in new recruits that are good," he said.

Silva transferred to Penn State from Holy Cross. He said that Penn State's academic reputation, as well as its strong volleyball program, convinced him to transfer.

"The school itself is the major recruiting tool," Peterson agreed. "In academics and athletics it's one of the best if not the best school you can go to.

"We don't have the scholarships or the money, more money than other teams give out, in fact we have less in most cases than the top teams. It's just the tradition of the school itself and the tradition of volleyball."

Tait built the recruiting ties in Puerto Rico when he was head coach. In addition to Silva, regulars Charlie Bertran, Jorge Perez and Tito Nunez are also from Puerto Rico.

"Right now we have a very solid reputation that we've built up for the last five or six years as the top team in the East and even in the Midwest," Silva said. "These couple years the Midwest is beginning to pick up but aside from that we are the be Next up for the Lions is EIVA foe Rutgers-Newark, at 7:30 tomorrow night at Rec Hall.