Coming into this season, Ashley Pederson knew that she had some big shoes to fill.

With the graduation of Mishka Levy Pederson was thrust into the spotlight as the No. 16 Penn State women's volleyball teams outside hitter.

And what has Pederson done with her new role?

Oh, not too much.

She's just compiled 339 kills, a team high, in just 24 games, as well as a ridiculous number of attacks, 948. That is almost 100 more attacks than any Nittany Lion player had all of last season.

The junior from South Dakota has also posted career bests this season in two of the most important offensive categories -- kills and attacks -- and is one of the main reasons for this team's success. Pederson, who has played in every game this season, seems to always find ways to beat the defense, no matter the opponent.

Against defending Big Ten champion Minnesota earlier this season, a game in which Penn State was dominated in almost every aspect of the game, Pederson was one of the only bright spots. She finished with 18 kills and hit .326, while the rest of the team had 24 kills and hit just about .100.

Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose is not surprised at all with Pederson's play this season. In fact, he was just waiting for the 6-foot-1 outside hitter to come into her own and become a threat in the Big Ten.

"Ashley came from a very successful high school environment and a very athletic family," Rose said. "She's accustomed to being a go-to player."

At Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, where Pederson was a four-year starter in both volleyball and basketball, she was the leader of the 2000 volleyball team that won the South Dakota State Championship. In 2001, Pederson was named the Gatorade Player of the Year after finishing her high school career as Roosevelt's leader in kills and aces.

While being recruited by almost every program in the country and visiting a number of schools, it was the first school that she visited that she fell in love with -- Penn State.

"Penn State had the total package," Pederson said. "I loved the campus and the coaches and they really recruit people who want to be here."

As a freshman she played in 23 matches averaging just over two kills per game. It was last season, her sophomore campaign, that Pederson began to become an important part of the Penn State offensive attack. On a team with players such as Levy, Cara Smith, and Syndie Nadeau, who all had more than 300 kills, Pederson still managed to get into the mix with 288 of her own on 792 attacks.

This season, with the team revolving around senior captains, Smith and Erin Iceman, the biggest surprise has been the younger Pederson. And she is excited about helping lead this team and getting a more prominent role in the offense.

"With Cassy's [Salyer] arm being hurt, I'm getting more swings," Pederson said humbly. "But I'm very excited about that."

With only eight regular season matches left, Pederson is going to come close to breaking her predecessor's attack record, but personal accolades aren't what the junior is here for.

"This season my goal is definitely to win the Big Ten Championship," Pederson said. "But more importantly than that, I want to win a National Championship."