The Wolverines are going to be mad.

And after having their No. 5 ranking stolen by the Penn State field hockey team, they do have a right.

After maintaining a position in the top five since late August, No. 6 Michigan (14-3, 4-0 Big Ten) slipped in the polls this week, uprooted by No. 5 Penn State (13-2, 4-0). Michigan will attempt to regain its seat at No. 5 when the two teams show down at 7 tonight at Bigler Field.

"This is going to be a really important game and it's also going to be one we really need to prepare for," Lady Lions forward Meredith Shulzitski said. "It's going to determine who is in first in the Big Ten and it will also have an effect on the national standings."

High expectations surrounded the Wolverines early in the year as they were ranked No. 2 in the season's first poll.

Following a 4-2 loss to then-No. 4 North Carolina at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in early September, the Wolverines swapped positions with UNC, landing in the No. 4 spot.

In the midst of a 12-game winning streak, Michigan slipped another spot to No. 5 and remained there for several weeks, all the while staying one step ahead of Penn State.

But the Wolverines were dethroned this week following a second loss to UNC and one to No. 4 Wake Forest. A week-one loss to then-No. 3 Old Dominion rocked Penn State out of the top five, but they have held at No. 6 for seven straight weeks, while also remaining undefeated through 11 games.

The strong play of the team's leading scorers — Traci Anselmo, Maegan Galie and Kiley Kulina — has kept Penn State at the top all season and in a position to regain its seat at the No. 5 position.

Anselmo, a senior midfielder, leads her team in both goals (12) and assists to hold the second spot in the Big Ten.

Galie's 10 goals and 10 assists puts her in the nation's third slot, while Kulina's 12 goals and four assists places her at fifth in the nation.

The team said having three players ranked in the top 10 is evidence that it has come a long way in scoring since the first week of the season.

"We've definitely gotten a lot better at finishing," Shulzitski said.

"There were games when we had 20 shots and not had enough goals.

"But we've started to realize that if the first shot doesn't go in, we need to be ready and take the second shot and the third shot," he said.

However impressive the Penn State's statistics might be, Michigan's are looking just a little better.

The Wolverines have five of the top 10 scorers in the Big Ten, including senior forward Kelli Gannon, who has 13 goals and 11 assists.

In addition, those five players alone are averaging 15 shots per game, which is way more than Penn State's goalkeeping staff has faced in recent games.

Both teams have had the past seven days off to rest and prepare for today's game and the team that wears down faster might be the one who comes out on the low end.

"It's nice to have the break. Michigan matches up really well against us and we need the extra time to prepare," Kulina said.

"Michigan is going to be a big game for us because it's one of our toughest conference games this year. We have to play hard from the start if we're going to come out on top," Kulina said.