It will be a bittersweet match for senior co-captain and All-American Keith Kowal when the Princeton Tigers face the third-ranked Nittany Lions at 7 tomorrow night at Rec Hall.

For Kowal, the lone senior on the Penn State men's volleyball team, tomorrow marks the final regular season home match of his illustrious five-year career. But don't worry, fans, this won't be the last time you'll see Kowal and the Lions (25-3, 10-0 EIVA) in action. In two weeks, Penn State will host an EIVA quarterfinal match, and most likely the rest of the tournament as the top seed.

"All good things come to an end, and it has been a great five years here," Kowal said. "Hopefully we can cap it off with a national championship this year. In my time here, I think this team has the best shot."

It is unlikely that the emotions of senior night will adversely affect Kowal or the rest of the squad's intensity out on the floor. Currently, Kowal is averaging 2.55 kills per game on .484 hitting, while leading the team with 1.71 blocks per game.

This season, the Lions have torn a path of destruction through EIVA opponents, having only lost four total games to conference foes. In coach Mark Pavlik's 10-year tenure, Penn State has lost only three EIVA matches. Therefore, it is safe to say that Princeton will need nothing short of a miracle to defeat the best team in the East.

In their last meeting two weeks ago at Princeton, the Lions dismantled the Tigers in straight sets. Princeton brings a 2-8 conference record into tomorrow's match and is 5-11 overall.

"We need to continue to play at our absolute best, even though the level of competition isn't as high in the EIVA as it is in other conferences and in the NCAA tournament," Kowal said.

The Lions have essentially used EIVA matches as a training ground to prepare for the NCAA Tournament in May, when they will likely face highly skilled and hard-hitting Western opponents. The Lions are hunting down their first NCAA Championship since 1994. Kowal is optimistic about the Lions' chances.

"This year, there are some really good teams in the country, but no truly outstanding teams. Last year, I knew the Final Four would be really tough since Long Beach had such a strong team. But this year, everyone is beatable," Kowal said.

Kowal emphasized that experience, talent and determination are the keys to winning a championship. Even though the Lions have true freshmen Gary Vogel at libero and Luke Murray at backup setter, the roster is full of skilled veterans hungry to win.

"Teams that start a freshman setter, like Pepperdine, can go far but not win it all," Kowal said. "I wouldn't bank on them because a freshman in that position tends to [crack under pressure.]"

Kowal and the Lions are banking on not only bringing the pressure, but also bringing home a championship.