Byron Schneider, Ramon Hernandez, Ed Josefoski, Ivan Contreras, Kevin Hourican and Carlos Ortiz were the names of the 1994 Penn State men's volleyball starting lineup that made history. Those players did what no other volleyball program on the East Coast had ever done -- win a national championship.
This year, with Jose Quinones, Zach Slenker, Jason Hawkins, Carlos Guerra, Zeljko Koljesar, Norm Keil and Ricky Mattei, the Nittany Lions have a chance to repeat history -- this time in their own gym.
"This is a year when these guys can feel what not a whole lot of other guys have felt," said Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik, who experienced the 1994 championship as an assistant coach. "There is nothing like it -- coming out for a national championship match to your home crowd on its feet -- it's incredible."
Having advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 10 of the past 11 seasons, many of the players on the current roster have gotten a taste of the national championship. Instead of watching from the sidelines, this year, the Lions hope to be the ones celebrating on the court when the dust settles on May 4.
During his Penn State career, Guerra has seen the Lions fall to UCLA in 2000 and Long Beach State in 2001. It's time for the team to put the past behind it, Guerra said.
"We can look back and see that we've been there, we've come close and it's time to go to the next level," he said. "It's time to take the next step and get it right this time."
The rest of the volleyball world seems to think they can after ranking them No. 1 to start the regular season. After dropping two matches early in the season to Hawaii and UCLA, Penn State has been consistently ranked in the top five.
"Us being ranked number one to start the season sort of shows where the program is headed in terms of getting respect on the national level," assistant coach Dennis Hohenshelt said.
For Pavlik, winning a national championship would be the ultimate cap to an extraordinary year. Pavlik, EIVA Coach-of-the-Year from 1995-97, coached the Lions to their third undefeated EIVA season in four years and sixth in his eight years as Penn State coach. The Lions may get a chance to play for the national championship at home, when Rec Hall hosts the NCAA championships on May 2 and 4. Outside of volleyball, Pavlik and his wife Heather had their first child, Jackson Mackay on Dec. 23, 2001.
"It's been a fun year," Pavlik said. "It's been a fun regular season. It's been one I'll remember for a very long time. I hope we can build on it for the playoffs."
Despite rampaging through its regular season and conference schedule, Penn State's 22-3 overall record does not guarantee anything. The Lions must first win the EIVA tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Final Four.
"We're not there yet," Pavlik warns. "We have to get through the EIVA championships. Then we can get there. Then we can start with the next step. For now, this is what's on the line. I want these guys to understand that we need to keep getting better."
The thought of not being in a Final Four that Penn State hosts would be tough, Pavlik said, but the team is working hard to make sure that it just remains a possibility and doesn't become a reality.
"If we don't pull it together, that's my biggest fear," he said, "that I wasn't clear enough with this message, that they didn't buy into the fact that everybody's going to be here, their families are finally going to get to see them play, their friends are going to be at home, the spotlight of the volleyball world is going to be shining on them. That's a real special thing."
After crushing Springfield in the quarterfinal round of the EIVA tournament, Penn State seems to be on its way.
Even if the Lions reach the championship tournament, however, they'll have to face the likes of Pepperdine, UCLA, Hawaii or BYU. Against those teams, Penn State has a combined all-time record of 16-43-1.
While some may think that the Lions lack the experience against the top teams on the West Coast, Koljesar said that the team has matured since its trips to the Final Four and is capable of surprising its opponents.
"They don't expect us to go to the finals, but nobody else but us knows how well we can play," he said. "They haven't really seen us play our best. For us, anything but the national championship is a disappointment."
