He was supposed to take the No. 11 Lions (9-10, 4-0 Tait) back to the top of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

He was expected to take a team made up of five seniors back to the NCAAs and have it contend for a title.

None of that has happened.

Nagging injuries and poor play at the beginning of the season have left Pollock on the bench and forced coach Mark Pavlik to give freshman Jose Quinones an opportunity to play.

Quinones has never looked back. He has had career highs in digs, assists, blocks, and kills and has led Penn State to eight of its nine victories.

Though Pollock said he was upset about the initial decision, he understood why Pavlik made the change.

"I'm disappointed that I'm not playing," Pollock said. "But looking back, I agree with the coaches. After going 0-7 it was time for a change."

Throughout the preseason, Pollock was the odds-on favorite to start at the setter position. He was coming off his best season for Penn State. He had posted a career high in assists with 2,128 last season, missing an NCAA assists record by just four. Pollock was rewarded for his efforts by being named a first-team All-East selection last season.

However, throughout the preseason, Pavlik downplayed the senior's lock on the position, saying he would go with the setter who was producing the most.

But no one, not even Pollock, thought he would be the top cheerleader on a team that starts three seniors.

"No, I didn't expect it to happen," Pollock said. "I thought I'd play more."

On Feb. 5, Pollock had 17 assists in two games against Juniata and became Penn State's all-time assist leader.

To the crowd that witnessed the event, it was the icing on the cake on a night that saw Penn State beat the Eagles in a three-game sweep. While some athletes would be thrilled about the honor, Pollock downplayed it.

"It really wasn't important to me," Pollock said. "I know I was going to break it. All I do is pass the ball and someone else has to put it away."

Throughout Pollock's Penn State career, he has played through adversity, injuries and an NCAA Final Four appearance with the Lions.

But now he is experiencing a season most seniors never want to be a part of -- watching his understudy take his job.

Though Pollock may feel this way, he has handled it with a high level of professionalism. While sitting on the sidelines, he is quick to point any mistakes Quinones may make during matches.

"We help each other out by telling one another what's going on and what he could do better," Pollock said. "I have more experience playing with Serge, Brad and Tony. I'll tell him who's hot and who he should go to. We work together."

When Pavlik decided to make the switch to Quinones, it surprised a lot of the players, especially senior middle blocker Brad Miller, who has played with Pollock for two years.

"I didn't expect it," Miller said. "It shocked me. I thought the change came a little too early."

Miller has played with Pollock for the past two seasons and knows what he expects. However, he was not sure what to expect when Quinones took over the setter position.

"Dan expects you to go 100 percent all the time and always wants the best from you," Miller said. "He's got a lot of experience, where Jose is young and shows his inexperience, but both players work hard in practice and make each other better."

Quinones believes he and Pollock have become better friends by practicing together.

"There was never a rivalry between us, there was just good competition between the two of us," Quinones said. "We both would do anything to get a win for the team. Dan is pushing himself and I am pushing myself -- there is good competition and we both want to win."

Quinones realizes that Pollock's situation is a difficult one, but thinks the senior is making the best of it.

"I am sure deep down inside it's tough," Quinones said. "But from a player's standpoint I think he is doing everything he can by telling me what he's seeing and telling me what the other blocker is doing. He is being a total team player."

"I am not a selfish player," Pollock said. "I always want the six best players on the court."

Even if those six do not include him.