Penn State women’s volleyball has asserted itself as one of the best teams in the Big Ten and the entire nation. Sitting at 12-1, the Nittany Lions regained their No. 3 spot in the latest AVCA poll.

With 13 matches down and 18 more to go, the team is relying on its depth and balance as it gets further into conference play.

The blue and white went 2-0 to open the Big Ten season last week with a sweep at No. 10 Purdue and a 3-1 win at home over Michigan State. After fine-tuning some areas of struggle, specifically against the Spartans, Penn State is confident in how it started.

“I think Michigan State’s a great team. We had a lot of unforced errors, and I thought they kept us out of rhythm,” head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said. “I thought the team stayed focused. We ended up passing a little bit better as the match went on, and we were able to finally score.”

Despite sweeping the Boilermakers earlier in the week and having a big lead throughout the match, Schumacher-Cawley took away a lot from the trip to West Lafayette.

“I thought we started off strong, and I think that’s something that we’ve struggled with a little bit here and there, but I thought the team stayed focused,” she said. “They stuck to the game plan. We competed hard.”

Freshman defensive specialist Ava Falduto also saw the challenges Big Ten competition offers. However, like Schumacher-Cawley, Falduto also took away some valuable lessons that will be key for the team going forward.

“I learned we are able to compete in the Big Ten, and we learned how important fast starts are,” Falduto said. “Any team we play, we’re going to have a target on our back and everyone wants to beat us, and we should have the same mindset.”

The Nittany Lions will host Maryland and No. 11 Oregon this week. With two tough opponents entering Happy Valley, Schumacher-Cawley is looking up and down her roster for playmakers to make a difference on and off the court.

“I thought everyone contributed [against Purdue]. Everyone’s been scoring. I think it’s when you have that time to go in, you have to know what’s going on and be focused and prepared,” the third-year head coach said.

Whether it be senior captain Quinn Menger, another captain, a transfer, a freshman, or anyone else on the team, Penn State is full of players who want to improve their game.

Menger has also seen the team’s depth become a key part of its identity and said she sees it being the difference against talented teams throughout the Big Ten.

“I think this team has a great balance of experienced legs with fresh legs,” Menger said. “We have people who’ve been to the mountaintop and failed, and we have young people who are eager to get there, who want to listen. I think that balance goes hand-in-hand.”

The team’s balance and overall capability will be put to the test over the next two days, with its matches against the Terrapins at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Oregon at 7 p.m. on Friday for the Wear White match. Both matches will be played at Rec Hall and televised on Big Ten Network.