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WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL Hello again Penn State's rubber match with Michigan State comes in regional semifinal M AT T   H E R B   Penn State has only lost two matches this season, but one of them was to the team it will face at 5 p.m. Friday in the third round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships. On Sept. 27, the Nittany Lions suffered a 3-2 loss to Michigan State at Rec Hall. They dropped the first two sets, then rallied to win the second two but ran out of momentum before they could complete their comeback, falling 15-9 in the decisive fifth set. Penn State was ranked No. 1 nationally at the time, and losing on its home court was a dispiriting way to open the Big Ten season. But the Nittany Lions didn't just get mad. They regrouped and went on to win their next 21 matches – including a 3-0 sweep of the Spartans on their own court in East Lansing on Nov. 2 – en route D E C E m b E r | mATT@bLUEWHITEONLINE.COm to their 10th Big Ten title in the past 11 seasons. After sweeping LIU Brooklyn and Utah last weekend in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, Penn State is poised to face its longtime Big Ten rival once again in the semifinals of the Lexington (Ky.) Regional. The Lions have had plenty of success against the Spartans over the years, as they've won 38 of the 45 matches in the history of the series. But the past isn't necessarily prologue. "I shouldn't have to say much to our players about the strengths and the merits of playing Michigan State at this point in time," coach Russ Rose said. "We're 11 with them this year. It doesn't make a difference that our record might be better the last 15 years. " The winner of the Penn State-Michigan 1 1 , 2 0 1 3 11 State match will face either Minnesota or Stanford in the regional final at 4 p.m. Saturday. ESPN3 will air the semifinal match, while ESPNU will carry the final. The Nittany Lions won both of their matches against the Gophers this season, prevailing 3-2 at home and 3-0 in Minneapolis. Penn State has not faced Stanford since a five-set victory at Rec Hall in August 2012. The Nittany Lions are seeded second in this year's tourney and are eager for a return to the Final Four after losing to Oregon in the national semifinals last season. But Rose and his players aren't taking anything for granted. Said the coach, "When you get to a regional, all of the teams are hungry. … Everybody is fired up about the possibility of competing for a national championship. " b L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O m

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