The men's volleyball team finally proved last year it could defeat even the most perennial of West Coast powerhouses. But for one reason or another, when it comes to its rivals to the north, the results are a completely different matter.

After playing five matches in three days, the team wearily returned home at 2:30 a.m. yesterday morning. It lost to the University of Manitoba in the finals of the York University Mizuno Excalibur Men's Volleyball Classic (13-15, 4-15, 15-13, 8-15).

With only one day of rest, the Nittany Lions will try to rebound when they take on Canadian defending national champion Laval at 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow at Rec Hall in "The Battle of North America." The two exhibitions will mark the first chance Nittany Lion fans have to catch a glimpse of their defending national champions on the court.

But don't be surprised if the team appears a little lethargic.

"I'm beat right now," said senior hitter Ed Josefoski. "We had a rough preseason and came back early from Christmas break. It's just a matter of getting used to this level of activity."

But the Lions' upcoming schedule -- seven matches in six days -- serves an obvious purpose. Not counting the annual alumni reunion match on Saturday, Laval will be the team's sole opponent until it opens the regular season in two weeks against the UCLA Bruins in a rematch of last year's NCAA championship match.

"Tough competition is something we really needed to start the year," said Coach Mark Pavlik. "This will give us a great idea of how we'll train for UCLA, Hawaii and Stanford."

Note:

-- Middle blocker Adam Fernsler will dress for tonight's match, but he is not expected to play. Fernsler, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Oct. 25, has been cleared to practice lightly.