Finally. They're coming home.

The fifth-ranked men's volleyball team (19-4, 3-0 EIVA) will return to the somewhat unfamiliar confines of Rec Hall for the first time since Feb. 13 when it hosts No. 15 George Mason at 7:30 tomorrow. The Lions then travel to Lancaster on Sunday to take on No. 18 Navy at 4 p.m. Both are EIVA matches.

"We get to travel to another strange gym," assistant coach Mark Pavlik said of the match in Rec Hall.

Pavlik said the Lions have used a week of practice to hone their defensive skills and work on blocking techniques.

"We've been doing some things tactically with our blocking," he said. "(The team) has been working real hard."

He added senior outside hitter Jorge Perez, the team leader in kills with 372, has been bothered by a slight hip injury.

"It depends on what he is like (today) at practice and on Saturday," Pavlik said of Perez playing in either match.

Penn State has won 24 of 27 matches over George Mason since 1986, including three victories this season. At the Nittany Lion Invitational on Feb. 2, the Lions disposed of the Patriots in four sets, 15-13, 5-15, 15-1, 15-10. On Feb. 8, the Lions defeated GMU 15-10, 15-7, 6-15, 15-5, in the semifinals of the Dutch Country Classic. On Feb. 19, Penn State won in three sets on the Patriots' home floor, 15-6, 15-2, 15-11.

"They have the ability to get on a roll and play some absolutely great volleyball," Pavlik said of the Patriots. "Anytime a team has to play us in Rec Hall, I think they have got to play extra well to beat us."

Penn State has defeated Navy twice this season. On Feb. 17, the Lions defeated the Midshipmen, 15-5, 16-14, 15-8, at a tournament in York. Then, on Feb. 20, Penn State took five sets to dispose of the Midshipmen at Annapolis, Md., 12-15, 5-15, 15-8, 15-3, 15-11.

"They pick everything up on defense," Miller said of Navy. "They were at home (on Feb. 20) and they really believed they could beat us."

Miller added both of this weekend's matches are important in establishing Eastern supremacy.

"We have to show other Eastern teams that we are a step ahead of them," he said. "Each match we should want to improve our play."

In addition to the five victories over Navy and George Mason, the Lions have also defeated Eastern foes Rutgers-Newark twice and East Stroudsburg once.

The Lions are coming off a first-place finish at the Golden Dome Classic at Rutgers-Newark last weekend. They defeated Ball State 16-14, 15-12, 9-15, 17-15 in the first round before defeating the host Raiders 15-10, 15-12, 15-13.

"We felt pretty good about how we played against Rutgers," Miller said.