In soccer, scrimmages are known as "friendlies."

In volleyball, scrimmages are simply scrimmages; however, no exhibition game may be more "friendly" than the two that will be played this weekend between the Penn State men's volleyball team and the University of California-Irvine.

The two squads will face off on the court at 6 tonight and 7 p.m. tomorrow in Rec Hall, while taking in the weekend's festivities in between.

"They're gonna come in, they're going to the football game, we're going to get together with them Saturday afternoon," Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said. "Both teams are going to be doing things that are uncharacteristic of a normal match. It's a preseason match."

Pavlik said the two teams plan on getting together for a tailgate, and feels that in no way does that hinder his team's competitive spirit.

"Competition is simply that on the court ... I never subscribe to the theory that this is war," Pavlik said.

"They work hard when the whistle blows. Irvine is going to give us all they can for as long as they can, and all I hope is we give them enough respect that we do the same thing to them. And when it's all said and done -- its about the experiences you have when you're at school and the opportunities you get to see new things and be a part of what every normal 18- to 22-year-old is a part of."

Penn State, which captured its seventh consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship last season en route to a No. 4 final ranking in the nation, has prepared under the leadership of senior captains Matt Proper and Nate Meerstein.

Both Proper and Meerstein have been pleased with the way practices have gone so far and said the team has practiced with a high level of intensity. They said that a lot of freshmen and younger players should get in the mix this weekend, to try and find the best combination for a starting unit.

Meerstein, however, expects to face a good team this weekend.

"They're good -- I mean they're from California, so they play the top teams all year round, and that's a advantage they have on us," he said. "So all these [UC-Irvine players] have been playing all their lives, so they'll be solid."

The Nittany Lions only lost one player from last season's campaign, but it was a big one -- All-American Keith Kowal. Despite the loss, they still have 11 seniors or juniors on the roster, so their experience should be important, especially as the year progresses.

"They've got a lot of guys back, and so they're in kinda the same situation we are," Proper said. "We played them last year on spring break, and we beat them, but they gave us a real run for our money, so it's going to be the same battle we saw in spring break."