For the men's volleyball team, power lies in the middle. The middle blocking, that is.

The middle blocking positions have always played a central role in the team's game plan. The middle blockers must incorporate the height and vertical leap necessary for blocking along with the power and arm strength needed to put away a kill whenever called upon.

These two positions (the middle blockers are opposite one other in the rotation) are usually reserved for older, more experienced players. But for the Lions, the starting positions are being held down by a sophomore and a true freshman.

"I don't think that the youth is a big factor for us," true freshman Ivan Contreras said. "We have been playing against a lot of good teams and we have a lot of experience between us."

The middle blockers will be leading the No. 2 Lions (14-1 overall, 4-0 EIVA) to Ohio State (16-9, 5-2 MIVA) today for a match against their Big Ten rival at 7:30 p.m. From there, the team will hop over to Indiana to do battle with No. 9 Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne and No. 11 Ball State in the Ball State Tournament tomorrow and Saturday.

Against the Buckeyes, the middle blockers will be attempting to add to their national rankings. The only Lions to be among the top 20 in the nation in any offensive category are the middle blockers.

Sophomore Kevin Hourican is currently ranked No. 3 nationally in hitting percentage (.500) with 85 kills and only 16 errors on 138 total attempts. He has also accumulated 47 blocks, placing him No. 17 in the nation with 1.42 blocks per game.

"It feels great," the 6-foot-7 Hourican said. "It gives you the confidence for the future, but the most important thing is getting the win for the team."

The Lions other starting middle blocker, Contreras, is No. 9 in hitting percentage (.453), with his 147 kills, 35 errors and 247 attempts. He has also tallied 60 blocks in 43 games to give him 1.4 blocks per game, No. 20 in the nation.

"It is a big surprise," Contreras said when he first heard of his national placement. "I just try to play as good as I can. One of my goals this season is to make the All-Freshman team, if I can."

A main component of the middle blocker's game is transition. Volleyball matches change pace faster than the blink of an eye. And being in the center of the court, in the middle of it all, one could become quite dizzy trying to determine if, as they jump on every play, they are jumping for the kill or the block.

"The transition game is not hard for me because I have been playing middle blocker all my life," Contreras said. "Many other players that are not normally middle blockers find it hard to keep up with the pace and the jumping every play."

Coach Tom Peterson said that the team has been working on its transition in practice this week. If the Lions can master that aspect of their play, it will be one more piece to a puzzle that is very close to being complete.

"You really have to work hard at transition -- going from offense to defense and defense to offense quicker than anyone on the court," Peterson said.

"They are getting real good. I believe we are one of the best blocking teams in the nation."