Ed Josefoski can't help it. At a university where everything out of the ordinary isn't condoned, he stands out. Dark, slicked-back hair. Sideburns Jason Priestly might envy. Long, powerful arms and legs. A demeanor which is usually friendy and gregarious, but at other times inflames opposing players and exasperates his own coach.

But what really sets the Lion volleyball player apart is summed up in the nickname a member of the team's booster club gave him -- Hollywood.

Even the use of his laid-back, everyday language -- "dude" and "bro" the most notable examples -- are reminiscent of a character Aaron Spelling created for "Beverly Hills, 90210."

And although the 6-foot-5 outside hitter never dreamt of becoming an actor, he is certainly a performer. When Josefoski takes the court against Ball State on Saturday for the third time this season, he will aim to fare far better than the previous two times.

The more recent game resulted in a loss to the then-No. 15 Cardinals in the finals of the Hall of Fame Classic on March 4. Two weeks earlier, a Lion win was marred by an outbreak in which Josefoski was suspended for two matches after kicking a chair into the bleachers.

But wearing his emotions on his sleeve will always be a part of his game.

"I'm a firm believer if you're going to do something, you do it well and you have fun doing it, or it's not worth doing," Josefoski said. "If you came down on the floor and said, 'Are you having fun, Ed?' I'd say, 'Damn skippy, I'm having fun.' As long as I'm having fun, it comes out that way. People can say what they want."

Josefoski's 5.1 kills per game average may not rank among the nation's top 20, but one thing is immediately evident when watching him on the court -- he is as important to his team emotionally as he is physically.

"I wouldn't say Eddie is a unique individual," Lion Coach Mark Pavlik said, "but when you look at everything he offers'-- personality, leadership, physical ability -- there hasn't been anyone in at least over a decade who offered as much as he does."

But the same player who was selected as a Volleyball Magazine preseason All-American almost never played volleyball on the collegiate level.

As a two-sport star and captain of both the volleyball and basketball teams at Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Josefoski was offered both volleyball and basketball scholarships by several Division I schools in 1990.

He was leaning toward volleyball, despite knowing that choice would result in a confrontation with his father, who had notched over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds as a 6-foot-6 center for Point Park College. At the end of his senior year, Josefoski finally chose to pursue the less popular sport, a decision that devastated his father. "It made me sick at first, although now I think he made the right choice," the elder Ed Josefoski recalled. "As a kid growing up, I always called it a sissy sport -- I perceived volleyball players to be gentlemanly and everything. Eddie was always an intense kid, and I couldn't see him deep down fitting in."

But the effect Josefoski's decision to play volleyball had on his father was nothing compared to the effects of his acts of rebellion.

"He was often times a parental nightmare -- a free-spirited kid," the elder Josefoski said. "The harder I tried to tame him, the more he rebelled against me."

Josefoski described his friends as "a bunch of guys who drank and defaced stuff," including buildings and even animals.

"As long as we wanted to do something and we made up our mind to do it, we would do it," Josefoski said.

But an incident on graduation night helped him -- maybe forced him -- to mature.

Josefoski and his friends began a long night of partying after graduation and wound up at his high school's field house. Although he doesn't like to vividly recant the events of the evening, the basic details are these:

He and his friends broke into the locker-sized room "to toss around some footballs," and were arrested later that night. (Josefoski eluded police until morning). They were all charged with numerous. crimes, including underage drinking, criminal trespass and criminal mischief; They were fined, taken into custody and ordered to do community service.

"Now that it's over, I regret that it happened, but it was the best learning experience I could have," Josefoski said. "It was like the last dance -- I finally got the picture."

Indeed, Josefoski has changed dramatically since high school. He now prefers fishing, hiking, whitewater rafting and taking road trips to Whipple Dam State Park, which is 15 miles from University Park.

"He did a complete 180 when we came here at first," said Salima Davidson, a former member of the women's volleyball team and an All-American setter who has known Josefoski since kindergarten. "I was really worried about him."

Even away from home, it took Josefoski a long time to feel comfortable with his new life. After redshirting his freshman year, he suffered lingering doubts about his decision to play volleyball. Josefoski approached Men's Basketball Coach Bruce Parkhill and told him of his intention to walk on to the team. The following year he tried out -- unsuccessfully.

"It was a joke, it really was," Josefoski said. "I felt like, what am I going to show four on four for 45 minutes? I gave up a lot to do it -- a scholarship, a year of eligibility after that -- I can't even call it a tryout -- that 'showing.' "

So Josefoski told former Men's Volleyball Coach Tom Peterson he would sit out a year. Parkhill said he and his staff gave Josefoski a fair tryout and the decision to cut him from tryouts "had nothing to do with anything behind-the-scenes."

Even so, the experience may explain why there are hints of animosity when Josefoski talks about his time at Penn State. There aren't many aspects of Penn State he'll miss when he leaves after this year.

"I don't think (students) have to pay the school back -- they get an education but they pay for it," Josefoski said. "It's great to have alumni support, but I'd rather give something back that gave something to me -- like my friends and my family. They show me much more support than the school.

After the NCAA championship in May, Josefoski will not have to worry about the school anymore. He has been invited to train in San Diego for the World University Games in Japan this August. He could try his skills on the beach or play professionally overseas. Or he could eventually return to school to pursue a graduate degree.

"I never work on being different. There's times to blend in, but you have to ask why," Josefoski said. "I know there's team rules you can't cross, and every once in a while, I do."

Josefoski can't help it - he stands out.