The magic number is now three.

With Penn State (17-5, 10-0 EIVA) defeating Juniata last night in four games, 30-22, 30-20, 27-30, 30-19, at Memorial Gym in Huntingdon, the Nittany Lions built a lead of one full game on second-place George Mason (12-8, 10-2) with four EIVA games left for Penn State and two for George Mason.

Any combination of Penn State wins and George Mason losses totaling three will give the Lions their 15th EIVA title in 16 years.

For the Nittany Lions, the game at Juniata marked the team's 13th road game in its last 14 matches. Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said the team served and blocked well in its first game, as it rolled to a 30-20 victory. In the team's second game, Pavlik said that the team began to play a little sloppy.

"Our passing became disinterested," Pavlik said. "We thought it was good enough, but it really wasn't."

Despite the poor passing, the Lions took a 2-0 lead. In the third game, the team was unable to sweep Juniata for the second time this season, as the Eagles capitalized on Penn State errors. Juniata was able to escape without getting swept for the first time since 2000, as Penn State had taken only three games to defeat the Eagles in the teams' last six meetings.

Pavlik said that the match's final game was much like the first game, as Penn State was able to dominate through good serving and good blocking.

In the third game, Pavlik brought in some of his younger players to give them experience, but he went back to the veterans in the match's final game.

Unlike Penn State's first match earlier this season, when the team swept Juniata, Pavlik said that this match was what he expected, and he was pleased with his team's effort. For smaller Div. III EIVA teams like Juniata, the games against Penn State are always played with an extra intensity. When the Eagles traveled to Penn State earlier this season, Juniata men's volleyball coach Mark Shibuya said that it was every Pennsylvania volleyball player's dream to play in Rec Hall, whether it be for or against Penn State.

With Penn State's next five games at home, Pavlik said that he is extremely confident with the way the Lions have performed on the road.

Penn State has notched impressive wins against BYU and Ball State away from Happy Valley. Pavlik has targeted playing on the road as being extremely important all year, as this year's final four will be held in Long Beach, Calif. Pavlik said that the veteran leadership has been paramount to the team's success on the road.

"They know that while some things may be different on the road, once they get on the court, nothing should change," Pavlik said.