Home sweet home.

That's what the No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team is saying after two dominating performances in Rec Hall this past weekend.

The Nittany Lions (19-5, 11-0 EIVA) swept both No. 14 Ohio State (30-23, 30-15, 30-26) and EIVA rival Rutgers-Newark (30-23, 30-19, 30-24). It was the first time that Penn State had played at home since March 4.

On Friday night Penn State started strong and was physically too much for the Buckeyes to handle, which was extremely visible with the Lions recording nine blocks to the Buckeyes' two. All-American senior Carlos Guerra was all over the stat sheet, recording match highs with 13 kills and six digs, not to mention his three aces and four blocks. Penn State as a team hit a season-high .635, while four Lions hit over .700 individually.

"The difference tonight was how physical we were," Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said after the game. "We're not making stupid mistakes and we're blocking better and better."

The second game on the slate was against EIVA opponent Rutgers-Newark (11-9, 7-4). The Lions had beaten the Scarlet Raiders in a three-game sweep earlier this season and this time around was more of the same for Penn State.

After starting sloppy in the first game, the Lions woke up and controlled the rest of the match, beating Rutgers-Newark with apparent ease. In the third and final game, Pavlik pretty much emptied his entire bench, with players such as Alex Weaver, Brian O'Dell and Kevin Wentzel seeing significant playing time. Senior co-captain Nate Matthews, who hasn't seen much playing time this season, came off the bench to tally two kills and 11 assists.

Sophomore Keith Kowal led the way for the Lions, recording 12 kills in only two games. Penn State once again was physically superior to its opponents, piling up 12 blocks compared to the Scarlet Raiders' three.

"When we're playing EIVA teams, it's all business," 6-foot-9 junior Norm Keil said after the game. "We're physically better, we're skilled better, we're just in here to do the job and get out of here as quick as possible."

The win was the 30th consecutive EIVA win for the Lions, while they improved their all-time record against Rutgers-Newark to 68-22-1.

This was the first two of a five-game home stand for Penn State that will carry the Lions into mid-April. And, after playing 13 of their last 14 on the road the men were very happy to be home again. The players were so used to playing and getting right on a bus and coming home that there seemed to be much relief after the weekend's wins.

"Rumor has it that a bunch of guys are going to jump on the loop after the game just to feel at home," Pavlik said.

If Penn State is as dominant the rest of the season as it was this past weekend, the Lions will be on their way to an undefeated league record and their 15th EIVA championship.