"Whenever you go on the road, one of the keys is the doubles point," Penn State coach Jan Bortner said. "When you're at home and you lose the point, sometimes you can still rebound and win four singles points, but when you're on the road, it's critical."
The Lions, who dropped four spots in the rankings after playing the Illini tough and sweeping Toledo, know that they have to show up on the court to gain national respect
"There's no middle ground, so you win or you lose in college tennis," sophomore Bradley Hunter said. "Our ranking could be higher, but the truth of the matter is, you just have to beat the teams, there's no matter middle ground -- if you play them tough it counts for nothing."
A break in the Big Ten season will give the Lions a chance to get outside and play at different tennis clubs around Orlando. A match with Villanova on Thursday in Orlando will give some of the younger Lions some more, match experience and keep the Lions in match-shape.
"It's going to be intense, we're going to have a lot of practice," Hunter said. "We're going to have a morning session, an afternoon session and a match with Villanova during the middle of spring break."
A big change from the confines of the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center, the tennis clubs of central Florida can get the Lions outside for the first time this semester.
"It's nice to get out of State College for a while and see the sun, that's what I'm looking forward to it," No. 2 singles player Malcolm Scatliffe said.
Being outside won't just be for a tan though, as the Lions will be reintroduced to playing in nature' conditions.
"A big thing too, is you're learning to play outside, you're able to get used to the wind and the sun," Bortner said. "Even if you come back here and have to go indoors, playing outside when the balls moving around it forces you to really focus."
The Lions will almost be getting an addition to the team, as freshman Anthony Gruppo is returning from mononucleosis and could see some action during the Orlando trip.
