During senior year in State College, realization sets in that the last four years of fantasyland are over. Reality interrupts and says it's time to find that dreaded word for most seniors: employment.

Students are forced to attend job fairs, construct resumes and set up job interviews with prospective employers. This entire process can be described, at best, as terrifying.

But imagine the route to landing that first job was even bumpier than this one. What if the job you wanted was in a foreign country? What if you didn't understand exactly what type of opportunities you'll have in completing your job of choice? What if you didn't even know the occupation's financial security?

For better or worse, these are the exact questions plaguing senior co-captains Matt Proper and Nate Meerstein of the Penn State men's volleyball team.

Once this season commences, rather than jumping into the work force, the two have decided they will continue following their love for the game and try to play volleyball professionally.

To make the transition to the pro level successfully, the two must overcome a number of obstacles that would be foreign to most students.

So what makes the pair want to ignore conventional wisdom and not take jobs in their field of study, like most Penn State graduates?

To answer that question, one has to understand what got them to this point.

***

Proper's story begins in Guys Mills, where the game of volleyball had been part of his life since fourth grade.

Both of Proper's parents played volleyball in recreational leagues, so he was exposed to the game at a very young age. Once he reached middle school, Proper had the luxury of playing his first organized team volleyball under the tutelage of his father Wendell, who was the head coach.

It was also evident early on that Proper had incredible hops. Playing basketball and volleyball as a kid could be one of the credits to that, but his jumping ability was also a gift many kids his age didn't share.

"We knew very early on that he had good leaping ability," Wendell Proper said. "Matt and his brother would play basketball outside, and Matt had really good arm swing and leaping ability. I thought that would take him a long way."

The first place it took him was to his high school volleyball court, where he dominated competition as early as his freshman year.

That year he earned starters' minutes toward the end of the season, when his team was making a run at the state title. In his sophomore year, his team won states and Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik was there to see the young player's tremendous upside. That growing interest later led to Proper signing a letter of intent to play in Happy Valley.

The summer before he would come here, both he and teammate Dan O'Dell trained with the Junior National World University Team. Unfortunately, both would not make the squad.

Early on, this was the reality check that Proper needed.

"You come out of high school thinking you're hot stuff, then you realize there's a lot of better players out there than you," Proper said. "I was told by a couple people that I had a lot of potential but it hadn't been met yet, so that's where it really sunk in."

Once Proper got to school, things still weren't all peaches and cream.

The highly heralded high school senior was just another run-of-the-mill freshman when it came to the college game. Everyone can jump. Everyone can hit hard. That was an adjustment that took time for Proper to get used to.

And that adjustment had to come quickly. As soon as Proper got to Penn State, he was playing with the starters. He wouldn't be playing with them for long, though.

"I came in and Pav and [Assistant Coach] Dennis [Hohenshelt] thought that they would start me, but I didn't really progress as quickly as they had hoped," Proper said.

"I made a lot of dumb mistakes as a freshman, and I think it was more so that I was self consciously thinking, 'Wow, that guy over there is better than me, why am I over here?' " Proper said, referring to playing on the starters' side of the court during practice.

His slow progression would reserve a warm seat on the bench. For a young college freshman, that wasn't an easy thing to get used to.

"It was a little frustrating. I mean, I was learning and it was a new experience for me," Proper said. "At the same time, though, I learned so much, and I wouldn't take that back."

Rather than pout, Proper chose to progress. He paid attention while watching from the sidelines and applied what he saw to his own game.

"It really helped being able to see our older guys playing in different situations and watching other guys around the league," Proper said. "I learned a lot by watching."

He also listened wholeheartedly to advice from the coaching staff. By his junior year, he was a star for the Nittany Lions.

"Matt makes a concerted effort to take in everything given to him," Pavlik said. "You never have to say the same thing twice to Matt. If he doesn't get it, you can see him try to work on getting it, or trying to execute it, or trying to perform it at a certain level. Give him an environment to succeed in, and he'll find a way to succeed."

And succeed he did. After his junior year, the awards and accolades started rolling in: AVCA second-team All-American, EIVA All-Championship Team, EIVA Player of the Year. You name it, and Proper probably won it.

As he started to reach his incredibly high potential, that's when the idea of going pro started to enter his mind.

"Last year when I started playing well, I thought it might be a possibility," Proper said. "Realizing in the fall that I had to make a choice with job fairs and this and that going on. I'm thinking, 'I could go with a real job now, or I can continue this.' "

***

Nate Meerstein's story begins in Pittsburgh, where volleyball is a distant afterthought when compared to football.

Whereas Proper grew up around volleyball, Meerstein didn't blossom into a volleyball player until much later in his high school career.

Meerstein played a variety of sports, ranging from hockey to golf. Once he got to 10th grade, a high school buddy urged him to go out for the volleyball team.

Once he stepped on the volleyball court, he never left. He immediately fell in love with the game, and his play started progressing at an incredible rate.

"From the day I started playing, I began watching it more and more and getting better at it," Meerstein said. "I liked the team chemistry and how it had some individual aspects to it. Mostly just the team stuff I was really big on and really enjoyed."

From there, Meerstein started playing in the summer, too, garnering a position on the Junior Olympic team and the Renaissance volleyball club team.

It was against the better competition that helped Meerstein to excel and raise his game to the next level.

"We went to that Junior Olympic tournament, and I played well. It was an awesome experience," Meerstein said.

Collegiate coaches started to take notice, too.

"After that, I started getting calls from coaches which I had no clue about, and I couldn't believe it," he said. "I started loving the game, and I thought I could do this, so I gave it a try."

Once Meerstein got to Penn State, the coaching staff decided to redshirt him since they had an abundance of skilled middle hitters, Meerstein's position.

"I wish you could've seen Meerstein as a freshman. He was 6-foot-9 and weighed 180 soaking wet," Pavlik said. "[Redshirting] has been a big plus for him. Getting a year in the weight room to adapt and embrace it.

"He's been fortunate that because we've had some pretty outstanding middle blockers while he's been here, that he's been able to watch and learn from. Meers had the luxury of not having anything forced on him."

And when Pavlik describes the middle blockers as "outstanding," he's not exaggerating.

Some of Penn State's best middle hitters of all-time were on the team during Meerstein's career, including All-Americans Keith Kowal and Zach Slenker.

Those players ended up being a huge factor in Meerstein's development.

"You look at those guys, and they busted their butts when they were here," Meerstein said. "Just seeing what they did, and what they were doing when I was young, I decided that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be as successful as they were."

Now, you can't have a discussion about great Penn State middle hitters without mentioning Meerstein. He's garnered All-America honors of his own, along with a laundry list of other accolades.

Last summer, Meerstein was part of the World University Team. The U.S. team features some of the best collegiate players and players that are one year removed from college.

Meerstein said he was one of three players who were returning to college after that summer. All the rest of his teammates were either playing professionally or were planning on it. This is where he learned that he had the potential to do the same.

"I thought [going pro] was an awesome idea, and, if I got the opportunity, why pass it up?" Meerstein said. "Basically everyone in the [World University] tournament were pro players and had been traveling around, and I saw that I could hang with that level of competition. I knew that's what I wanted to do."

***

This is where Proper's story and Meerstein's story become the same story. Both players realize just how difficult a task like this will be, which is why both have decided to try to go pro together.

That's a good decision, considering just how confusing this process can be. To play professionally, Meerstein and Proper will probably have to play somewhere in Europe, with just about every country having some sort of professional team there.

Also, the level of competition between these teams and leagues carries a great bit of uncertainty.

"It varies from teams we could beat to teams we might not score nine points against," Proper said. "It's like any other professional league, except we don't make millions of dollars like the NBA or NFL guys. Lots of guys are playing strictly for the love of the game, and that's kind of where I'm at right now."

NCAA rules prohibit athletes from speaking to agents while still playing collegiate volleyball. That has made the process even more difficult, since both Proper and Meerstein can't get the next phase of their careers started until May, once the season is over.

The only thing the two can talk about is the possibility of playing together, an option that both would love to see happen.

"If some teams are interested in us, we'll consider that highly," Proper said. "If that means getting paid a little less, we'll still consider it since it's a new experience for both of us. Hopefully it'll all work out."

Once the season is finished, the two plan on sending game tapes to prospective agents and training together in the offseason, in hopes of having some idea where they can go before the start of many international leagues' seasons in September.

Does all of this uncertainty worry the two?

You bet.

"It [worries me] a lot, because this is obviously not the route that most people take," Meerstein said. "Me and Matt were talking, and we have no idea what to expect. I don't think there's anything that doesn't worry me."

One of those worries will include being able to play at a competitive level in international competition. There are obviously some aspects of both players' games that need to improve.

"Experience will play a big factor," Pavlik said. "It'll be training every day when Prop has to bring heat on a consistent basis. Training every day against middles that have been playing for 12, 13 or 14 years for Meers.

"They certainly have the physical base to do that. I think they'll enjoy the next couple years if they're fortunate enough to make a living out of this."

Both Pavlik and Hohenshelt also plan on doing whatever they're capable of doing once the season is over to help the seniors make their dream a reality.

A decision as scary as this one would be 10 times more complicated if it weren't for support from family and friends.

Luckily, both Meerstein and Proper have both.

"Bob and I talked about it and this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Marsha Meerstein, Nate's mother, said about herself and her husband. "You don't want him in 10 years to say, 'Oh, I wish I would've tried that.' "

Proper's parents have been the same way.

"They've been completely behind me the whole way," Proper said. "More and more they've been like, 'We'll help you out as much as you need, as long as you're doing something you love.' They've been a big support in my life. I've just told people about my passion, and they can see that it'll probably be worth it."

For right now, though, with the current season very much still in limbo, both players have said that their focus is strictly on bringing the Lions a national championship. They haven't let their decision hinder their performance on the court.

Once the season ends, the work won't stop. They'll have to scramble to talk to agents and teams, start their offseason training regimen and learn all they can about how to make the next step.

Both players have incredibly optimistic outlooks and having a positive attitude shows that they'll have a great shot at being successful.

"My future's wide open, and I have no clue what it holds for me, and, you know, it's exciting in one sense, but also a little scary not knowing," Meerstein said. "My friends are getting jobs lined up, and I'm like freaking out, 'Should I be doing this, should I be doing that?' It's pretty difficult, but, hopefully, it all pays off in the end."

Although Proper shares the same fear, he values this opportunity, even if it only lasts for a short time.

"At this point, it's basically wherever the road takes me," Proper said. "I'm kind of just in it for the ride. If it only lasts one season that's fine. I know God will put me in a place that he has set for me, and I'll be happy there."