Rivalries are built over time. They come from hard fought games as well as geographical proximity and conference ties.

The men's volleyball rivalry between No. 8 Penn State (12-5) and No. 13 Ohio State (14-6), which will be renewed tonight at 7 at Rec Hall, comes from the former in the minds of the players and the latter for the fans. This rivalry isn't as big as it is in football or even field hockey, but the Lions still approach this match as if it were a Big Ten match.

"It's our only match against a Big Ten team, so in that sense, it's a Big Ten rivalry," Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said. "Where I think it's lacking is that neither team can realistically hurt the other's chances of making the NCAA."

With the Buckeyes in the MIVA and the Lions in the EIVA, the matches between them are nothing more than exhibitions. The only thing that could be affected by a win or a loss would be seeding come May in the Final Four. So the only thing on the line during the matches is their school pride.

"It's always nice when you get to play a school in which our guys have seen play other Penn State teams," Pavlik said. "I think it means something on both sides."

One thing that comes along with a rivalry is pressure, and that is one thing that Penn State has had trouble dealing with recently. The most glaring example of this was Friday's match against Rutgers, where the Lions completely out played the Scarlet Raiders for about 75 percent of each of the four games. But, they were unable to close out Rutgers late in games and lost the match.

"In rally score, if you don't make mistakes it guarantees you that you will come out even," Pavlik said. "You got to make the plays, just like Rutgers and Juniata did. We're in a stage where we got to understand the pressures that come with playing well against a team that plays well. You have to make those situations count and we haven't."

To help his players deal with the pressure, Pavlik introduced the accountability board yesterday at practice. It keeps track of errors made in simulated pressure situations and punishes the players with sit-ups and push-ups. If the Lions hope to avenge their loss on March 3, they will have to deal with the pressure situations better than they have recently or the Buckeyes will easily roll to victory again.