Spikers douse the Red Flash

Last night, things couldn't have been any easier for the Penn State men's volleyball team. The Red Flash was just a flash in the pan and the Nittany Lions put out the fire with a crushing 3-1 defeat.

The ease with which the Lions defeated St. Francis stemmed from their newfound confidence. Coming off a successful 4-1 California road trip over spring break, the Lions continued their prosperity in last night's win (15-2, 15-5, 13-15, 15-6).

The powerful Lions used the confidence gained from their spring break road trip to keep the Red Flash under six for Penn State's three-game wins. The strong mentality of the No. 15 Lions clearly overpowered the inexperienced anxiety of the unranked St. Francis team.

"Overall this match was good," Pavlik said. "The impact from California shows in our confidence. We are coming back and playing well consistently."

For the third game, the starting six watched as other teammates received time on the court. St. Francis came out strong in the beginning, but Penn State was able to come back to even out the game. Eventually, these less experienced Lions fell to the Red Flash 13-15. But overall, Pavlik said everyone did well.

- Mark Pavlik, men's volleyball coach

This easy conference win brings the Lions' record to 12-13. Penn State carried a disappointing record to California but returned to the East Coast with improvement. The problems that Penn State experienced early in the season appeared to have disappeared with last night's decisive victory.

"We've lost some close matches," Pavlik said, "but we've started to have some pretty good wins. We are winning more than we are losing now which is a pretty good thing for us."

The Red Flash was the only team which Penn State faces this week. With just this one midweek match, the Lions have their first weekend off since December.