Spikers see red looking toward Rutgers rematch

The Penn State men's volleyball team may be inspired this weekend by something more than a desire to win -- revenge.

The No. 13 Nittany Lions will have the chance to make up for a loss earlier in the season when it clashes with No. 14 Rutgers-Newark at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Golden Dome Athletic Center. Penn State will also take on Princeton at 7:30 tonight at Dillion Gym.

The last time the Lions faced Rutgers, the Scarlet Raiders upset them at Rec Hall. Penn State setter Dan Pollock said there are still feelings of hostility between these two teams and Penn State will be looking to return the favor tomorrow.

The Lions are still carrying the momentum from recent wins. Their lashing of Juniata Tuesday night gave them a solid 13-13 overall record. A win would put them above .500 for the first time all season.

"I think we have something to prove because they're in our division," middle blocker Sergio Pampena said. "I feel that we're better than they are and we just have to go out and play like it."

When Penn State lost to Rutgers back in February, Pollock was clearly upset. It was the first time the Lions lost an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Tait Division match in his career. He will carry the anger he felt that night into this weekend's match.

"There's a lot on the line in this match," Pollock said. "Home court advantage for EIVA Semifinals, but also respect. We lost to Rutgers once and we definitely don't want to lose to the same team twice in the same year."

Not only does Pollock want to beat the Scarlet Raiders, he and his teammates want to ravage them. Penn State believes it will face Rutgers again in the semifinals, and it wants to start the ball rolling for that now.

"This is another stepping stone for the finals," Pollock said. "Say if we can beat Rutgers 3-0, it demoralizes them and we'll have the mental edge for the finals."

But the Lions know they cannot look too far ahead. The team is basically concerned with the tasks at hand.

Penn State coach Mark Pavlik is preparing his team for two grueling matches this weekend. He said he is expecting the usual scrappy, back-and-forth matches he would expect from any team.

"It's always tough to win on someone else's home court," Pavlik said. "With Princeton, it'll be a real gritty performance. With Rutgers, we have to stop their middles because they carry the majority of their offensive load. It's just going to be a sideout war."

Rutgers coach Ron Larsen agrees the match will be a long-fought battle riddled with streaks of sideouts. He knows the Lions are out for revenge, but, in the end, he believes it all comes down to desire.

"Penn State wants to avenge the loss earlier," Larsen said. "They want to win but we want to prove it wasn't luck that we beat them the first time.

"Mental toughness will definitely be a factor. Whichever team can weather the storm will be the one who wins."