In the first game of last night's match with Ohio State (10-15, 4-13), the No. 15 Penn State women's volleyball team (25-4, 14-3) saw its hopes of a Big Ten championship flash before its eyes.

Losing the game with a definitive 30-17 score, it was an inauspicious start for a team that had just four matches between it and its season-long goal.

"I was pretty frustrated," senior middle hitter Cara Smith said. "I was looking around at the team saying, 'What's going on? Anytime we can just start playing.' "

But though they were down, though they were on the road and though they were facing the top outside hitter in the conference in Stacey Gordon, the Nittany Lions came back to take the next three games and the match from the Buckeyes, 3-1 (17-30, 30-27, 30-21, 30-25).

"Tonight was one of those nights where we had to find a way to win," freshman middle hitter Cassy Salyer said. "It came down to who was willing to step up and compete and take risks."

For the Lions, it was Smith and senior opposite Erin Iceman who filled that role. Smith had 19 kills and hit .450 for the night, while Iceman tallied 16 kills and a .320 attack percentage.

While the team's hitting percentage started at a dismal .105, it improved steadily throughout the night, up to .295 in the final game.

This improvement can be attributed to the squad polishing its passing as well as reducing its hitting errors.

Ohio State's biggest and best weapon was Gordon, who tallied 30 kills on the night.

Arguably the best hitter the women have faced all season, the goal was not to shut her down, but rather to minimize her impact.

"Obviously she is a great player and is impossible to stop," Salyer said. "We made sure we had multiple people blocking her. We had to stick to our game plan."

With just three conference matches remaining, the Lions remain atop the conference with a one-game advantage over Minnesota and Illinois. The crown is within reach, but will require a step up in level of play.

"It wasn't a pretty match," Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose said. "We're not playing at a high level for a team that's trying to win a conference championship."

But for tonight, their level of play was just enough for a win, and the win was all they needed to keep their conference championship dreams alive.