Sometimes, a small position change can turn a lackadaisical offense into one that beats the No. 3 team in the country.

After losing in straight sets to No. 1 Brigham Young last Friday night, Penn State men's volleyball coach Mark Pavlik was looking for a way to spark an offense that had 24 errors and a team attack percentage of .112.

Enter assistant volleyball coach Craig Dyer, who spent the preseason trying to get Pavlik to switch the positions of sophomore Matt Anderson, formerly the Nittany Lions left outside hitter, and senior Aaron Smith, formerly the team's opposite.

Following the loss to the Cougars, the coaches agreed the two should switch.

"I just think that with our offense, the speed of our offense, we need to have more of a presence on the right side and I think Matt attacks the ball with a little bit higher level than Aaron," Dyer said.

Before Saturday's match against Hawaii, Pavlik finally OK'd the swap. It ended up being the right one as the Lions (2-2) swept the Rainbow Warriors, 3-0. Anderson went on to collect a career-high 18 kills and Smith notched six kills of his own, hitting .500 for the match.

"I like the idea of having Matty on the right side to get us out of trouble," Pavlik said. "His offense is a little bit more dynamic than Smitty. Getting him on the right side is going to play to his strengths."

Despite the position change, the two Lions are completely comfortable with their new positions. Both spent their time in high school and club volleyball in these positions but were moved around when they came to Penn State. Anderson played on the left last year, as Matt Proper was solid as the opposite. Smith spent the past three years as both outside hitter and libero.

"I've never played out on the right side before and I've never been comfortable with it," Smith said. "Squeaks [Anderson] provides a little more offensive help on the right side. I love playing on the left side and I'm a much better blocker on the left side."

With Smith on the left side, his defensive abilities became an asset to the team. He made eight digs, which was third highest for the Lions.

Also, by switching the two outside hitters, junior setter Luke Murray had more options when running the offense.

The move forced Hawaii (2-4) to curtail its gameplan. After scouting the Lions match against BYU (8-0), Hawaii coach Mike Wilton had plans to serve directly to Anderson. By switching Anderson to the right side, however, the Warriors were forced to adjust.

"We actually changed the offense a little bit," Anderson said. "We made it a little bit higher, a little slower, not as fast. Against BYU, the passing broke down a little bit and we just couldn't run the offense. This is a lot better for us."

Although it is too early to tell, this switch could be the one move that sparks the team for the rest of the year.

With both players feeling more comfortable, there could be an increase in production from all the offensive players on the court.

"We'll see," Pavlik said. "I think it's a pretty good lineup, but we've had feedback from one match. Let's see over the next couple of weeks where we go with it."