Blue White Illustrated

VARSITY VIEWS P enn State defender Dani Marks doesn't light up the stat sheet. In fact, he rarely appears on it. In his two years on the Penn State men's soccer team's active roster, Marks has never scored a goal, nor has he recorded an assist. His only measurable contribu- tions have come in the form of four shots and one shot on goal. But there's an intangi- ble factor that won't show up on any statis- tics page that makes Marks an invaluable piece of coach Bob Warming's puzzle. Named captain for the first time when he was only a redshirt fresh- man, Marks has been a role model on and off the field since the day he arrived in University Park. Marks earned the right to wear the cap- tain's armband once again ahead of his redshirt junior season, and he approaches the task with the calmness of someone who knows what it takes to succeed in the role. "It just gives me that extra responsibil- ity and it's something I enjoy," he said. "I'm not afraid of responsibility. I'm not afraid to take risks. I'll do my best to lead the team. My best way of leading, in my opinion, is leading by example, so I'll do that like I've always been doing, even be- fore I was captain, and hopefully I just am able to unite this team and focus on head- ing to our goal." That talent for leadership was forged by fire. After moving to Israel at a young age, Marks – like all male Israeli citizens – was obligated to spend two years in the mili- tary. "I think it forces you to grow up a lot faster, take more responsibility," he said. "You learn to find yourself accountable when you make mistakes, when you take responsibility, when you want to lead, when you want to show examples, teach and just connect a group of guys. That's something you have to learn in the mil- itary, otherwise you really won't sur- vive." Though he wasn't on the front lines, Marks emerged from his service time with a renewed sense for what he wanted to achieve. He connected with Warming through one of his previous coaches in Israel and came to visit the campus. Marks said he fell in love with the uni- versity within minutes. Playing soccer at the collegiate level was "something I never, ever thought about until I turned 20," he said. "That's when I started thinking about it, and it happened very fast, and a couple months later I was here." It's now been nearly three years since he arrived for good, and he's faced with a momentous challenge. The Nittany Lions had only about a two-week training period leading up to their season opener against Hofstra on Aug. 25. Having lost five of their 11 starters to graduation or transfer, they've been working to form 11 players into a co- hesive on-field product – a transforma- tion that Marks has helped spearhead in his role as captain. "It's a weird but great sensation, the at- mosphere here, where everyone really clicked and is happy to play together," Marks said. "Obviously, it will take us more time to jell on the field. That's why these two weeks are so intense, two-a- days and intense, long trainings and lots of team activities. That's the main way of jelling a team together." As for his own condition, Marks feels as good as he ever has, thanks to the work he's done with new strength coach Kristina Jeffries. On a defensive unit that allowed oppo- nents to score 1.21 goals per game last year – slightly below the national average – Marks is confident he'll be ready to make a difference. "I feel better, I feel faster and I feel stronger," he said. ■ FOLLOW THE LEADER Two-time captain Dani Marks helps a new-look PSU soccer team come together | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL Nittany Lions sixth in preseason rankings Coming o8 a 24-10 7nish last year, Penn State will begin the 2017 campaign ranked No. 6 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The Nittany Lions return All-Ameri- cans Haleigh Washington, Simone Lee and Ali Frantti. Washington played in all 121 sets in 2016, leading the team with a .430 hitting percentage while adding 291 kills. Lee paced the team and was second in the Big Ten with 503 kills (4.16 per set), while Frantti added 295 kills. The Lions join seven other Big Ten schools ranked in the AVCA preseason poll. They are third-highest behind Minnesota (No. 4) and Nebraska (No. 5). Wisconsin (No. 7), Michigan (No. 16), Michigan State (No. 17), Ohio State (No. 21) and Purdue (No. 25) also made the list. Penn State began the 2016 season ranked ninth and was unable to climb MARKS N O T E B O O K

• Cover