Penn State was bumped up one spot to No. 3 in the latest AVCA poll, which was released Monday afternoon. The blue and white have a 12-1 record after starting Big Ten play with two wins.

The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 4 last week, but after opening conference play with a 3-0 win over No. 10 Purdue and following it with a 3-1 victory over Michigan State, they moved to back up No. 3, a ranking they held before a loss to No. 1 Pitt.

Penn State is the second-highest-ranked team in the Big Ten behind No. 2 Nebraska. The conference also features No. 9 Wisconsin, the No. 10 Boilermakers, No. 11 Oregon, No. 12 Minnesota, No. 21 USC, and No. 25 Washington.

The Nittany Lions will return to action at 6 p.m. on Thursday against Maryland and will face the No. 11 Ducks at 7 p.m. Friday in the “Wear White” match. Both matches will be played at Rec Hall.