Mark Pavlik is ready to get physical.

But unlike Olivia Newton-John, the Penn State men's volleyball coach doesn't need neon-colored spandex, headbands and the assistance of cheesy 80s background music. All Pavlik and his No. 9 Nittany Lions (12-6, 9-0 EIVA) need is Ohio State.

The No. 11 Buckeyes (15-6, 3-2 MIVA) make their first appearance in Happy Valley this season at 7 tonight in Rec Hall and are expected to bring their physicality, a staple of Midwestern and West Coast teams. It will be their third meeting of the season with Penn State. On Jan. 20, Ohio State defeated the Lions, 3-2, but on Feb. 10 the Lions exacted some revenge and downed the Buckeyes, 3-1.

"These are the types of matches you want to wrap up your regular season with, to get in your [conference] playoffs," Pavlik said. "The physicality level goes up with those guys."

Only a few players in the EIVA are at the physical level of the athletes in Ohio State's conference, the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), Pavlik said.

MIVA has some top teams, including Ball State, No. 10 Loyola (Ill.), Lewis and No. 13 Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, so the tests they consistently face are more difficult than what the Lions normally see, Pavlik said. He described them as "competitively seasoned."

Recognizing the MIVA's strength, Penn State has purposely back-loaded its schedule with teams from the conference, such as Lewis, IPFW and Ball State. Pavlik hopes the more difficult schedule as the Lions approach postseason play sharpens their competitive edge and prepares them for the type of teams they'll face in the NCAA Tournament.

"Five out of the next eight matches are teams that are trying to play their very best to make sure they're ready for the their MIVA championship run," Pavlik said. "And I think that will just help us immensely down the road. We're going to have to play in some very unfriendly situations, we're gonna have to take some trips and be ready to play out of our competitive comfort zone."

Tonight's Ohio State match is the first step in the MIVA-heavy portion of the schedule.

The Buckeyes are led by senior outside hitter Stuart Katz, who is hitting a team-high in kills per game (3.22) and digs per game (1.95). Katz hurt the Lions the first time the teams squared off and notched a game-high in kills (28) on .400 hitting and helped the Buckeyes power past Penn State. In the second meeting, Katz was limited to only 10 kills and hit .200, as the Lions dropped the Buckeyes in four games.

Katz, however, is not alone, as Ohio State receives support from a talented and athletic cast, including freshman outside hitter Robbie Klein and freshman middle hitter John Albertson.

"They're gonna be a solid team as usual," senior co-captain Nate Meerstein said. "We already played them twice, and it was close both times. I'd expect a lot of the same. They're going to have a lot of good players."

Penn State is hitting .343 on the season and is paced by senior co-captain Matt Proper, who leads the team in kills (232) and is hitting .389. Meerstein, a middle hitter, is leading the team in hitting percentage (.505) and ranks second in kills (175). Sophomore setter Luke Murray will once again be filling in for injured senior Dan O'Dell.

"It will be a pretty good match for us [tonight] with them," Pavlik said.