"For whatever reason all of the guys had a bad day -- it was a bad day at the office," Penn State coach Jan Bortner said of the loss to Indiana. "We did not adjust well to the speed of the courts there."

Bortner said that the Hoosiers' indoor courts were faster than the ones on which the Lions have been playing at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center for the majority of the season. That factor gave Indiana a home-court advantage, to which the Lions did not adjust. The Hoosiers ran away with the match, sweeping the doubles point and rolling through singles. Three Penn State players -- Malcolm Scatliffe, Michael James and James Dwyer -- managed to force three-set losses in Nos. 2, 5 and 6 singles, respectively.

"To be a good player, you must adjust to different courts," Bortner said.

The week of training allowed the Lions a chance to play at different facilities with different surfaces. They also practiced in windy conditions, another factor as the Lions prepare to make road trips throughout the Big Ten.

The practices paid off for the team Thursday as it downed Villanova 7-0, sweeping every match but the No. 3 doubles. The Lions won impressively at No. 1 doubles, with Mark Barry and Scatliffe destroying Aaron Kusza and Charles Farmer, 8-0.

Barry also posted a very convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory against Kusza at No. 1 singles. The Lions took over the rest of the singles matches, winning from top to bottom of the lineup in straight sets, capped off by Dwyer's 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Sean Gallagher at No. 6 singles.

On the surface, with a 7-0 dismantling of Villanova, it seems as if the Lions have learned to adjust to different courts and the conditions coming with playing outdoors.

Only time will tell, however, for a young team knocking on the door of a tough Big Ten schedule.