A little blood never went so far.

Early in Penn State's match with Purdue in a Big Ten women's volleyball showdown on Friday night, the Nittany Lions' Robyn Guokas gashed her elbow and had to leave the floor as the blood began to flow.

Enter Erin Iceman, or Ice, as her teammates and coaches affectionately refer to the 6-foot-2-inch junior opposite. In her first extended action in Big Ten play, Iceman added an instant spark, igniting the play of her teammates with superb effort and a tough serve, and helped the No. 14 Lions (20-5, Big Ten 10-4) dispatch Purdue (11-16, 1-13) with ease, 30-15, 30-20 and 30-17.

With Iceman again seeing significant action, Penn State also won on Saturday against Illinois (11-12, 5-9), 30-27, 30-16 and 30-22.

And if there was ever a team in need of the kind of spark the energetic Iceman can provide, it was this Penn State club. The 2-0 weekend stopped a different kind of bleeding, namely, a three-game conference losing streak for the Lions, and, with three weeks of play to go, keeps Penn State in the conference title race with Minnesota.

"It was nice to get Ice in there, she did a real nice job," Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose said. "We had an indication we wanted to get her in the game, she's been working really hard in practice and is really hungry to play. She's just a fabulous kid."

So Iceman came in the game and helped her team win, that's how it's supposed to work, right? Try telling that to Erin Iceman six months ago as she rested in the hospital after surgery to repair a severely damaged knee. After that, nothing was guaranteed.

Iceman was told the injury would maybe take an entire year to overcome. Last Thursday, the day before the Purdue match, marked the half-year anniversary of that trip under the knife.

"I always had it in my head that I would be back and ready to play for this season," Iceman said.

"A lot of people didn't agree with me. Just keep pursuing your goals and good things will happen. It was really good to get in there."

It is clear Iceman is a favorite among her teammates and it's clear they couldn't be happier for her.

"She's worked hard to come back, it was great to see her get in the game, she brings so much energy," said senior outside hitter Mishka Levy.

The mention of Iceman made Guokas' eyes light up and brought a smile to her face. This from someone who should theoretically be nervous about playing time being sacrificed.

"Her injury happened at such a bad time last spring," Guokas said. "But she just rehabbed it all day, every day and now it's paying off for her. It's really exciting."

Over the weekend's two victories, Iceman had six kills, four digs, two blocks and two aces, moving in and out of a lineup that now features freshman Kaleena Walters instead of Hilary Sexton at libero.

Those aren't the gaudiest numbers ever put up over a two-game stretch, but that didn't seem to bother the 3,000 fans in Rec Hall that roared with appreciation for Iceman every time her name was mentioned.

Those aren't the gaudiest numbers ever put up over a two-game stretch, especially on a team with Levy and Guokas and Cara Smith. But that fact didn't seem to bother the 3,000 fans in Rec Hall that roared with appreciation for Iceman every time her name was mentioned.