Juniata hopes to end spiker streak

Penn State has beaten the Eagles twice this season and hope to make it three in a row at the EIVA semifinals.

The Penn State men's volleyball team will meet some old friends this weekend.

When the No. 10 Nittany Lions (16-14) face off against Juniata (11-15) at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in Rec Hall for the EIVA semifinals, it will be the second time the two teams have met this season.

"It can be tough for a team to beat another team three times in a season," Patton said. "Penn State has now beaten us twice. Somewhere in their minds is that Juniata can't beat us. We can use that to beat them."

The last meeting of these two teams ended in a long battle with Penn State as the winner. Middle blocker Dan Hoechst said that match was more competitive than he expected.

"That was a little closer than we liked," Hoechst said. "But I think we will be a more confident team now than the last time we played."

This confidence stems from the Lions' two huge victories last weekend over Ball State (11-15) and No. 9 Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (16-14). With this level of confidence, the Lions believe they should beat Juniata for a third time.

"We've got that nothing-to-lose attitude," Patton said. "If we lose to Penn State, we are supposed to lose to Penn State. Penn State should beat Juniata. But we are good and we have everything to gain from it."

Juniata does have a disadvantage playing at Penn State. But the relative closeness of the two schools could bring many Eagle fans to the match.

Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said he enjoys the advantage of playing at home because of the positive affects it has on his team.

"I think our routine doesn't get messed up at all," Pavlik said. "The guys get to sleep in their own beds, in their own apartments. Coming in to any other place, it is harder to win."

Besides the home court advantage, Penn State is also a physically bigger team. Their size could be a big problem for the smaller Eagles. But Patton insists if his team serves tough and passes well, Juniata could come out with the upset.

The winner of tomorrow night's match between the Lions and the Eagles will play the victor of the Tiger-Pride matchup in the semifinals at Rutgers-Newark on Thursday evening.