UNIVERSITY PARK
It was an offseason unlike any the Penn State men’s volleyball program had experienced in nearly two decades.
Last season, despite hosting the National Championships, the Nittany Lions were not part of the tournament, were not league champions and not part of the discussion of the nation’s best teams.
Instead, team members could only watch glumly from the Rec Hall bleachers.
Did it inspire those returning this season?
“I would hope,” coach Mark Pavlik said. “Any time your goal is to be the champion … and you fall short, I hope the guys took it upon themselves.