Not often does the game of life freely provide second chances, a shot at redemption or atonement.
And while the sports arena itself has plenty of situations that are essentially described as “one and done,” a single word signifies the possibility of a second chance: rematch.
Collegiate sports such as men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball and basketball have the luxury, or curse, of playing conference opponents twice during the regular season, while football teams are only given one opportunity to prove regular season dominance.
In its only rematch of the season to date, Penn State was swept by visiting Ohio State last weekend after the Nittany Lions swept the Buckeyes back in their third match of the season.
“The match on Saturday against Ohio State kind of set us straight,” said sophomore Aaron Russell, who had a match-high 16 kills. “We're really focusing on what we need to get done this weekend.”
As much as Ohio State was given a chance to exercise its demons against Penn State, the Nittany Lions upcoming opponents Sacred Heart and Harvard each have a chance to gain a measure of revenge as they meet their conference foe for a second time.
“To beat the same opponent again you have to be prepared,” said Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik. “You don’t go into the match saying, ‘well we’re 1-0 [against them] so it’s their turn to win.’ I think you just prepare for it like just another match.”
The principle difference for the weekend rematches will be the venue as both Sacred Heart and Harvard traveled to Rec Hall in each of their opening matches against Penn State.
The Nittany Lions hit the road for virtually the first time, as their only other “road trip” was a season-opening flight to Honolulu where they kicked off the season in the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational.
"Sometimes it's easier to go on road trips; it helps you focus,” said senior Tom Comfort who led the team with seven kills against Sacred Heart. “All you're doing is going out to play volleyball. You don't have to worry about school or practice.”
In the EIVA season opener for both teams back on Jan. 25, Penn State dispatched Sacred Heart in straight sets, marking the first of two EIVA sweeps by Penn State thus far.
Despite the relative ease that Penn State displayed in its first go--around with Sacred Heart — cruising to a (25-12, 25-18, 25-23) victory — the Nittany Lions aren’t looking past their conference rival.
“The biggest compliment you can pay your opponents is to respect them immensely, and when you’re on the court you give them your best effort,” Pavlik said. “I think our guys go into this match saying ‘OK, how can we make this match make us better?’ ”
Speaking of getting better, outside hitter DJ White, a 2012 All-EIVA First Team selection, returns to the court for Harvard after he missed the previous four games, including the Jan. 26 matchup against Penn State, due to injury.
White could prove to be the proverbial X-factor for the Crimson as they try to become the first team to knock the Nittany Lions off the EIVA mountaintop.
Harvard currently holds the distinction of being the only conference foe that hasn’t been caught up in the Penn State street sweeper after reaching the fifth and final set in the 3-2 loss.
“We watched film from last time [against Harvard]. We're making adjustments and I think we've improved since then,” said Russell, who logged just four kills in the previous matchup. “We're still working and I'm sure they have improved too.”