The Penn State men's volleyball team taught a lesson in punishment this weekend at Rec Hall.

The No. 4 Nittany Lions (19-3) again proved that they are the best team in the East with overwhelming 3-0 victories against Mercyhurst (30-23, 30-17, 30-16) and Ball State (30-15, 30-20, 30-22). Mercyhurst (7-9) and Ball State (10-11) felt the wrath of a team set on annihilating anyone that stands in its way.

"There's a ruthless efficiency about us right now that I really like," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "As long as our passing holds up, we're going to be awfully tough to score points on."

After losing to No. 2 UCLA last week, the Lions have a renewed sense of determination and intensity with eight regular season matches remaining. Now that the California trip is out of the way, the Lions' eyes are set on the NCAA tournament in May.

Penn State is looking to play more passionately for the rest of the season to prove to the West Coast powerhouses that the Lions will not go down without a fight.

"Teams that we know we should beat, we're not just beating them, we're destroying them," setter Dan O'Dell said.

EIVA Player of the Week Matt Proper played a stellar match against Ball State, leading the Lions with 15 kills and a season-high nine digs. Co-captain Nate Meerstein and Proper each recorded a match-high seven blocks as the Lions outblocked the Lakers and Cardinals 11-2.5 and 14.5-4, respectively.

The Lions' victory against the Cardinals appeared effortless in comparison to their last meeting in January. Two months ago, Penn State showed up in Muncie, Ind., as a team suffering from fatigue after a season-opening trip to Hawaii and an overnight road trip. The Lions came away victorious in a five-game showdown, but they weren't pleased. This time, the tables were turned. Ball State returned from Hawaii this week and the relentless Lions took no mercy. According to Proper, it was payback time. Penn State executed its offense precisely, hitting 0.600 against the Lakers and 0.448 against the Cardinals. The Lions defense held both teams to less than 10 percent hitting.

"We've got guys that understand that the true measure of a great player is how well you can make the people around you play," Pavlik said. "And when it's all said and done, we block pretty damn well."