Adjusting to college life is tough for any freshman. But what is it like to be thrust into Division I competition at the same time?

For freshman Ivan Spinner, it's business as usual.

Spinner, Coach Jan Bortner's number three player, was used to the public eye long before he came to Penn State.

Being the No. 1 seed at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Fla., Spinner won state and national championships and was voted the state's Player of the Year.

"I've always played in national tournaments," said Spinner, "but the pressure never bothered me. I seem to rise to the pressure."

And he's continued to rise to pressure at the collegiate level, going 6-0 during the month of March, earning Big Ten Player of the Month recognition.

"I started playing up to my level in the Michigan State tournament in March," said Spinner, who is currently 3-3 in conference play.

The pressure only grew for Spinner when he was moved up to the No. 3 seed following the injury of Mark Price. Bortner admitted having initial concerns about the new position.

"We had to move everyone up after (Price) injured his knee. Ideally, you don't want a freshman up too high, but he's having good success," Bortner said.

"Anytime you have a freshman coming in to Division I play, singles play is all you can ask," he continued."Some players are only good in singles or in doubles but Ivan can play effectively either way."

Spinner added that there is a noticeable difference in the competition between the three and four seeds.

"I think in the Big Ten there's a difference. The players are really strong. For each spot there's a difference in the level of play."

Spinner has high hopes for the future of this year's team, which currently is 0-6 in the Big Ten and 10-6 overall.

"We have a really young team but I think we're going to be a lot tougher next year. We're really intense and we're playing hard. We just need one big win to put us ahead."

However, Spinner doesn't want to wait till next year for success. He is looking at the opportunity for success much sooner -- the Big Ten Championships in May.

"In the Big Ten, it's a team tournament. We'll all be really intense because it determines the final standings so we can go from ten to one in this tourney."