Yesterday, Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik celebrated.

He wasn't partying because of the team's weekend efforts, he was on hand for his grandmother's belated birthday party -- she turned 100 on Feb. 9.

Perhaps it wouldn't be appropriate if Pavlik were to let loose because of the Nittany Lions' play, but the coach was certainly pleased with the way they performed.

On Friday, Penn State defeated No. 8 Ohio State, 3-1 (30-19, 25-30, 30-25, 30-27) and Stanford on Saturday, 3-0 (30-22, 30-26, 30-25) at the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass. The No. 11 Nittany Lions (6-4, 3-0 EIVA) have now run their streak to five straight wins, including an upset of No. 4 Long Beach State on Feb. 4.

"I was really pleased with the way we played," Pavlik said. "Right now it's a quiet satisfaction, not necessarily with the outcome but with how we've been working in the training gym and how it's been translating in the court. There's a confidence that's growing right now."

Friday was the Matt Anderson Show. The freshman outside hitter tallied a career-high 17 kills at a .481 clip vs. the Buckeyes. Anderson blocked three balls, dug seven and notched two aces.

"Matty Anderson just went off," Pavlik said. "He had a couple of aces and a couple of blocks and continued [his outstanding play in Game 3] to the fourth game. He really helped us. He really grabbed control of the match."

Senior co-captain Matt Proper tallied 11 kills, while middle hitters Nate Meerstein and Max Holt each killed 10 balls. Meerstein and setter Dan O'Dell each had six blocks.

The Lions did a solid job subduing the Buckeyes' star outside hitter Stuart Katz. Katz hit only .200 on 10 kills and was taken out in favor of another hitter. Overall, Ohio State was limited to hitting only .194, while the Lions hit .316.

"You know, the Ohio State match was a big one, a big win," Meerstein said. "We were ready for the match. You could see it in warm-ups. We wanted it more."

The Lions turned out another solid hitting performance on Saturday vs. Stanford. They hit .400 for the match and were led by Meerstein, who hit .833 on 10 kills. Meerstein also had seven blocks.

"Offensively were starting to click," Pavlik said. "We get the ball into Danny [O'Dell's] hands, we're a pretty tough team to stop."

O'Dell had 50 assists against Ohio State and 45 in the Stanford match.

"Danny's just been a stud lately," Meerstein said. "He's been taking control and taking charge. I credit all [of the offensive success] to him. I expect it out of him for the rest of season, and I think he expects that, too."

If the offensive success at the hands of O'Dell, Anderson and Co. can continue, Pavlik may be able to celebrate at the end of the season. But for now, Pavlik and the team remain focused on what lies ahead.

"We're close. I think we can play better, but I probably always think we can play better. I think [the recent success is a] validation for the type of work we're doing in the training gym and the attention to detail I think they're paying," Pavlik said.

"[The attitude] is let's get in the training gym and get ready for the next match."