Boasting a five-match winning streak, the men's volleyball team faces its biggest test of the season tonight. The upstart Lions, ranked 12th in the nation, host the second-ranked Stanford Cardinal at 7:30 in Rec Hall.

Tonight's match, the first of four in five days, marks a critical point in the Lions' season. Entering the stretch with an 11-7 record overall and an unblemished 5-0 mark in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, the squad's next four opponents are all nationally ranked.

"It will be a tough game," outside hitter Marcus Neumann said. "They have very good players."

Stanford, coming off a dissapointing 8-13 season last year, returns five starters to this year's squad. Key returnees include setter Canyon Ceman and outside hitters Dave Goss and Duncan Blackman. Goss finished fourth in dig average (5.84) and kill average (5.84) in the NCAA last year.

"Stanford is the best team we will play this year," Coach Tom Peterson said. "To be in the match, we will have to play our best match of the season and be steady with our ball control throughout."

The Lions recent success is a result of improved blocking, better passing, and a solid side-out defense. Earlier in the season, ball control plagued the squad, as they dropped three of its first five matches.

"We are getting closer as the team," Neumann said. "We are picking up our skills better now. Everyone is just getting more experience.

Beginning with a four-game victory over George Mason three weeks ago, the Lions have strung together five straight victories. Three of the victories -- a home victory over East Stroudsburg and road wins against George Mason and Navy -- were three-game sweeps.

"This is a big match for us," Peterson said. "Our guys will be very intense. That's the good part. The bad part is that Stanford plays teams like that every week, so they are used to competing at that level. We cannot break down or put pressure on ourselves."

After playing tonight, both teams will head to Lancaster, where they will take part in the four-team Dutch County Classic over the weekend. In the first round, Penn State will meet George Mason while Stanford will square off with EIVA power Rutgers-Newark.

The final match of the stretch, a Monday night Rec Hall match with Rutgers-Newark, will determine first place in the EIVA. Currently, both teams are undefeated in league play.