They've been hearing it since the days of youth volleyball, when their little hands couldn't even peek over the net.

Sometimes it comes down to who wants it more.

It's an old cliché the Penn State women's volleyball team will have to take very seriously starting this week when they play Michigan (12-11, 8-8) and Michigan State (16-7, 9-7) in their last home weekend of the Big Ten season. They take on Iowa (6-19, 3-13) and Minnesota (17-9, 8-8) to finish off the season a week later.

The dynamics of the NCAA volleyball tournament allow for 32 automatic bids to conference winners and 32 at large bids.

Barring a mishap in the next two weeks, Wisconsin should take the conference title with a 19-1 record to earn the automatic bid.

But with the Lions (18-6, 11-5) dropping just one spot to No. 14 after their disheartening loss to No. 21 Illinois (17-7, 10-6) last Friday, they remain in position to not only receive a bid but to finish in the top 16 and host the first round of the tournament.

Considering that the Lions are 14-2 at home this season compared to 4-4 on the road, playing at home would be beneficial.

To do that, they probably need to win at least three of the last four games.

That's motivation enough to give the Lions a mental edge, right?

Not if you consider that three of the four teams that the Lions will be facing are fighting for bids — period (the Hawkeyes are the exception).

"They're going to be playing tough, battling for those spots," coach Russ Rose said. "Their sense of immediacy is going to be much higher."

And that could spell disaster for a Penn State team that tends to fold up like demented origami every time they face a team with any sort of motivation.

Consider the match versus the Illini. After solid wins in games one and two the Lions went into the half with confidence. However, the Illini, urged on by a raucous crowd, stormed back to tie the third game at 30.

"They had a very partisan crowd, and in that third game they sensed our vulnerability and took advantage of it," Rose said.

Illinois scored the next two points and won the next two games to stun the Lions.

There have been whispers all along around the Penn State program that this team simply does not have the competitive spirit needed to succeed on the road in the Big Ten.

In the end, the Lions' hopes for hosting the first round of the tournament will probably come down to the Nov. 24 match at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are averaging 2,230 fans per game, about the same number that frequently pack Rec Hall.

"You've got to go into other people's gyms with an attitude," said head manager Steve Aird. "You can't be looking around or feeling helpless."

Rose talks the old talk that he can't worry about the tournament or any of that yet. But it is clearly his carrot on a string at the moment. Shortly after his team falters and looks sloppy on a basic drill, he stops practice to lecture them. He reminds them that they control their own destiny and that three of the teams left on the schedule will be playing even more determination and inspiration.

Yet the toughest task for Penn State may be playing up to Rose's standards.

"If we get to the tournament, it's supposed to be a reward for the hard work of a good season," he says. "But I don't know if you can really justify it for the mischief these girls have wreaked on the game."