Last time out, Penn State pounded NJIT (30-26, 30-15, 30-18) behind 11 kills from junior outside hitter Carlos Guerra, and a perfect seven kills on seven attempts from junior middle hitter Zach Slenker.
The following night, teammate Norm Keil broke Slenker's rally-scoring hitting percentage record (.833) set against Lewis on Jan. 19 by hitting a flawless 10-for-10, carrying the Lions to a 33-31, 30-22, 30-24 win. Guerra again led Penn State in kills with 15.
Lions head coach Mark Pavlik said that the team's approach to its second round of EIVA matches won't differ from its approach to the matches in the beginning of the season.
"We're going to be a little bit better prepared," Pavlik said. "We've seen them, but then again, they've seen us. If we play though the second half the way we played through the first half, we'll be playing in Rec Hall for the EIVA championships, and that's what we want to do."
Penn State is coming off of a highly competitive game against No. 8 Ball State in which the teams battled through five games. When the dust settled, it was the Lions that stood proudly over their opponents. The win marked only Penn State's third win over the current top 10 teams, the other two wins coming against No. 7 Stanford and No. 9 Lewis. After nearly upsetting the Lions, Ball State head coach Joel Walton said his team was frustrated with receiving a loss.
"We had the chance and let it slip away," Walton said.
Pavlik said that the Cardinals raised the bar in the match, and early Penn State had trouble matching up.
"We just weren't matching their intensity," Pavlik said. "You have to be playing with a poise, a patience and a passion, and we were lacking the passion part."
Junior opposite hitter Zeljko Koljesar has emphasized the Lions' mental game more than their physical game this season.
"It's a mental game," Koljesar said after the match. "I said it before, and I'll say it again, and I'll say it in the future. You've got to keep in your head to stay tough and outplay the other team."
Knocking off a top-ranked foe is a big win for Penn State, but it is time to look on, Pavlik said.
"I think you put Ball State behind you and say, 'We played well, it was a good win for us, and maybe it was a little tougher than it could've been,'" he said. "Now you just look at Rutgers and say, 'What do we have to do to beat Rutgers?' After Rutgers, you say 'What do we have to do to beat NJIT?' When that's over, it's, 'What do we have to do to beat St. Francis?'"
After a physically and mentally draining contest against the Cardinals, the Lions scaled down practice this week, allowing the players to leave early to rest for this weekend.
"The only thing to watch for is to make sure that we're staying fresh," Pavlik said. "We don't need to be in the gym for hours on end, but as long as we're in the gym getting better, that's what's going to do it for us."
