By Kelsey Detweiler, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions have been playing volleyball for 10 straight weeks and have just eight matches left on the 2013 regular season schedule.

They're sore and they're tired. But more importantly, they're hungry.

Twenty matches into the season, Penn State is on a three-match losing streak and could use a break. But instead head coach Mark Pavlik and his Lions will continue to surge this weekend with a trip to EIVA partner Saint Francis. Despite the recent setbacks, the Lions are still 8-1 in conference play and are looking to keep dominating the league.

"This is something where we've got to right the ship a little bit - two really important weekends coming up," said Pavlik. "It's really going to determine probably who hosts the EIVA Championships here in these two weekends."

At the end of the regular season, the team that has the best record in the conference is also then awarded the opportunity to host the EIVA Championships. The Lions have hosted the conference tournament for the last 14 consecutive seasons, and they are working to add another to the count.

The team that wins the EIVA Championships then also gets a bid into the NCAA Tournament, which is what Pavlik said is the ultimate goal every season.

"The EIVA is what we need to control to get to the NCAAs," said Pavlik. "The non-conference teams really don't have any impact or stand in our way of getting into the NCAAs so all they do is really determine the seeding if you get there. What it does do is that it shows us that we've got some things to work on."

And Pavlik said that his athletes have responded positively. He explained that while it's never fun to lose, his Lions know that it's about more than just one good run or playing one good set.

"I think that they understand that you can't leave it in the practice gym," said Pavlik. "You've got to make sure you understand that when you walk into the opponents gym, you've got to be prepared from the time you set foot in that gym. You can't just wait for the referee's whistle on the first serve."

As a program, a Penn State men's volleyball team hasn't lost more than three-straight since 2006. Pavlik said that he's confident that it won't happen this year either, but knows the Lions need to be sharp as their next three are going to be played outside of Rec Hall.

"It's tough to win on the road but we've got to do a better job at it," said Pavlik. "I've got to find a better way to coach this team on our road-trips."

So how will they bounce back? Pavlik says that the team needs a little bit of everything at this point - stronger blocking, better swings in transition and tougher serving. But ultimately he's looking for his squad to understand the end goal, and step up when it's time to play.

"Not everything's going to go the way you want it to," said Pavlik. "You've got to respond to it and you've got to keep raising the bar of your execution when an opponent raises the bar of theirs."