Penn State women’s volleyball has made a trip to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years. This weekend, it’s looking to advance to the regional final for the first time in that span.

Katie Schumacher-Cawley took the Nittany Lions to a regional in both of her first two seasons as the head coach, neither of which took place in Happy Valley.

Now, after claiming a No. 1 seed, Rec Hall will host an NCAA Regional, and Penn State is confident that’ll play a role in advancing further than it has in the last two seasons.

“[Playing at home] is just such an advantage from a recovery standpoint, and we’re in the midst of finals right now so we don’t have to stress about taking stuff on the road, and we get to sleep in our own beds, and we kind of get to go around our normal practice time,” senior co-captain Jess Mruzik said. “It’s nice to just continue in the same routine that we’ve been doing the whole season.”

Along with the logistical advantages of playing at home, the Nittany Lions believe their home atmosphere is a positive aspect that many other teams aren’t prepared for, as the Penn State faithful becomes a key factor in big matches.

“I pray for anyone who comes to Rec Hall at this point,” Quinn Menger said. “It never gets better.”

Rec Hall has been host to sold-out crowds on multiple occasions this season and wreaks havoc for opponents, but the fans aren’t who will ultimately push Penn State to the next round.

Camryn Hannah, another senior outside hitter, said while the crowd certainly helps the Nittany Lions, the team’s destiny is up to its play on the court due to tough competition being on the other side of the net in every match.

“Even though we’re at home, we’re going to have to create our own energy going through the tournament because no one is going to just lay down and give us the game. They’re going to fight for every point because it’s do or die right now,” she said. “That’s the M.O. going into the next game, that we need to fight for everything and create our own energy.”

Schumacher-Cawley echoed Hannah’s thoughts, saying every team that has reached this point of the tournament earned its spot, and her team can’t look past any opponent.

“It’s tournament time, so every team belongs here. It’s going to be competitive and hard, and I think our team understands that they need to compete for every point and be focused throughout the entire match,” Schumacher-Cawley said.

The first test of the regional will come on Thursday when the Nittany Lions face No. 5 seed Marquette, which is coming off a 3-2 win over No. 4 seed Utah in the second round.

Led by 11th-year head coach Ryan Theis, the Golden Eagles are 25-8 this year with seven of their losses coming against ranked teams, and Penn State is ready to take on a fiery squad.

Having had five days between its 3-1 win over North Carolina and the matchup with Marquette, Penn State has had the chance to watch Marquette’s film and see what is coming to Rec Hall, and the Nittany Lions have been impressed.

Schumacher-Cawley described the team as “well-coached” with a competitive edge, and the players also saw the challenges the Big East runners-up will cause for the Nittany Lion defense.

“They’re a really scrappy team. They have some powerful hitters and their setter’s a pretty seasoned veteran,” Mruzik said. “I think they’ll definitely test our discipline in terms of block and defense, but I feel like we’ve had a good week of practice, so we just have to put it into the game.”

Penn State’s preparation will be put on display when it faces Marquette on Thursday, with first serve scheduled for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 1 p.m. Creighton-Texas match. Taking place in Rec Hall, both matches will be televised on ESPN2.