For a group that's on the cusp of the postseason and a possible NCAA championship appearance in its home gym, the Penn State men's volleyball team has a ways to go.

The passing has been a touchy issue for much of the season, and of late, blocking -- normally something Penn State has been know for -- has become a sore topic of conversation for many on the team.

Though the No. 10 Nittany Lions (17-7, 11-1 EIVA) have won six of their last seven, including two wins over rival No. 15 Ohio State, they still haven't been able to put together a complete match, only momentary flashes of brilliance.

And that, for many on the team, has developed into a source of concern, especially given the gravity of this time of year, when matches become do or die.

"We've been waiting for [a solid all-around performance] for a while, and it hasn't come," senior co-captain Matt Proper said. "And it better come soon, or else we're in trouble."

And, unless things change, Proper isn't the only one who senses Penn State's impending doom.

"We gotta block balls, that's what worries me," Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik said. "We haven't blocked balls well in the last four matches. [Lewis] has small outside hitters who go off against us for .520 [hitting] -- we can't let that happen. So I think I'm more worried about the block right now then anything else. If we can't block balls, we're gonna be really behind the eight ball."

In their most recent match against Lewis, the Lions blocked 4.5 balls. Senior setter Dan O'Dell is coming off ailments in both of his knees and still led the team with three blocks. In fairness, O'Dell is 6-foot-7, but notching only three blocks is sub-par for a team-leading statistic.

Penn State allowed Lewis to hit .327 for the match and each of the three games remained close.

"Honestly, if we play like we [did against Lewis], even in the EIVA finals, I don't think we win," Proper said. "It sucks because I think we definitely have so much potential."

On March 25 against EIVA foe George Mason -- who finished second in the conference regular-season -- the Lions' inability to sustain a high level surfaced, and they were dropped in four games. They blocked eight balls, while hitting a measly .165.

If Penn State does make it though the EIVA tournament, though, things probably won't get any easier. Descending upon Rec Hall for the NCAA championship will be some of the nation's best, including teams from the West Coast and Midwest.

No. 1 University of California-Irvine and No. 2 Hawaii are the type of teams that will come out to State College in May. The aforementioned teams hail from the fiercely competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which currently has seven of the top 10 teams to its credit, and are hitting at a high rates in addition to blocking and digging well, too.

Penn State hasn't jelled the way those teams have and has yet to turn out a truly quality overall team effort. The Lions' success will hinge on their ability to come together down the stretch and make a push for the title, players said.

As of now, while things don't look extremely promising, there is still some glimmer of hope.

"We have all the pieces there, but they're not all in place," O'Dell said. "In practice or in matches, we need to be crisper. We have stretches where the passing is off, or the setting, or we're not blocking real well. We need to stay at a consistent pace -- at a high pace -- longer periods of time."