Houston's midseason liftoff powers spikers

With his long, lanky exterior, Eric Houston, swing hitter for the Penn State men's volleyball team, doesn't look like he could stand up under intense pressure.

Looks can be deceiving.

Houston's parents were forced to move to South Carolina, but this created more problems than the normal adjustments of moving. Houston said his college volleyball dream might have evaporated because most Southern schools do not have high school volleyball programs.

"It was a tough decision, but it was one I made," Houston said. "(My parents) trusted me and that trust really created the individual that I am."

John Houston, Eric's father, is reminded that his son made the right decision every time he sees Eric step onto the court as a Nittany Lion. John said he had nothing but trust in his son's judgment and supported his decision, but it wasn't easy.

"It was a very difficult thing for me to do," John said. "Eric was just getting into volleyball and it was tough not being able to see him as much as I wanted to."

Although John wasn't there for all of Eric's games, he said he looked forward to coming back and watching his son play.

"It's a beautiful thing to see him play," John said. "To see him get up in the air as high as he can get and spike the ball, that's beautiful."

Not only is his skill a magical experience for his father, it also thrills Penn State coach Mark Pavlik. Houston's uncanny ability to pull through in a rough situation has made him a valuable asset to the Lions.

Houston, a 6-foot-5 featherweight, has quickly ascended through the ranks of the Lions' lineup. He redshirted in last year when Penn State was loaded with many powerhouses of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA).

And when the Lions' starting six were playing strong, solid volleyball at the start of this season, it began to look as if Houston would not see much action again.

But in late February, when illness and injury had taken their toll on the Lions, Pavlik called on Houston to help turn things around.

"When Pav first put me in, my role was just a go-out-and-don't-mess-up type role," Houston said. "But I also add flow to the game."

Since Houston has come into the picture, the Lions have turned a pitiful 5-11 record into their current record of 16-14 and his status has greatly increased.

But Houston doesn't want to be singled out for the team's success. He credits the Lions' turnaround to the entire Penn State team. He also said he owes much of his small success to his teammates.

"This is a great bunch of guys and they always push me to work harder," Houston said. "Guys like Steve Aird push me in practice to be more competitive and that really helps me."

Aird, who also plays swing hitter, said despite the competition between he and Houston, they have really become a matched pair. He also said he greatly respects Houston's abilities on the court.

"He's got a great build for the game because he's tall and really strong," Aird said. "He also takes constructive criticism real well by taking weaknesses and turns them into strengths."

Houston has turned a negative into a positive before, so doing it on the court may be no surprise.