[EDIT: I started this post before the end of the game. It generally takes me 30-45 minutes. I come back and the world has blown up. Enjoy the pictures below while you recover.]

VOLLEYBALL UPDATE TIME!! I can never figure out how to address the team. All of my articles have been a mix of Penn State Women's Volleyball, the women, the girls, and whatever other concoction I could come up with. Well no more. After this past weekend's record tying performance (and tonight almost assured record breaking performance), the proper pronoun from henceforth shall be The Team. Analysis below. But first, this week's first repeat winner of the Favorite Player Not Named Megan Hodge Award, Blair Brown, deservedly so after her Big Ten Co-Player of the Week Award, seen here with last week's winner Ari Wilson. Nice stems.

via pennstatermag.files.wordpress.com

Last Weekend

On Friday night, The Team faced their hardest challenge of the end of the season, on paper at least. Problem is, no one told either team. The Team played with ease, hitting 39 Alisha Glass assists to a .350 mark. The Illini, then ranked No. 5, hit a meager .189. The Team won in three sets (-20, 27-25, -15). Dawson attended this game (Hi Dawson's dad!).

On Saturday night, as predicted, Northwestern was a pushover. The Team won handily (-20, -14, -20) to tie the all time Division One winning streak for a "one score" sport (that is actually how the media is labeling it now). This will also henceforth have a new name, The Streak. The Team once again throttled the opposition in hitting percentage, this time hitting at a .360 mark while holding the Wildcats to a .083 mark. Future leader of the Hottest Team of the Big Ten Katie Kabbes tallied 4 kills, and led the team in blocks and hearts broken.

This Weekend

The Team is on the road for tonight's record breaking match against Purdue. The Team then plays Indiana on Saturday. Both matches are at 7 pm and both matches are already over. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but The Team has already beaten both opponents this year with neither opponent scoring more than 19 points in a game. A win tonight guarantees at least a tie of the Big Ten title.

On a similar note, but not as important for Penn State fans, the ratings-juggernaut Final Four of Division III Women's Volleyball is tonight, with Juniata playing at 7 pm.

Awards, Accolades, etc.

As mentioned, Blair Brown was Co-Player of the week in the Big Ten, sharing it with a Golden Gopher whom I can only assume is a serious uggo. This is weekly honor (Player of the Week or Freshman of the Week) number 12 for the squad this year. Yikes. National Player of the Week was a player from Iowa State.

Also a future leader of the Hottest Team in the Big Ten, Megan Shifflett got some much deserved press this week. Or just an interesting fluff piece. You decide, and leave the "fluff piece" jokes at home, jtot.

In the rankings this week, nothing of note changed. Although when you really only care about the #1 team, finding things that change is difficult (I generally stop reading after one line). But since I like you guys, I read a little further - the Big Ten also has Illinois (who didn't drop, #5), Minnesota (#12), and Michigan (who we will see next week, #14).

Finally, the high school girls

In an un-siren-worthy announcement (not to me, but apparently to some), The Team signed 5 all star recruits (Katie Slay, Deja McClendon, Madison Martin, Mikinzie Moydell and Ariel Scott) this year. Good luck, rest of the country. Meet your new girls below.

Slay, a 6-6 middle blocker, hails from Raleigh, N.C. She is the blocker in the photo, not the about-to-get-stuffed (you know the drill by now, jtot) hitter.

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McClendon is a 6-0 outside hitter from DuPont Manual High School in Louisville, Ky.

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Martin, a 6-2 outside hitter, is from Tampa, Fla. She is the hitter. And this picture took me 10 solid minutes of searching to find.

via www.tampabay.com

Moydell is a 6-1 setter who will join the Nittany Lions from Parker, Colo.

via www.frvbc.com

Scott is a 6-5 outside hitter-middle blocker hailing from Newark, N.J.

via media.northjersey.com

As jesse. noted, none of these women are from PA. Meh. One is from the same club as Megan Hodge, one was recently named Miss Volleyball in Kentucky, one is going for her fourth state title, one is arguably the best setter in the recruiting class, and one is a versatile player that will fit in any position (again, jtot, keep the jokes to a minimum).

So to recap...

1) Never enter into a land war in China.

2) Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

3) Penn State women's volleyball will be really good for a really long time.