The Spartans gave the Lions tons of trouble at their first brawl this season. Penn State did emerge victorious, 3-1, even though Kim Schram and the very physical Spartans were hard to stop when their offense was clicking.
Luckily for the Lions, the Spartans didn't click very often. Michigan State committed 12 errors in game four alone, making the win an easy one for the Lions.
"Michigan State caused us a lot of problems when we played them here," Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose said.
"They're a very physical team because their outside hitters, Schram and [Katie] Johnson, take some really big swings at the ball and put some pressure on our defense."
Tough defense will be crucial for the Lions to walk away with wins this weekend, especially against a big team like the Spartans, who have only four players on their roster listed under 6-feet tall.
Saturday's win against Illinois in Rec Hall kept the Lions in sole possession of the Big Ten Conference lead, but Ohio State is nipping at Penn State's heels with a 15-3 conference record.
"I don't know how much better you can expect to get at this time of the season," Rose said.
"I would be disappointed if we weren't mentally ready to play just based on what these guys are playing for, and they're playing for a chance to get a ring."
That ring is certainly on freshman outside hitter Kate Price's mind, as this weekend's competition will be a homecoming of sorts for the Michigan native.
"My whole family's going, we have a really big family, so I'm excited to see my little cousins and things like that," Price said. "But I'm just focused on the game right now.
"I think [the Big Ten Championship] has been our incentive the entire time. It's entirely dependent upon us. Last game we played really well as a team. Cassy [Salyer] and Melissa [Walbridge] played real sweet, so they'll be going into this weekend with a lot of confidence."
The Wolverines were swept out of Rec Hall earlier in the year and looked a bit shell-shocked throughout the entire match.
Since that game, though, the Wolverines have been playing much improved volleyball and enter this weekend's competition after sweeping Northwestern last Saturday.
"I think this is a tough trip," Rose said.
"Everyone says the Penn State-Ohio State trip is tough, but this is a very tough trip because each team is especially good at home. We've won on the road and we've won at home, if we're fortunate enough to play well and the girls do that, then they will have really earned the right to call themselves Big Ten Champions."
