Heading into the 2002 season, the Penn State men's volleyball team is ranked No. 1 and is looking to improve on last year's national championship run.

Penn State finished the 2001 regular season with a 24-8 mark before falling in the semifinals of the national championships to eventual champion Brigham Young.

"This should be a great year for us," coach Mark Pavlik said. "The rest of the volleyball world believes we can play at this level."

Pavlik, in his eighth season at the helm, said his philosophy would remain the same as other seasons as he will go with strategies that have equaled success for the Nittany Lions in the past.

"Our experience has proven to be worthwhile," Pavlik said.

Fourteen letterwinners return for Pavlik and all six starters from last season.

Senior Jose Quinones, named First Team All-EIVA (Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) in each of his first three seasons at Penn State, returns at the setter position.

Finishing the 2001 season with 170 digs and averaging 12.91 assists per game, Quinones was named EIVA Uvaldo Acosta Memorial Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Quinones is joined by Asics/Volleyball Magazine Libero of the Year sophomore Ricky Mattei and fellow First Team All-EIVA selections Carlos Guerra (junior outside hitter), Zelimir Koljesar (junior opposite hitter) and John Mills (senior middle hitter).

The 6-foot-5 Guerra led the Lions with 4.56 kills per game last year and hit .322. The 6-4 Koljesar averaged 3.55 kills, 1.29 digs and 0.53 blocks per game. The 6-9 Mills hit .484 and average 1.14 blocks per game.

Penn State began preparing for the 2002 season as early as fall break. After the break, the team spent six weeks in the gym conditioning and lifting.

On Homecoming weekend, the Lions got a chance to match up against a national championship contender when they played No. 2 Hawaii in two exhibition matches.

After falling in the first match in five games, Penn State bounced back to win the next match in three games.

Pavlik noted the team's work ethic, saying that it came back and worked hard after winter break.

"The new guys have worked hard and have been enthusiastic and I think that's rubbed off on the other players," Pavlik said.

The Lions open the regular season Friday at 7 p.m. on the road against 2001 National Championship semifinalist and Big Ten rival Ohio State.

On Jan. 16, Penn State heads to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Outrigger Invitational. The Lions will host the NCAA Preview Tourney (Feb. 1-2) and the 2002 NCAA Championship (May 2 and 4), making it critical that the Lions play competitively.

"We need to keep our goals in sight," Pavlik said. "(The players) are experienced and know what's in front of them."

With eight of Penn State's 17 opponents ranked in the preseason poll and four ranked in the top 10, the Lions face a difficult schedule.

A relatively healthy team with quality depth, the Lions feel like they can play well despite a competitive schedule.

"If someone is struggling, we have someone to help out," Pavlik said.