With one simple hit, Ramon Hernandez changes the momentum of a men's volleyball match and picks up the team's spirits almost instantly.

He prepares for the kill like a wolf, stalking his prey. The ball flies over the net where one of his teammates gets the dig. Immediately, Hernandez calls out that he wants the hit.

The setter runs under the pass and prepares his set, noticing out of the corner of his eye where Hernandez has prepared himself for the kill. Hernandez is streaking towards the net on a direct path towards the ball, even before the ball is set, gaining speed and momentum that will add power to the kill.

He takes two steps, plants both feet and leaps. Suspended in midair, Hernandez evokes images of the great Michael "Air" Jordan. His arm cocks and swings in a blur, striking the leather ball and driving into the opponent's court. Point, Penn State.

"When Ramon goes up and gets a big kill, he brings all of his emotions to the team," junior middle hitter Kevin Hourican said. "He yells and screams and gets everyone excited and our team thrives on it."

The 6-foot-3 outside hitter is about to begin his fourth consecutive season starting for the men's volleyball team. Last year, he and then-senior David Muir led the Lions in practically every offensive category.

"I don't like to rate myself among the other players," said the senior from Gardens Bay, Puerto Rico. "I think I am a good player with some international experience, but I don't know exactly how I would rate."

After earning spots on Volleyball Monthly's All-America third team twice, the All-East first team twice and the All-Freshman team as a middle hitter, Hernandez will have to learn the ropes all over again this year as the team's newest outside hitter.

"In the beginning of the year, I was having some troubles with the transition," he said. "On the outside, you have to concentrate on the pass and then swing around -- it is a lot different from the middle."

To compensate for the decrease in his blocking duties, Hernandez has been preparing for the increase in passing that his new role brings with it.

"Anybody on our team can put the ball down. We just need to concentrate on our defense," he said. "Passing and blocking will be the key for us in all the matches."

Coach Tom Peterson said that the move from middle to outside was made possible by of the arrival of 6-foot-5 freshman middle blocker Ivan Contreras, from Tampico, Mexico.

"We always wanted him outside because that is what his body is best suited for," Peterson said. "He was one of the best short middle blockers in the country. But it is a better team concept to have the taller players in the middle."

Hernandez knows that because he is a senior, he must be one of the team's on-court leaders, as well as their co-captain.

"Since I am a senior, I have a big responsibility for the team," Hernandez said. "I see myself as the floor leader of the team . . . keeping the team together and making sure that everybody is doing the right things."

Perhaps the person who knows Hernandez best is sophomore setter Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz and Hernandez met in high school when they competed together on the Puerto Rican Junior National Team, and the friendship that they developed there transferred to Penn State.

"We are very good friends," Ortiz said. "He helps me out during practice, always throwing me information. Off the court, we hang out, but we are not that close of friends. All of that changes when we get on the court."