To some observers of Penn State men's volleyball, it may seem like the No. 4 Nittany Lions don't run into trouble at home, like they are safe from upset -- or even a challenge -- in the friendly confines of Rec Hall. Head coach Mark Pavlik begs to differ, saying that although his team (9-2, 2-0 EIVA) is pretty good at this point, no team goes long without getting challenged.

"We've been getting better, and we've managed to match up the right way with some of our opponents," Pavlik said. "We're not unbeatable, but I also think we're a pretty good team."

Juniata, ranked first in Division III, will be hoping that Pavlik is correct, that the surging Lions, who have not lost in more than five weeks, are not unbeatable. Penn State will host the Eagles (4-5) at 7 tonight at Rec Hall.

The Lions come into the match after a weekend homestand in which they dominated Mt. Olive and Southern Cal. Though the going never seemed to get tough this past weekend, Pavlik predicts a stiffer challenge in Juniata.

"Juniata's offensive strengths come from their middles, and they might be the first team we face that can do that," Pavlik said. "Can we take them out of that with our serving, or can we manage that with our block?"

As the questions from Pavlik mount, the answers may come from co-captains and middle hitters Keith Kowal and Nate Meerstein. The duo in the middle is averaging just under three blocks per game. If you factor in junior setter Dan O'Dell, then the three of them are averaging four blocks per set. Even if each of those four blocks per game is an assisted block (one in which more than one player contributes to the blocking wall), that's still as many team blocks (two) per game as Penn State's opponents average. And remember, this doesn't even include the blocks from Matt Proper, Alex Gutor and Aaron Smith.

The Lions have ridden the blocking game to success this season, and they hope tonight will be much of the same.

"Are we gonna have some physical advantages? Yes. If we can take advantage of them, then we'll be in pretty good shape at the end of the match. If we don't, we could be struggling," Pavlik said.

Before starting to laugh at the prospect of the fourth-ranked team in the country -- winners of nine straight overall, 15 straight at home -- struggling against a Division III school (albeit, the top-ranked one), Pavlik warns that Juniata circles this match on the schedule, and should not be taken lightly.

"Everyone's going to say Juniata's a Division III school, so they should be content with competing for the national championship in their division," Pavlik said. "But they're not -- they want to be the best team in the East ... That's a great approach to take."

If the Eagles want to be the best team in the east, then they will have to beat the current top team in the region. They'll get their shot tonight.