"I think both teams played better last time. I was very disappointed in our serving," Penn State coach Russ Rose said.
"But that's not one of the criteria, if you just play and find a way to win."
The Lions found that way to win, once again, on the defensive side.
Penn State out-blocked Minnesota 16-13, led by Cassy Salyer and Sam Tortorello with 10 and 8 blocks, respectively.
Game one was an uphill battle for the Lions, who fell behind by as many as 6 points at one moment. But two consecutive blocks and a big kill from freshman Kate Price jump-started a 5-0 run, swinging the momentum and the lead to the Lions.
After taking game two in very much the same manner as game one, the Lions struggled in game three. Penn State committed 10 errors and posted an unimpressive .020 hitting percentage.
Senior Syndie Nadeau epitomized consistency, Friday night, carrying the Lions through game four to finish the match.
"Syndie played terrific," Rose said. "We were not very sharp in all four games, but we were able to get a little push from some people who were getting good swings."
Beating Minnesota on the road has become routine in the last two years, but winning at home against the Gophers has been an area of concern for the Lions.
"We seem to find ways to win on the road," Rose said.
"We need to figure out how to do that at home, especially with a team like Wisconsin coming in next week. As I've said before, I think Wisconsin is the hottest team in the conference right now."
Saturday was a hectic day for the Lions, due to the postponement of morning pre-game practice.
Iowa shares its volleyball facilities with the basketball team, and the Lions were bumped to the afternoon for court time.
Price and Nadeau again stuck out as key performers in the sweep of the Hawkeyes, with Price's match high 18 kills.
Getting the Gophers back for their win earlier this season was particularly important for the Lions and being tied for first place in the conference thanks to the win can't hurt either.
"I think for each of us it was personal," Nadeau said.
"That's why you came to Penn State, to go to other team's gyms and prove you deserve to win. This is why you love playing volleyball. This is why you love playing for Penn State. We don't feel we should have lost [to Minnesota earlier in the season in Rec Hall]. That game was definitely a heartbreaker."
