First, coach Mark Pavlik received letters postmarked from Brasilia, Brazil -- 4,359 miles away. Then, he received a highlight tape, followed by game footage. Then came the e-mails.
The Penn State men's volleyball team didn't recruit Thomas Pereira. Pereira recruited the Nittany Lions.
The 6-foot-4 outside hitter wanted to play collegiate volleyball in the United States. And he had his heart set on Penn State.
Pavlik, who already finalized his recruiting class, couldn't offer any guarantees but told Pereira he should come to State College anyway. So Pereira enrolled in classes in summer 2007 and after a tryout, the Lions invited him to walk on.
Since the day he joined the team, Pereira has been a consistent source of positive intensity for No. 6 Penn State -- whether it be in the practice gym or on the sideline.
In last Saturday's upset of then-No. 6 Long Beach State, the junior was given his first career start. He tallied a team-high nine digs and provided energy that Pavlik said "really helped spark the guys." The Lions will be looking to that dedication and passion to help propel them in the second half of the season.
"Thomas hasn't received much playing time in the past few years," assistant coach Jay Hosack said.
"But I think since day one he's always been there working hard and supporting his teammates. Now that's starting to pay off."
That was all part of the plan for Pereira. He was determined to play for Penn State ever since he found out Will Price was transferring there from George Mason in 2007.
Pereira lived in Washington, D.C., in 10th and 11th grade and played on the same club team, Maryland Volleyball Program, as Price.
When Pereira returned to Brazil, he tracked his former teammate's career. He would regularly follow Price's stats on the Patriots' athletic page and would often send Price instant messages just to ask how he was doing.
"I applied to Mason and Penn State because I knew they were good schools and I knew Will," Pereira said. "When Will transferred to Penn State, I visited the campus and fell in love with it. I knew it was the right place for me."
Though Pereira was happy to be a part of the team, the transition to Division I volleyball was difficult. He wasn't used to the intensity and had to make adjustments. In Brazil, he played a lot of beach volleyball, which relies on vertical jumps. Hosack said indoor volleyball requires more of a lateral jump. Recently, the two have been watching tape and working on getting Pereira's feet to the ball.
Pereira said he does have one unique advantage that's helped him find success in the American game.
"I have that Latin personality," he said. "Some guys are shy, but I always like going out there and getting everyone pumped up. I'm passionate, and I try to get everyone excited and into this explosive mode for a rally."
Midway through the second set of the Lions' sweep of Rutgers-Newark Feb. 5 -- when Penn State already had a comfortable one set lead and began to rest its starters -- Pereira recorded a service ace.
He assertively pumped his fist, let out an emphatic yell and motioned for his
teammates to come in and congratulate him.
To outsiders, he may have looked goofy. But to the Lions, that's just Thomas.
"If I told Thomas, 'Hey, one of the poles broke so for this match you're going to have to stand there and hold the net,' he would smile," Pavlik said.
"And then he would go and do a better job than anyone at holding that net down. That's the kind of guy he is. Always team first."
