Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik subscribes to an adapted version of a famous old sports adage.

"Practice makes permanent," he often says.

And within the same building, on the same practice court, the women's program has seen that Pavlik's idea holds true.

The hours the No. 3 Penn State women's volleyball has spent in South Gym are useless if practices are lackadaisical. The Nittany Lions (24-2, 13-2 Big Ten) are simply reinforcing a lax attitude that sticks once they get in Main Gym.

Practice makes permanent.

They'll try and keep that type of let down at bay when they meet Iowa (13-13, 2-12) at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Rec Hall.

Though they've hit incredible highs this season -- twice against Purdue, once against Ohio State -- after the rollercoaster has crested the peak and begins to plummet back to earth, the Lions dip to lows, finding themselves questioning their abilities.

"I think it starts in practice," sophomore middle hitter Christa Harmotto said. "It's getting to the point where nothing can be said to change this team, it's going to be our actions in practice. We have to get the mentality that nobody can beat us. We have to get our confidence back."

Penn State's loss at No. 23 Ohio State on Wednesday night was the team's second loss in as many weeks. It also lost Oct. 27 at Wisconsin.

But it was the manner in which it lost that's been a bit troubling for head coach Russ Rose. No losses are good losses in his eyes, but in the most recent loss, he said the team got "smacked around a little bit."

He did say that the loss might force the team to learn.

"You have to learn and gain experience in tough matches," he said.

Once weak spots are identified, he has said, a coach can point out those areas in practice. Nothing can be done if the players don't respond to what he's saying.

All season, players and coaches have said that the team's mentality in practice hasn't been where it should be. At one point, Rose actually cancelled practice. He said that the team wasn't spirited enough to warrant practicing that afternoon.

"We've had this problem for a while now," Harmotto said. "And we need to change it if we're going to beat people."

But the last time Penn State faced Iowa, it was a Nittany Lions sweep on the road. Going into Saturday night's match, Penn State is hitting .314 as a team, led by freshman outside hitting Megan Hodge, who is averaging 4.78 kills per game.

And now, after losing a mid-week match, having to follow it up just two days later and with the postseason looming, the Lions have come to a crucial juncture in their season.

"It's time to put up or shut up," Rose said, "and they're going to have to get out there and compete a little bit."