Penn State women’s volleyball hit a new low in their season last weekend.

After winning six of their last seven matches since losing to Nebraska, the Nittany Lions seemed to have turned a corner in their season heading into the second half of Big Ten play. However, this momentum came to a crashing halt as Penn State lost both of its matches last weekend against Michigan and Indiana. Now, the defending champions have to search for answers with eight matches left in the regular season.

Penn State’s inability to get off to fast starts and the number of self-inflicted mistakes have been a big reason for all the losses. It became increasingly apparent after last weekend that the blue and white need to make improvements in certain areas fast if they want to maintain a home-court advantage through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

Despite getting off to a fast start against Michigan in the first set, the Nittany Lions’ self-inflicted errors came back to haunt them as they committed 32 attack errors and 12 service errors, handing 44 points to the Wolverines. They also let a 2-1 set lead slip away as Michigan won the fourth and final set; their first loss at Ann Arbor since 2016.

The team’s struggles carried into the Indiana match as they continued with their poor service game, committing 12 errors and only one ace. Penn State had another slow start in the first set before getting swept by the Hoosiers. This was the first time in Indiana history that it beat Penn State at Rec Hall.

“I think it’s just how we go into practice next to try and build off things. We struggled with the serve and pass game, so really getting to the gym and that starts with me,” Penn State libero Gillian Grimes said after the loss. “So, getting into the gym and making sure we’re really confident going into the next match.”

Things won’t be easier for the defending champions heading into the final eight matches of the season. They play against three ranked opponents during this stretch, starting with a road match against No. 10 Purdue this Friday. These areas of improvement need to happen as soon as possible, or Penn State will run the risk of having a low seed in the NCAA tournament, just one short year after being the No. 1 seed.

Despite this setback, hope is not lost for the Nittany Lions as they have shown glimpses of being an elite team during the season. They have beaten four ranked opponents, including two sweeps against Creighton and Wisconsin. Players, like Grimes, who remain from last year’s national championship team have gone through adversity, and there is still a lot of talent on this team alongside Kennedy Martin.

Friday’s match against Purdue is a golden opportunity for Penn State to show that they are not ready to go away despite this season’s struggles. Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley and Penn State outside hitter Emmi Sellman know that the Nittany Lions need to stay positive if they want to overcome this setback.

“Every week presents its new challenges, and we need to get back to work,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “The matches don’t get easier in the [Big Ten], and being focused and prepared has been a struggle with this group, but we’ll get back to work and be prepared for two great matches ahead of us.”

“We still have so much season left to play and a lot to look forward to,” Sellman said. “I think we just can’t look back. We have to be focused on one day at a time, the next day, the next game, and that’s where our focus is right now.”