The tone of Penn State coach Russ Rose's voice Wednesday night told the story of how this season has gone.

A sound of disappointment and frustration filled the conference room after his team swept Indiana 3-0.

Although it was win No. 17, Rose, the head man at one of the most successful women's volleyball programs in the country, was not pleased with his team's performance.

And this isn't the first time.

It has been much of the same nearly all season long.

He has watched his team give sub-par efforts in practice, translating into similar results in matches.

This comes after three straight years ending in the Final Four, the last resulting in a National Championship in hand.

It's safe to say the 21-year Penn State head coach has a pretty good idea of what it takes to win a national championship title.

So far this season, his team doesn't have it.

"I'm trying to get them to play at a certain level," Rose said. "They're going to eventually have to make a move or I'm going to try to find some players that can be a little more receptive to some of the traditional things that I think we should be doing here.

"They might mature and get better, but I don't sense that this group has the maturity that you would need to play at a high level."

That level of play Rose refers is nowhere to be seen. Penn State has already lost four matches, equaling the number for the last three seasons combined.

The previous two years saw the Lions sweep through the conference, winning all 20 matches both times.

The 2000 edition started 0-3 for the first time ever since joining the conference in 1991.

Records can shed some of the light, but it goes beyond them. As the players have said, teams change every season, making comparisons insignificant.

It all comes down to the play on the court, and that is where the struggles are most noticeable.

"Young kids, I think you deal with potential," Rose said. "Older kids, you deal with performance. I don't think we're getting consistent performances.

"If you compete, you feel OK. I mean, I want us to compete. That's what they should be doing. They should embrace the opportunity to compete every chance they get."

But that doesn't appear to be the case. Rose added that he sees players desiring individual playing time more than team victories.

That is something that will have to change as the Big Ten stretch run approaches.

Tonight, the Lions reach the half-way point in the conference season when they take on once-defeated Ohio State.

For the players, there is a chance to see what they have left. For Rose, it is much simpler.

"I already know what we have," he said. "We find out how we match up with Ohio State."