A number of streaks were finally brought to an end this weekend when No. 3 Penn State lost to No. 14 Wisconsin and Northwestern.

It was the first time the Nittany Lions have started out 0-2 in the Big Ten since they joined in 1991. The loss came as a surprise to many due to the women's volleyball team's recent winning streak of 11 games, the last 10 of which were sweeps.

But it was the Lions who were swept Friday night against another team that had built some momentum in the early part of the season — the Badgers. Wisconsin (12-2, 2-0 Big Ten) was 10-1 heading into the matchup, and behind junior Sherisa Livingston, who Penn State (11-3, 0-2) coach Russ Rose calls the best middle hitter in the country, it dominated the match (15-9, 15-9, 15-6).

"We didn't play well, and we didn't handle the distractions that were there," Rose said. "But the most important distraction was that Wisconsin was very good."

The sweep was the first since Nov. 17, 1995, at Michigan State, and snapped the Lions 49-game conference winning streak. The Badgers, ironically, were the last Big Ten team to beat Penn State, on Oct. 31, 1997.

Wisconsin pulled off the feat by attacking early and often. A 15-9 first-game loss for the Lions was the first this season. Penn State could not recover fast enough in the following games, as the Badgers finished strongly.

Livingston and Lions junior Mishka Levy led all players with 15 kills apiece. Wisconsin senior Jenny Maastricht had a double-double with 12 kills and a match-high 16 digs.

"Two things come to mind when I look at the Wisconsin match," Rose said. "Number one, I think the younger players were a little overwhelmed by it. We had three new players on the floor.

"And the secondary factor is that Wisconsin is very good. Wisconsin played better than we played. I thought they were better than we were."

However, perhaps the biggest surprise came when the Wildcats (4-8, 1-1) took Penn State in five games. With the Northwestern victory, the 14-game losing streak to the Lions came to a screeching halt (10-15, 16-14, 15-4, 12-15, 15-12).

It was a tight fifth match between the two teams. The Wildcats briefly trailed in the final frame, but were never able to extend their lead by more than three points. With the game tied at 12-12, Northwestern scored three straight to pull out the upset.

"It was a huge disappointment," Lions freshman Cara Smith said. "I think that we definitely have to play a lot better than we did."

Penn State junior Katie Schumacher led the Lions with 25 kills, while Levy tallied 23 of her own. Freshman Jessica Hayden posted a career-high 67 assists in the losing effort.

Wildcats sophomore Sarah Ballog tied Schumacher with a match-high 25 kills. Freshman Erica Lange added to her solid rookie season with 20 kills and 13 blocks for Northwestern. The Wildcats have won four of their last five games after beginning the season 0-7.

The season does not get any easier for Penn State, as undefeated No. 9 Minnesota (13-0) visits Rec. Hall Friday night.

"I hate to lose," Schumacher said. "But it's a long Big Ten season, and we need to regroup. I think it's all in how you come back from a loss."