After a few weeks of non-conference play, the No. 7 Penn State men's volleyball team will finally compete in a match that truly matters in its conference.

At 7 tonight in Rec Hall, the Nittany Lions (3-2) will face Juniata in the first of three crucial matches against EIVA opponents. All three could make or break where they are at end of the season.

"You don't take care of business within the EIVA, all [previous matches] go to the wayside," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "This week is a crucial week for us."

Unlike last year when the team began its season and kicked off conference play in the same match, this year's team has had five matches to prepare. Against No. 11 Ohio State last Thursday night, Penn State looked strong defensively, notching a season-high 9.5 blocks and 45 digs.

Offensively, senior Alex Gutor and sophomore Matt Anderson set records against the Buckeyes. Gutor and Anderson had 27 and 20 kills, respectively, good enough to be personal records for both.

Despite the win against Ohio State, there were some blatant inconsistencies in the five matches the Lions played. They have 99 errors on the season while their opponents only have 83 and are consistently posting about 20 errors a match. The Buckeyes also exposed the Lions passing, an area that Pavlik has been focusing on in practice.

"[Against Ohio State], we had some passing troubles," junior setter Luke Murray said. "I don't think any of the EIVA teams that we face are going to bring quite as much with their serves as Ohio State did, but if we can focus and pass well, that will allow our offense to run smoothly."

Overall, the Lions have had a great amount of success in the EIVA, posting an all-time record of 181-10. Sheer physicality and strength are two things that have kept the Lions ahead of its conference opponents, and Penn State hope that it will help them to control the match against the Eagles (3-1).

"If we play our physical level of volleyball, they won't be able to hang with that really," junior setter Luke Murray said. "I think that's what we are gong to try to do. Just get our big guns the ball and let them bang away."

Last season, Penn State went 11-1 in the EIVA, finishing first in the division. This also led to it winning the EIVA tournament. Winning the EIVA is the most important thing, especially if it wants to play BYU and Hawaii again and make into back to the NCAA Tournament.

"When you get down to it, the very important matches for us are the EIVA matches and the EIVA tournament," Pavlik said. "We don't win that, we don't see any of these teams again."