The Lady Lions will face their first Big Ten opponents this weekend on their second road trip with matches against Illinois tomorrow and Purdue on Sunday.

Key stats: Since joining the Big Ten three years ago, the Penn State team has yet to lose to the Boilermakers, who finished 11th in the Big Ten last year. The Illini are another matter. The Lady Lions have gone 0-2 against the Illini since their first meeting in the spring of 1992.

Preview: In their first meeting of the season with conference teams, the Lady Lions have the chance to twist fate and finally beat one of their toughest rivals in Illinois tomorrow. Never having lost to Purdue, the team will be really gunning for Illinois, Coach Sue Whiteside said, due to their frustrating losing record against the Illini.

Coach Whiteside says: "Illinois is going to be tough and I'm hoping we're pretty dominating over Purdue. It's the first start of our Big Ten matches and we'll see where we are after this weekend about how we stand. But it should be a good test. We definitely will be motivated and up to playing Illinois."

The Lions have two matches with two of their Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association rivals this weekend. Today, the team takes on the Eastern Mennonite Royals at 7:30 p.m. in Rec Hall. Then, the Lions travel to Loretto to battle the St. Francis Red Flash at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Key stats: The Lions are hoping sophomore middle blocker Kevin Hourican will return to the lineup after missing the last two matches with an ankle injury. Hourican is the only Lion ranked nationally offensively (No. 11 with .456 hitting percentage and No. 12 with 1.56 blocks per game).

David Morales, St. Francis' junior middle hitter, is No. 9 with a .460 hitting percentage. Leading Eastern Mennonite is senior Mike Osinski with 116 kills and 42 digs.

Injuries: None to report.

Preview: The No. 2 Lions (11-1 overall, 3-0 EIVA) have won their last 10 matches, dating back to Jan. 21. They are also well rested, after experiencing spring break sans competition for the first time ever.

The Royals (0-8, 0-2) reside in the Tait Division cellar, having yet to garner their first win of the season. The Red Flash (9-7, 1-0) have lost their last three matches and four of their last five.

Coach Tom Peterson says: "If we lose to anybody in the EIVA, it will drop us way down in the polls. We have to send a message to the EIVA people that we will win the EIVAs."

No. 6 Florida (7-4) ventures into Rec Hall to engage the No. 12 Lady Lions (13-7) of Penn State in battle at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Key stats: National team rankings by event: Penn State --No. 20 vault (47.831), No. 9 bars (48.031), No. 16 beam (47.397), and tied for No. 27 floor (47.381). Florida --No. 10 vault (47.897), No. 7 bars (47.756), No. 7 beam (47.503) and No. 4 floor (48.297).

Injuries: Sophomore Michelle Manzolillo had arthroscopic knee surgery March 7 and is out for the season. Senior co-captain Coby Silver continues to fight a chronic achilles tendon problem. Senior co-captain April Polito is recovering nicely from a wrist injury suffered in early February.

Preview: Florida Coach Judi Avener is returning to Rec Hall for the first time since abrupty leaving Happy Valley in the summer of 1992. While here, Avener had an 18-year coaching reign, in which she compiled 284 victories and two national titles (in 1978 and 1980).

Lady Lion Coach Steve Shephard said his team backed off the volume of practice this week, instead focusing on the intensity of the workouts. And, he believes, the change paid off: "Monday and Tuesday (the team) looked better than they have all year."

Coach Shephard says: "Judi (Avener) is a good friend of mine. It's going to be nice to see her. But everyone -- including myself -- has to realize we're there to do a job."