Mark Pavlik didn't start the season with the best fortune. First, the Penn State men's volleyball coach learned junior middle hitter Kyle Masterson would be out for the entire season with a back injury. Sophomore libero Gary Vogel was next -- Pavlik found out that Vogel would be sidelined for the year with an unspecified medical condition.

Instead of going to a more traditional defensive player, Pavlik turned to junior Aaron Smith to fill the void.

Smith, an outside hitter his entire Penn State and high school career, has made the transition look relatively easy.

"I've always been pretty good on defense," Smith said. "My passing's always been one of my strong points. My first two seasons I was in there mainly to pass the ball and to improve the overall ball control of the team. Hitting always came second for me, so it wasn't that hard of a transition."

Smith has made Pavlik's decision to move him from hitter to the defensive-minded libero position look like a wise one.

"I think Aaron has played very, very well. He's done everything we've kind of expected him to do," Pavlik said. "He passes well; he's playing better and better defense. He's making the little plays that nobody notices."

In Penn State's five matches, Smith has progressed about as fast as junior Alex Gutor serves.

Against St. Francis, the No. 11 Nittany Lions' season-opening match, Smith finished with 12 digs, but according to Pavlik, didn't bring enough fire to the court.

Contrast Smith's most recent performance in Hawaii vs. a solid No. 9 Ohio State (7-1) team with earlier performances, and the difference is staggering.

Against the Buckeyes, Smith dug a career-high 16 balls and passed at a .976 percentage.

"He's generating some energy [now]," Pavlik said. "A libero comes on and off the court and he's gotta bring energy each time, and I think Aaron's got real good at that."

Smith's size is uncharacteristic of a libero, but he's making it work. At 6-foot-5, Smith is much lankier then the typical defensive players, who are usually shorter and better at digging low-flying spikes.

"He's rangier just because he's longer [then Vogel and other liberos]," Pavlik said. "I think the longer, the taller the libero, the more ground they can cover just by stretching an arm. Gary's a short little guy. There are plays that Aaron can make easier then Gary just because he can cover more ground just by sticking out a long arm."

Last season, Vogel, who was named first-team All-EIVA, finished with 278 digs at 2.32 a game -- ranking second on Penn State's single-season list. Smith isn't content with his early success and says he will continue to work hard to improve.

"I don't feel like I've dug nearly as many balls I should have, but were gonna work on it in practice," he said.