With a 3-1 (30-19, 30-26, 27-30, 30-24) victory over No. 19 Minnesota (22-10, 15-5), coupled with an Illinois loss, the squad clinched sole possession of the conference crown. A 3-1 (30-16, 27-30, 30-19, 30-20) victory against Iowa (6-24, 1-19) on Saturday night was simply icing on the cake.
The Lions also found out yesterday that they would be one of the hosts for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Lions received the No. 11 seed in the tournament and will play Robert Morris in the first round. Should they win, they would play the winner of the Pittsburgh/Pennsylvania match in the second round.
"It's just so amazing," junior defensive specialist Tabitha Eshleman said. "We worked so hard over the years to get to this point, and it's probably the best win of my entire life, ever. This is what I came to Penn State for; this is what all of us came to Penn State for."
With just three losses in 20 conference matches, the women finished with a two-game advantage over Minnesota and Illinois.
This year's championship marks the seventh time that Penn State has won the Big Ten in its 13 years in the conference and the first time since 1999. It continues the tradition of every senior class leaving with at least one conference title to its name. But out of all the conference championships, this one has a little something extra for Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose.
"This is the seventh Big Ten championship that we've won, and I would say that I'm proudest of this one," Rose said. "This team did it [with] the fibers of a team rather than with the best individual talent. [Previous championship] teams were better than everyone else and were picked to win the conference. This group wasn't picked to win and found a way to win."
Finding a way to win was exactly what the women did, against odds, on Friday night. When the Golden Gophers came to town in late October, they dominated the Lions with a 3-0 victory. But this time around, Penn State gave Minnesota a taste of what it is like to be dominated at home.
"We took control early and played well throughout under difficult conditions," Rose said. "[Friday night] was just a really good team performance. It showed the impact of playing as a team over playing as individuals."
Central to the Lions' victory was the squad's strong back row play. Skillful passing allowed the Lions to spread their offense. And with five players recording double digit dig tallies, this defense was crucial in stopping the Gophers' physical hitters. Libero Kaleena Walters led the way with a career-high 28 digs, while setter Sam Tortorello was not far behind with 25.
"Defense is huge," said Eshleman, who contributed a career-high 12 digs. "Whenever the other team gets a huge swing and then we come back with an awesome dig, that adds so much momentum and can change the match."
Penn State also got a production from its hitters, who managed to get past Minnesota's big block and out-hit the Gophers .248 to .179. Junior Ashley Pederson dished out big swings for the Lions, finishing with 24 kills, while senior middle hitter Cara Smith tallied 19 kills with a .320 attack percentage.
With the conference title already wrapped up, Saturday night's win over Iowa was an anti-climactic end to the Big Ten season. Not their best match of the season, the women took a step down from Friday's level of play. But after dropping the second game of the set, the women took the next two to walk away with the win. Freshman middle hitter Cassy Salyer played what Rose deemed her best match of the season, tallying 14 kills and 10 blocks with a remarkably high .619 hitting percentage.
With the conference title wrapped up, there is no time for a break, as the Lions have secured a bid in the next weekend's postseason NCAA Tournament. But for this team that has come so far, that has gotten through so much, and that did it all as a team, that doesn't mean they can't bask a bit in their newfound glory.
"To win the Big Ten is a terrific accomplishment," Rose said. "I hope that the girls appreciate and embrace the championship."
After all, it has been 10 weeks in the making.
