Maybe it was the rare occurrence of beautiful weather after weeks of rain and snow. Maybe it was leftover feelings of euphoria from Saturday's match. Maybe it was both.

Either way, there was a sense of glee and easiness at the No. 6 Penn State men's volleyball practice yesterday, something it is hoping will continue when the Nittany Lions face EIVA rival Juniata at 7 tonight in Huntingdon, Pa.

"We had that tough five game win against Santa Barbara, and we had a tough, five game loss against Long Beach," head coach Mark Pavlik said. "But in that five game match against Fort Wayne, we don't look any different whether we are winning or losing."

After defeating No. 10 IPFW on Saturday night in a tough five-game match, Penn State (14-5, 7-0 EIVA) is riding on a surge of excitement. With this win, the team avenged the 3-0 loss handed to it by the Mastodons back in January

Juniata (12-5, 4-4), however, should not be as formidable a foe for the Lions. The two teams met about a month ago in Rec Hall, and Penn State took down the Eagles, 3-0. Even with the fact that it will pack the gym with loud, boisterous fans, Juniata is a Division III team and does not have the strength and physical ability of the Lions.

"I think we are going to have to be sure we don't give them too many freebees," Pavlik said.

The Eagles do have a few players that could cause trouble for Penn State, however. Junior outside hitter Matt Fritz was recently named AVCA/Sports Imports Div. III National player of the week. He had a career-high 28 kills and hit at a .420 clip against Springfield College last Saturday.

Despite playing six matches in the past two weeks, four of which were over spring break, the Lions' lineup is holding together without many injuries. The slight ankle sprain to junior setter Luke Murray is the only major injury this season. Even though he is not 100 percent and will not be using his jump serve anytime soon, Murray's presence on the court leaves the team feeling a lot more comfortable.

"Foltzy came in and set three great matches and he did all he could but there is definitely a little spark whenever Luke is in there," senior Aaron Smiths said. "He brings a little bit more to the table. We are all excited he's back and healthy."

Even without injuries, Pavlik is doing his best to keep the team as fresh as possible for matches. Practices have been cut down from three hours to about two, giving the Lions time to be as physically prepared for the upcoming postseason. With the past two wins, the Lions feel well prepared for tonight's match as well as those this weekend.

"I really like their mindset," Pavlik said. "We aren't going to do anything crazy as coaches to beat them up. We are just asking them to come in a focus for as long as we need to them to focus."

Freshman Phenom

Freshman Max Lipstiz, who played some of his best volleyball all season last weekend, was named EIVA Player of the Week. He dominated Rutgers-Newark on Friday night, tallying a career-high 15 kills and hitting with a .700 clip. On Saturday night, he continued his hot streak, scoring 13 kills with a .545 hitting percentage and only one error.