Coming out of what would be the last timeout, Christa Harmotto and the rest of the bench put their fingers up to count down the last three points required to reach the national semifinals.
A block by Arielle Wilson and Blair Brown meant one finger could be put down.
Consecutive kills by Nicole Fawcett and Megan Hodge meant the countdown was finally over, and it was time for a short celebration at the net.
The Penn State women's volleyball team swept No. 8 California, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-17), Saturday at Rec Hall to advance to the national semifinals for the seventh time in its history.
"It started last year," Harmotto said about putting the fingers up. "I'm not exactly sure who started it, but it's just something we do toward the end of the season."
University Park Regional MVP Megan Hodge led the offensive attack with 13 kills and .370 hitting as the No. 1 Nittany Lions (36-0) remained perfect on sets this season. Penn State outblocked California, 13-6, and hit .256 as a team. In the post-match ceremony, Brown, Fawcett, Alisha Glass and Harmotto were named to the All-Tournament team for the regional.
Hodge said the Golden Bears provided for a good test because they matched up better physically than most teams the Lions have played this season.
That test started in the first set, as the Golden Bears (26-7) took a six-point lead deep into it. But a 12-2 run by the Lions closed out the tight set.
As for the last two sets, Penn State grabbed a lead in each by the time it reached double figures. Despite some moderate breathing room in the final two sets, Penn State coach Russ Rose called it a tough match against a very strong team.
With the win, the Lions moved to 2-0 all-time against California, with the first victory coming at the national semifinals last season.
For California coach Rich Feller, it was like someone hit the replay button.
"This is about 365 days ago exactly that I had this same press conference," Feller said. "I got to face the press after we lost Penn State in three. I think I want to stop that cycle right now."
Calling Penn State a great team, Feller said his team was made up of overachievers. Setter Carli Lloyd simply said her team just ran into a "very, very dominant team."
Besides outblocking California, Penn State also compiled more digs, 26-23, more kills, 39-32, and had nine more assists.
Despite the win, the Penn State players said they wouldn't spend a lot of time celebrating the victory, even though it kept their hopes alive of winning a second straight national title when they heads to Omaha, Neb., for the national semifinals on Thursday. The Lions will play the winner of the Seattle regional, which will be either Nebraska or Washington.
"It's definitely meaningful," Harmotto said of reaching the national semifinals. "We had the opportunity and seized it last year. But like Alisha said, you have to take it one point at a time and one match at a time. Right now, we're focused on Thursday."
