Womens Volleyball

Ten weekends, 20 matches, ten conference opponents and it will all come down to the final pair of matches in the Big Ten season.

For the No. 11 Penn State women's volleyball team (26-4, 15-3), its trip to No. 19 Minnesota (21-9, 14-4) Friday and Iowa (6-22, 1-17) Saturday will determine whether or not its season long dream of a Big Ten championship will finally be realized.

"[It's been] two and a half months of trying to keep people's focus in a situation where you're playing half the matches on the road in hostile arenas and it's a long season," Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose said. "It's nice when a conference championship goes down to the last match of a 20 match schedule."

Currently first in the conference, the Nittany Lions will lock up at least a share of the title with a win and will be the sole possessor of the championship if they win twice.

But although the championship is within reach, the Lions know that it certainly will not be smooth sailing to the end.

Minnesota presents arguably the toughest conference challenge, with an overpowering physical team. In the first meeting of the season, the Golden Gophers dominated the court, taking the Lions 3-0 at home, the first time in two years that Penn State has been shut out in Rec Hall.

"We were terrible when we faced them at home and they beat us pretty handily," Rose said.

Penn State has been playing well, or at least well enough to win, in the second half of the season, and is now on an eight-match winning streak, not having lost since its heartbreaker at Wisconsin on Oct. 24.

"We've been having some good team success recently and we've been improving throughout the season, so I think we'll be better prepared [for Minnesota]," opposite Erin Iceman said. "I think when we get into that groove, when we get into that flow, we're pretty comfortable playing beside each other."

Iowa has not been a threat in the conference all season, but as the Lions will take on the Hawkeyes the night after a dramatic Minnesota match that has direct championship implications, they cannot let the outcome of the previous night interfere with their preparations for the regular season finale.

At the end of this season, after time spent both atop the conference and knocked from the lead, after tough losses and triumphant wins, the women are glad that it has finally come down to this.

"This is why I came to Penn State and I think this is why everyone on the team came to Penn State -- to win championships," middle hitter Cara Smith said. "So it feels really good to finally be in this position."

-- By Jenny Vrentas