Even with a postseason appearance and the top spot in the EIVA secured, the Penn State men's volleyball has yet another test to measure how it will fair in the future.

In arguably their most difficult test of the season, at 7 tonight the No. 6 Nittany Lions take on No. 8 Ohio State in Alumni Gym in Columbus, Ohio.

Tonight's match will not only be a battle between division leaders, as Penn State leads the EIVA and Ohio State leads the MIVA, but also one that will be won by the most physical team.

"The balls are going to get beat around a lot," Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik said. "You're going to come out of that match feeling like you've gone 12 rounds in the world heavyweight match."

Last time the two teams met, the Lions (17-5, 10-0 EIVA) defeated the Buckeyes, 3-1, handing them their first lost of the season. Penn State senior Alex Gutor and sophomore Matt Anderson had career highs in kills, notching 27 and 20 respectively. Anderson, though, has gone on to surpass that number.

That was back in early February, however, and both teams have evolved since then. But both teams have evolved in the same direction and the similarities between the powerhouses are striking.

After losing to Penn State, Ohio State (18-2, 7-1 MIVA) went on to win 11 straight. On Saturday night, though, No. 12 Loyola-Chicago beat the Buckeyes for only their second loss of the season. Penn State had its own 11-match winning streak through February and March this year before losing to No. 2 UC-Irvine over spring break.

Both teams have players who rank on the NCAA Div. I-II Men's Volleyball National Statistics, a database that only profiles top players. Buckeye senior Layne Dreven leads the country in hitting percentage, averaging .579. Lions freshman Max Lipsitz is not far behind, ranking No. 6 in the country with a .490 clip. But for Penn State to succeed, it must slow down Dreven and continue getting Lipsitz the ball.

"We got to get our ball to Max [Lipsitz] and Max [Holt] in the middle," Pavlik said. "If we can stay physical with our blocking, limit our unforced errors, we are going to be OK."

What will be missing for Ohio State is its senior outside hitter Danny Meske, who is out with a knee injury. Meske caused some

problems for the Lions back in February, posting 17 kills, two aces and hitting with a .406 clip.

Without him on the court, the Lions still have to contend with a strong lineup. Senior Sam Stevens, as well as juniors Robbie Kline and Daniel Matthews are serving the ball extremely well at the moment. Kline has 35 service aces this season, and Matthews has 28.

Penn State, however, has Holt, who has already notched 41 service aces this season and could pass Penn State's single season record of 47. With so many strong players on each side of the court, it will be physicality that prevails and only the strongest will survive.

"I really believe the team that hits and blocks the best will win," Pavlik said. "In the long run, though, it just gives us another great match to file away into our competitive history."