"We are more physical than they are," Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said. "They will score some points, but over the time of the game, we will score more than we give them."
The Lions' size and strength should make things very tough for the less athletic Red Flash. St. Francis has a much smaller lineup, especially on the outside. In fact, the freshman 6-foot-6 middle-hitter Mark Honore is really the only Red Flash player that can match Penn State's size.
"I would look for us to be more physical," Pavlik said. "They are very small on the outside and that should give us an advantage at the antennas."
Penn State's block should give St. Francis fits. The Red Flash are already hitting at a terrible .222 clip and are giving up 2.58 blocks per game. The Lions are averaging 2.8 blocks and allowing a .247 hitting percentage.
"I have actually been telling the team not to jump at 100 percent on blocks. They are so small except for Honore that they may actually go under our block a bit. I would expect us to get our hands on a lot of balls."
The St. Francis serve could pose some problems for Penn State on its side-out. The Red Flash have tallied 81 service aces on the year, while the Lions have only racked up 35. Unfortunately for St. Francis, it also has 214 service errors, and the Lions have one of the best digs in the country courtesy of senior Ricky Mattei.
"I am not worried about our side-out," Pavlik said. "I will take Ricky against any server in the country. Teams must consistently serve to the seams and keep the ball further from Ricky to get aces on us. With Wentzel passing so well, that is hard to do."
The Red Flash are coming off two straight wins at home, while the Lions are coming off a tough loss to UC San Diego on Saturday.
The teams have faced two of the same opponents this year in Rutgers-Newark and Juniata. Penn State defeated both teams, while St. Francis lost to both.
