Head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg at the Buckeyes’ Big Ten season opener Oct. 3 against Oregon at Mental Health Awareness Night. Oregon defeated the Buckeyes in all three sets: 23-25, 21-25, 14-25. Photo credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

The Buckeyes are facing the toughest weekend of their season.

Ohio State (8-8, 1-5 Big Ten) hosts two top-three teams in No. 3 Penn State and No. 2 Nebraska this weekend at the Covelli Center.

The Buckeyes begin their busy weekend with the Nittany Lions on Friday at 8 p.m. The following day, Ohio State faces the Cornhuskers at 3:30 p.m

Both Big Ten challengers have strong records.

Penn State (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) has lost just one game when it was defeated by No. 1 Pittsburgh on Sept. 18. Nebraska (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) also hasn’t lost since No. 12 Southern Methodist University was swept on September 3rd.

Graduate outside hitter Emily Londot said she feels like her team, despite its track record, can still embody excellence and is ready to help showcase the Buckeye mentality.

“I hope we learn how good we are because we are good,” Londot said. “It hasn’t necessarily been reflected in the win-loss column, but we’ve put in so much work this season and we’re going to do it this weekend to prove it.”

Londot said consistency is an important part of the game plan in preparation for this weekend, especially with a young team.

“It took us a while to develop that sense of confidence that we continually focus on,” Londot said. “Still, especially this week, we just have trust in each other and trust that we are the attackers out there on the field at all times.”

Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Murphy said the team focuses on the smaller aspects during practice.

“We also placed a lot of emphasis on the little things and putting those little things into practice well,” Murphy said. “So when it comes to the game, it’s more natural and more routine because we’ve done it a lot in training.”

Londot said she was excited about the chance to play against two of the best teams in the country to show fans what the Buckeyes are capable of.

“I’m just excited to go out there and show people what we’ve been working on,” Londot said. “This is a great opportunity to let loose, go out there, win the game and show people how much work this team has put in and how much we want it.”

Murphy said she has great admiration for Buckeye fans and realizes they always bring energy to support the team.

“Buckeye Nation usually shows up at Covelli and makes that place just as loud. They expect good games against Nebraska and Penn State, who are ranked second and third. And when that happens, they usually show up and create a great, loud environment,” Murphy said. “I know a few years ago when we played Nebraska we were sold out and there was no seat left. So a laboratory environment was created that helped us.”