On the road again, the Nittany Lions just can't wait to get on the road again, and for good reason. Of their last 13 games, 12 have been away from Rec Hall and tonight will be no different.

The No. 8 Penn State men's volleyball team, which has won 10 of those 12 road games, will travel down Route 26 to take on Div. III powerhouse Juniata tonight at 7.

The No. 1 Eagles (12-6) will be trying to avenge an early-season loss at the hands of the Lions, while Penn State (16-5, 9-0 EIVA) will be going for its 29th straight EIVA victory.

The last time out, the Lions dominated Juniata while beating the Eagles decisively in three straight games, but Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik wasn't very happy with this team's level of intensity.

Almost two months later, Pavlik is no longer worried about his team's fire on the court.

"We don't really talk about intensity," Pavlik said. "It's more about no matter who we play, getting better every week."

The players have heeded their coach's call and it has shown on the court as the team has gone 12-3 since facing the Eagles, with all three of those losses coming to nationally ranked opponents.

"We're getting better each week," All-American senior Carlos Guerra said.

"Every time we play we get better."

Another player that Pavlik will have his eyes on tonight is Penn State co-captain Zach Slenker.

Slenker missed several games earlier in the season with nerve damage in his hitting hand, but returned to the Penn State lineup on March 7 against BYU.

Pavlik said that while he is pleased with Slenker's return there has not been as much improvement in his game as he would like.

"The problems are more mechanical than physical," Pavlik said of Slenker.

Pavlik went on to say that hopefully with time, Slenker's game will be back to the level it was at last season. Since returning, Slenker has played in all five games and recorded 57 kills.

The rest of the Lions know that as the regular season nears its end, each game becomes more and more important not only for them but for their opponents as well. Guerra said that just because Penn State is undefeated in the EIVA and has already beaten Juniata this season, no one can go into Memorial Gym and automatically put a slash in the win column.

"It's not going to be easy," Guerra said. "For them it's the big event of the year, and we have to play hard."

With Penn State's next five games at home, the Lions will be trying to make sure they find another home away from home and further distance themselves from the pack in the EIVA.