In college athletics, as in academics, a successful performance one year does not necessarily result in stellar marks the next. Nothing is guaranteed, and there is no picking up where things left off.

Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said as much, asserting that his team's Final Four appearance last season does not serve as a place to start up again in 2005, that each campaign brings different challenges with new obstacles.

"It's a new team. I don't think it's really finishing the job," Pavlik said.

"Everybody puts their cards on the table [in the new season], you train hard, you work at getting better."

As in academia, the Nittany Lions will face a multitude of tests this season. The first of those came at the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational last week against the host Warriors, and then defending national champions Brigham Young University the following day.

Penn State (1-2) lost both matches in the fifth game, falling to the Warriors 3-2 (21-30, 28-30, 30-24, 40-38, 8-15) and narrowly missing against the Cougars 3-2 (30-27, 30-28, 27-30, 24-30, 11-15).

After the two tough losses, Penn State got its first win of the year on Friday against Lewis, outlasting the Flyers 3-2 (34-36, 26-30, 33-31, 30-17, 15-12) to finish the week.

Despite the litany of tests and challenges that stand in the way of a Penn State return to the Final Four, Pavlik is confident his team has the work ethic to succeed.

"I think we're pretty good; at the end of last year we weren't that far away," he said. "But I'm just a firm believer that you train and you train -- you just keep on getting better."

And train is just what the Lions have done. Since fall practices began in November, Pavlik has been impressed with the level of intensity on the court. He increased the rigor of practices as the preseason progressed.

"I think with this group, you just keep raising the bar in practice everyday," Pavlik said.

The Lions return six of seven starters from last year, and are led by captains Keith Kowal and Nate Meerstein. Recognizing a few of the squad's weak spots after an exhibition twin bill against Ohio State, Kowal called for an end to sloppy play.

"We've got to clean up the small things out there," he said. "For a mature team, we have to start playing like it."

The one graduating senior from last season was libero Ricky Mattei, who left some big shoes to fill. Pavlik, however, said that the Lions have the personnel to sufficiently replace Mattei. The starter at libero this year is true freshman Gary Vogel, who seems to be learning quickly.

"Certainly how Ricky played versus where Gary's at, there's a gap," Pavlik said. "But every time out, Gary's gotten better and better and better."

Vogel wasted little time in making his presence felt, tying the Penn State single-match dig record -- held by Mattei -- with 17 in the season's second game against BYU.

The libero position is representative of the team's depth, with Pavlik quick to point out the solid preseason play of fellow liberos Ryan Walthall and Guillermo Fernandez. To further elaborate on that depth, Pavlik spoke confidently of the ability of many players to perform when needed.

"I don't know if there is a set rotation. We've got Keith and Meers that are the most established," he said. "We've got [Matt] Proper at opposite that had a great fall.

"We've got three outside hitters in [Kevin] Wentzel, [Aaron] Smith and Alex Gutor -- but then Andy Price had a great weekend. I'm real pleased with the job that Luke Murray has done as a setter. Danny [O'Dell] certainly has used his junior experience to make sure he's getting the job done. There's no question in my mind that at some point in the season we're going to need all of those guys."

Using their review of matches against top-notch opponents like the Warriors and Cougars as study tools, the Lions hope the work pays off on future tests.