As head coach Mark Pavlik went to the table to accept the EIVA Championship on Saturday night, three very different players followed in his footsteps.

The first player to pursue was tall, lanky Aaron Smith, followed by a little bit shorter player in Alex Gutor and the opposite of both, Ryan Walthall, took the rear.

Physically, the height and build of both Smith and Gutor are about the same, as they are both outside hitters. Walthall is shorter, and a bit more stocky, giving him power as team libero.

It's not the physical differences, however, that defines the three captains of the No. 6 Penn State men's volleyball team.

It's their personality, both on and off the court, that adds flavor to the team and helped them return to the NCAA Championships for another year.

"This year's group, combined, really accelerated the process of a team putting together a personality this year," Pavlik said.

"I was surprised that by late September, early October, we already had a personality. It makes the team easier to deal with."

Aside from their physical differences, the personality of each captain brought the Lions through their ups-and-downs this year and added flavor to a group that had lost much of its starting lineup.

Smith, the tall, lanky kid from Virginia, is the quiet one. He doesn't say much on the court except to apologize to the team when he makes a mistake.

"Aaron comes across as everyone's big brother," Pavlik said. "He is very easy to talk to and he's a stand-up guy."

As the team's big brother, Smith irons out all problems in the locker room.

He is a role model to the younger players and acts as a teacher, encouraging the rest of the team. From his freshman year to now, Smith's career as a Lion has not been a steady one, moving from outside hitter to libero and back to outside hitter, but the senior has taken it all in stride.

He's been the go-to guy for Pavlik and the one player who fills any hole.

The second captain, Gutor, is very hard to define.

Born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine, Gutor moved to Texas for high school and now resides in State College.

His intensity and devotion to volleyball makes him a great leader for the Lions.

"Alex is someone that thinks volleyball is a way of life," Pavlik said.

"It's been very important to him in his life. It's something that has gotten him to where he is today."

On the court, Gutor's job has been to deal with the referees during matches.

Instead of Pavlik or assistant coach Craig Dyer complaining, Gutor goes over and asks calmly about close calls.

Walthall, on the other hand, prefers to disagree by complaining loudly, and Smith just keeps his mouth shut, waiting for the next opportunity to defeat his opponent.

The third and final captain, Walthall, is the opposite of both Smith and Gutor. Walthall, who did not have a starting position until this year, is the most outspoken member of the Lions.

There isn't a match that goes by when he is not yelling at himself, his players or the referees.

"Walthall was probably the most intense," junior setter Luke Murray said. "He would let people know when they needed to pick up."

During most matches, especially this past Saturday night, Pavlik let Walthall scream at the team on the bench and act as a coach.

His intensity on the court has led to Walthall being dubbed as another coach for the Lions, and he already has a job waiting for him on the coaching staff at the University of Nebraska.

"Walthall is the competitive guts and heart of this team," Pavlik said. "He is as important to us as anybody else on the court. He's not going to give an inch to anyone and that's carried over so well to this team."

As three opposites, the captains have given the rest of the team something to look up to.

"Ryan is a little more emotional, Aaron has been a little more subtle and I'm kind of in the middle," Gutor said.

"It's been fun, though. I've enjoyed having them as a captains."

In all their special ways, the captains are great leaders and have given the 2007 Lions a very diverse personality, one that will cease to exist at the end of this weekend at the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships