Senior setter Travis Foltz took a slow walk down the steps of the bus.
When he took his last step onto the sidewalk in front of Rec Hall, he raised the NCAA championship trophy above his head and the small crowd began cheering.
The rest of the 2008 NCAA men's volleyball champion Penn State Nittany Lions followed down after. Foltz's fellow captains senior Luke Murray and junior Jay Stauffer were next, followed by coach Mark Pavlik.
"We just want to be 1-0 after our next match," Pavlik said after winning the Outrigger Invitational to open the season. "We don't want to look too far ahead. If we concentrate on what we have to do next I think we'll be alright."
Pavlik's philosophy was simple. Have a 1-0 record after his team's next match. For Pavlik and the Nittany Lions that strategy came through 30 out of 31 tries. With the lone time it didn't work reminding them of what they had to do to ensure it didn't fail ever again.
The roster was loaded with talent and led by seniors Foltz and Murray. Foltz was the vocal leader who was constantly in his coach's ear on the sidelines narrating what he saw on the last play and what he thought could be done better.
Murray was the distributor of the nation's most efficient offense that hit for an NCAA best .399. All season long, Murray shared the ball with his teammates saving his best for last by recording his first career triple-double in his final match.
"To end my career here like that it was awesome," Murray said. "It was awesome to be able to share with these guys a national championship."
When they weren't on the court, the Lions saw competition that no other team in the nation had the privilege of seeing. Despite playing the weakest schedule of any team entering the NCAA championship, they still found a way to get it done.
The Lion's answer to playing in a weak conference was the practice gym. While NCAA runner-up Pepperdine was playing top 10 contenders all season and the rest of the competition on the West Coast was tuning up for the Lions, Penn State was using its just as talented second team to prepare for the nation's best.
"Pepperdine played eleven matches against teams ranked in the top five," Pavlik said. "We played only one. What was the difference? Our second team."
The 2008 season produced the Lions second national title in school history along with their second national player of the year in junior outside hitter Matt Anderson.
Anderson and Murray each were awarded AVCA player of the week honors with the help of teammates Max Holt, Ryan Sweitzer and Max Lipsitz giving the Lions numerous EIVA player of the week awards.
However, it wasn't the individual awards that meant the most to this team, but the experience they gained in winning their first title together.
"We've gained a lot of experience," Anderson said. "We have that taste of a national championship now, and hopefully that'll keep us going in the offseason and into next year."
After it was all said and done, the Penn State men and women's volleyball teams congratulated each other in front of Rec Hall. A championship poster was already put up outside the men's locker room that matched the women's championship poster from last semester, along with a written-on sign that read "good work boys."
As he watched his team empty their belongings from the bus, Pavlik couldn't stop smiling. When asked how he was going to follow up this year's title run, he spoke his favorite words for one last time during the 2008 season.
"We just want to be 1-0 after our next match," he said with a smile. "If they can buy into that next year of just being 1-0 after our next match, then we're going to be in good shape."
