Last week's matches in the Big Ten proved once again that this league is the toughest in NCAA Division I women's volleyball.

In case you missed the action, here are our top takeaways.

1. Penn State is on fire.

Penn State remains tied with Nebraska for the top spot in the Big Ten standings and grew its win-streak to 13 matches in a row with wins over Michigan State and Rutgers last week.

The Nittany Lions defeated Rutgers 25-9, 25-9, 25-12, the lowest total points scored by the Scarlet Knights in a match so far this season. Penn State's 12 aces in the match mark the second-most in a three-set match in the 25-point rally scoring era.

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This week, Penn State goes on the road to face Iowa in a mid-week game, then returns home to host Maryland.

2. Don't count out Ohio State.

The Buckeyes, who have struggled with injuries throughout the season, had a breakout performance over the weekend by upsetting Wisconsin. With the victory, Ohio State improved its conference record to 6-8, which puts it in a tie with Michigan for eighth in the conference standings.

That placement is significant, because last year eight teams from the conference got into the NCAA tournament. With its RPI of 31, Ohio State has a bit of an edge on Michigan (RPI ranking No. 34), and a big win, like the one over Wisconsin, will look good to the NCAA selection committee.

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3. Minnesota extends win streak to 11.

Minnesota, which ranks No. 2 in the latest RPI ranking, is on an 11-match win streak and hasn't lost since late September.

Last week, the Gophers took down Maryland and Ohio State, both in straight sets. Against the Buckeyes, Senior middle blocker Molly Lohman surpassed the 500 career blocks mark and junior setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson blew past the 4,000 career assists mark.

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4. Senior libero Brandi Donnelly's return big for Illinois.

Illinois' sole senior, libero Brandi Donnelly, suffered a knee injury last month and missed seven matches. Last week, she made her triumphant return to the court, leading Illinois to victories over Northwestern and Michigan.

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Against Michigan, Donnelly set a new career high with 27 digs in the five-set battle.

This week, Donnelly will be tested versus Michigan State, the best serving team in the conference.

5. Purdue showed major potential in loss to Nebraska.

Purdue lost a four-setter to Nebraska on Friday night, but the Boilermakers gave the Huskers all they could handle.

Purdue out-hit Nebraska .328 to .281, out-blocked Nebraska 11 to six, and out-dug the Huskers 52 to 49, and head coach Dave Shondell called it the Boilermakers "best effort of the season."

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Where the Huskers earned an advantage, however, was in overall kills (65 to 61) and in the serve and pass game. The Huskers had five aces and nine errors, whereas Purdue had only two aces and 10 errors.

Ashley Evans, Purdue's senior setter, surpassed 1,000 career digs in the match versus Nebraska, making her the only Boilermaker program history to earn 3,000-plus assists and 1,000-plus digs in her career.

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