Some people just thrive under pressure.

Junior Malcolm Scatliffe, the No. 2 singles player for the Penn State men's tennis team, has certainly shown himself to be one of those individuals.

In Sunday's match against Minnesota, Scatliffe had to show up more than ever this season. Everyone knew it, too. Not being one to disappoint when it comes to a dramatic finish, Scatliffe provided those in attendance at the Sarni Tennis Center with a thrilling 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory against D.J. Geatz. With it, he clinched the overall victory for the Nittany Lions, but just like any Big Ten match or any of Scatliffe's masterpieces, it was not an easy one.

After getting up a set on Geatz, Scatliffe was having some problems putting the match away. Earlier in the second set, a crowd of teammates had gathered around the bench next to Scatliffe. At that time, it was still too early in the match to tell how it was going to end, but things were looking good for the Lions. Regardless, there was a sense that this match would be big, as one of Scatliffe's teammates told him, "We need you, Scat."

As the matches wore on, it became evident that it could all come down to one of Penn State's most dynamic players, and that was just what Scatliffe wanted.

"I was kind of happy when it came down to me," Scatliffe said. "With everyone -- all my teammates watching, I like the pressure."

That pressure was surely on when Scatliffe trailed 5-6 and needed to hold his serve to keep from giving up a set to Geatz.

His serve had been there whenever he needed it, and once again Scatliffe held -- it was time for the tiebreak.

This is where Geatz may have made a crucial mistake. After taking the first point, Geatz screamed "I love tiebreaks!"

The boasting seemed a little premature to the crowd and the rest of the Penn State players -- and certainly to Scatliffe.

"I got pretty pumped up after he won the first point and said that about loving tiebreaks," he said. "I was not going to lose after something like that."

Always a fiery competitor, Scatliffe came right back and the heated tiebreak proved to be a battle for each point. After getting up, 4-2, Scatliffe, possibly in retaliation for his opponent's earlier exclamation, raised his arms and proclaimed, "I am so good!"

However, if the second set was any indication, Geatz wasn't going away, and he proved it by hitting a huge serve to tie things up at four, but the seemingly overexcited player had to pour it on more, slamming his fist into his chest after the serve. His confidence may have gotten the best of him as Geatz missed what could have been an easy point during the next volley. Scatliffe was then able to take over with his serve.

Up 6-4 and serving for the match, Scatliffe blasted a hard first serve and got a weak return from Geatz, which he attacked with a hard overhand, putting an end the tiebreak and sealing the victory for the Lions.

The match was strangely reminiscent to one of the highlights of last spring, when Scatliffe won the deciding point against both Michigan's Michael Rubin and Michigan State's Andrew Formanczyk in one home weekend. Scatliffe was the center of attention in both of those matches, at No. 1 singles, and was able to feed off the energy of the crowd to propel his team to victory.

"I play better when people are watching me, getting me pumped up," Scatliffe said last year after winning the deciding points in back to back matches.

Those matches were the first incidents for Scatliffe to clinch a match for Penn State, but since he seems to be making a career of it -- earlier this season Scatliffe battled for a three-set victory at Wisconsin to earn the 4-3 win for his team.

When it's all on the line, Scatliffe seems to be at his best, and that's something the Lions can take comfort in when they travel to play Michigan State and Michigan this weekend -- and history shows that could be good news for Scatliffe.