Hot? Maybe. Scorching? Probably. Completely untouchable? That's more like it.

That's the only way to describe the No. 9 Penn State men's volleyball team in the past three weeks.

In mid March the Penn State men's volleyball team (21-5, 13-0 EIVA) left for a two-week west coast trip, but when they returned they came back an entirely different team.

Since the Nittany Lions came back three weeks ago not only have they not lost a single match, but they've only given up one game to their opponents. They are 6-0 since their return, including two wins over nationally ranked opponents Ball State and Ohio State.

The team is blocking better than they ever had, including a season-high 12.5 blocks last Friday against Princeton and 11.5 the next night against Concordia, while physically dominating opponents.

"I don't know if we've ever had this many blocks in EIVA matches," Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said. "I don't know in my career if we had that many stuff blocks against anybody, let alone EIVA teams."

So what flipped the switch? How can a team change seemingly overnight?

Pavlik insists that nothing new is different with his coaching, but that his seniors are realizing that this is their last chance to win a national championship.

"It's a veteran team," Pavlik said. "I think their mortality is starting to hit them right now. One month from today could be the last time that this team is ever together."

The team agrees with Pavlik's sentiments. Junior Norm Keil says that it's visible that the older guys on the team are playing with their backs to the wall, realizing that this is their last run.

"There's a bunch of guys on this team who aren't going to be back next year," Keil said.

"There's a sense of urgency to start picking it up because if we're going to do anything it has to happen within the next month."

All-American senior Carlos Guerra, who has been one of the leaders of this year's squad, knows that all his individual accomplishments mean nothing if he doesn't win a national championship.

"I always talked about how the only accomplishment that I want in my career is to win a national championship," Guerra said. "Nobody remembers what you did in college unless you win."

So, can this Penn State team beat anybody in the country?

According to the players and coaches, without a doubt.

While the players scoff at the question, insisting that they can beat any team in the nation, Pavlik says that they are as good as anybody.

With only one weekend of regular-season games remaining on the schedule, the team can only try to get better one week at a time.

"The challenge in front of the team is to see how good they can get before one month from today hits," Pavlik said. "We're playing awfully well right now, but I hope this team doesn't get satisfied with that."