If you're thinking the No. 6 Penn State men's volleyball team will lose a match in the EIVA this season, think again. But going undefeated throughout the rest of the regular season? Not so likely.
This could be a lofty appraisal and one that seems to be made every year, but looking at its past -- and future -- matches, there isn't one team in the conference that can surpass Penn State.
Last week, when the Nittany Lions knocked off East Stroudsburg for their eighth straight win, they placed themselves in a comfortable position. Since the beginning of conference play, they've only dropped one game, and that was against George Mason in early February, the lone hiccup by Penn State (9-2, 5-0 EIVA).
"We have physical advantages, and that is just stating fact," Penn State coach Mark Pavlik said. "Does that mean we can't lose to them? No, but if we play at a high level, I don't think other EIVA teams can stay with us."
Despite the Lions' huge physical advantage within the East, the fact that the Lions will win the conference without even breaking a sweat is a problem, especially when they travel to the West Coast next week.
With no one of the East Coast able to counter their strength, the Lions will have their first real test of the season when they play No. 4 UC-Santa Barbara, No. 2 UC-Irvine, Cal-Baptist and No. 12 Long Beach State over spring break.
This week will be another set of "measuring stick" matches for the Lions, and while they might put every EIVA opponent away in three quick games, they will likely not survive the week without a loss.
Adding a few more out-of-conference losses won't hurt Penn State's chances in the EIVA, but it will put them in a bad situation during the postseason. When Penn State travels to Ohio State for the NCAA Final Four during the first weekend in May, it will have to play against teams that are tenfold the physical strength of those it's accustomed to playing. There is no way it will be able to win these matches.
Volleyball powerhouses like No. 1 Pepperdine and No. 2 UC-Irvine will fight for the top spot in the MPSF, hoping to claw their way into the postseason as the Lions ease into the championship round without a scratch.
"When you compare the leagues, MIVA, MPSF and the EIVA, the other two leagues do a better job with their regular season play to prepare their eventual champion for NCAA play," Pavlik said.
No one in the EIVA, except Penn State, is ranked in the top 15. It leads conference charts in at least three categories, with an overall .339 hitting percentage and an average of 14.92 assists and 1.88 aces per game.
The domination of the EIVA charts might look nice, but it shows that Penn State needs more competition. There are only two Big Ten teams involved in men's volleyball, a number far surpassed by women's volleyball. The Lions are constantly going to smaller schools with less-than-adequate facilities. These schools cannot compete with the money and pull of the Big Ten schools, putting Penn State in a class by itself.
The lack of competition in the EIVA hurts Penn State's chances each year. While they have 18 EIVA Championships, they only have one national championship trophy. Even though they've appeared in the Final Four 21 times, they have not won since 1994.
The EIVA needs to step up and show that it can compete with other schools. And those other schools need to find some way to compete with Penn State and represent the conference in the postseason. If not, Penn State will continue its dominance in the EIVA but not in the NCAA.
