Penn State senior middle blocker Sergio Pampena does not believe the Lions will have a hard time with St. Francis.

"We don't expect much of a challenge," Pampena said. "We have seen them play before and we're confident with our ability. As long as we control the game and keep the ball on our side of the court we should win."

However, Penn State coach Mark Pavlik feels St. Francis is an exciting team despite its less-than-impressive record.

"They're a little scrappy," Pavlik said. "We saw them in the fall at the Nittany Lion Invitational. I expect them to be a little better than the last time we saw them play. We will have to use our size to our advantage."

The Lions are going into the match fresh coming off a week of relaxation and no volleyball.

Pavlik decided to give his team the week off for spring break with hopes of having it come back strong.

Pampena believes the week off may have been the best thing for Penn State, due to the plethora of injuries the Lions have been plagued with all season.

"We had a lot of nagging injuries," Pampena said. "Eric (Houston) had a pulled groin and was playing through it. I know my shoulder feels a lot fresher than it was before the break."

According to Pavlik, the break has helped out with the Lions' intensity as well.

"Their jumps are back up to where they were before the season," Pavlik said. "It was fun being back in the gym with these guys again. There was a little rust from the break, but with hard practices that will wear off."

In its last three matches, Penn State has dominated its competition by sweeping all three matches over Rutgers-Newark, Princeton and American University of Puerto Rico.

Penn State now begins its final seven weeks with something prove.

"We had the time to get refocused and have a better outlook on volleyball," Pampena said. "Our goal is to win the rest of our games and the EIVAs, then head out to California."

Notes:

Due to the poor weather conditions that hit the East Coast Monday, middle blocker Adam Whitescarver and opposite hitter Jason Hawkins did not report to practice Monday. The two are Florida natives.

Whitescarver has played well for the past month and his absence has left Pavlik unsure of if Whitescarver will see action tonight.

"I have no idea what role he will play," Pavlik said. "He will either be used as a defensive specialists or substitute for someone. I just don't know."