Shellane Ogoshi, Hofstra's 5-foot-2 setter, was relieved to play in front of a crowd that understood the rules of volleyball.

"People back in New York don't really know exactly what's going on, so if there's a bad call, everyone's just going to boo for no reason," Ogoshi said.

Lauren Engle, Hofstra's 5-foot-11 outside hitter, had never played in front of so many people before.

"It was a whole different experience, just because of the noise level. We're not used to that on the East Coast," Engle said. "But I enjoyed it a lot."

The Hofstra women's volleyball team was thrilled to play the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Rec Hall, especially when No. 3-seed Penn State was across the net Saturday night, and almost 2,000 screaming fans packed the stands.

The 3-0 (30-20, 30-12, 30-19) second round rout by the Nittany Lions (31-2) was not a loss altogether for the Long Island school.

Before the match began, the Pride (24-7) already assembled some accomplishments. They captured the Colonial Athletic Conference championship for the first time in school history, became the first Hofstra team to make the postseason since 2000, and then won their first round match against Cornell in five-games Friday night.

"It was terrific to have my team, who has never been to an NCAA Tournament until this weekend, here to experience it," Hofstra coach Lauren Netherby said.

As Megan Hodge, Nicole Fawcett and others from Penn State's nationally recognized roster had a field day using their considerable height advantage, Netherby thought it would be a good idea to make a mid-match switch and move Ogoshi, her setter, to libero for the second game. Doing so is an uncommon practice.

"This is one of the most talented players in the country," Netherby said of Ogoshi, who had 15 assists and 15 digs. "But she's little. Playing a team that has 6-foot-4 outside hitters, I thought maybe an adjustment was appropriate."

Hofstra experimented with the switch -- which it had scarcely worked on in practice throughout the year -- for a game, hoping to muster some sort of block. After losing the game, 30-12, Netherby decided a return to the starting lineup was most appropriate.

"We were playing pretty well in the first game, so I thought, 'Well, let's try this again,' " Netherby said with a laugh.

After the match, members of the Penn State team rushed off the court to their post game meeting with coach Russ Rose, and looked ahead to next weekend's regionals. Meanwhile, Hofstra's players and coaches, outnumbered by Penn State players alone, enjoyed their last moments on a volleyball court for the season.

Netherby gathered her 13 players in a tight circle and reminded them they had just won their conference championship two weeks ago. They had a great season, she said.

"It couldn't have been a better year," Netherby said. "It's sad for the seniors who have to close the book tonight. But for me and others in the locker room right now this is a building block. What can we do next year? I'm already thinking about next season."

Ogoshi, who was all smiles after the match, is one of the players who will be back next season. For her, the weekend confirmed what she hoped was always true.

"It's good to know that there are followers of volleyball."