As the Penn State men's volleyball team embarks on its defense of its national title, there's only one thing that can bring the Penn State volleyball dynasty to an end.
It certainly isn't a lack of talent. The Nittany Lions boast two of the best middle hitters in the country in senior Max Holt and junior Max Lipsitz. The Lions are so talented and deep that their second team could win the EIVA with ease.
It's not coaching either. Coach Mark Pavlik is one of the best and most established coaches in the country and always seems to keep Penn State loaded with All-America-type talent.
But what rises as a possible stumbling block for the Lions is a consistent level of focus during a match.
At times throughout the season, Penn State would dominate its opponent in the first set, only to allow an opening in the second, making it more of a match than it needed to be. The Lions would shake out of it and eventually dispose of their opponents.
"I guess we have a little problem coming out and expecting them to kinda give the same performance," Holt said earlier in the season.
It's not that you can't blame Penn State for some lapses in concentration. The Lions went 13-0 in the EIVA this season and did not drop a set in conference play. Penn State is the Goliath of the EIVA and it would be a massive shock to the system if the Lions were to somehow drop an EIVA Tournament match.
However, it is in a possible NCAA Tournament appearance where Penn State will need laser-like focus if it is to once again hoist another trophy above its head.
Earlier this season in a match against BYU, the Lions came out and hit the Cougars with the full force of their arsenal. Penn State won the first set 30-21 and hit a dominating .452 while only having two hitting errors.
Then the second set happened.
The Lions hit .152 as BYU took the second set 30-27, a set that featured nine hitting errors. Penn State went on to lose the match 3-2, accumulating 26 attack errors and 27 service errors. Penn State would also fall the next night to Long Beach State, in another error-filled performance.
This is where the trajectory of Penn State's season changed. Since that weekend, the Lions have gone 10-0, winning 30 straight sets. Penn State has played the best it has all season and is red hot headed into the postseason.
This is a veteran team that knows what it takes to win a national championship. You have four seniors who know their collegiate life spans are coming to an end and are too proud to let their careers end in defeat.
Penn State will have to show the focus it's shown the last month of the season to get past the teams of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in the NCAA Tournament in a week.
If that focus is there, they will need to clear out a little more room somewhere in Rec Hall because another national championship trophy will once again have found its home in Happy Valley.
