This post was updated Oct. 22 at 10:58 p.m.

Seattle, Indiana, Illinois – the Bruins have traveled across the United States since their last game in Pauley Pavilion.

But this week, they finally return to Westwood.

UCLA women’s volleyball (9-8, 3-5 Big Ten) enters a three-game homestand that kicks off with a showdown against No. 3 Penn State (18-1, 8-0) at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday.

It’s been over a month since UCLA last played at home, where it went 1-2, with losses to then-No.12 Minnesota and Michigan.

Despite the challenges, coach Alfee Reft said there’s nothing like the energy and support of playing at home.

“For our athletes, it’s always great to be in their own beds and in their routines of being home,” Reft said. “On the road, we’re very focused on volleyball because there’s nothing else, and so we got to stay just as locked in when we’re back home in Westwood. It feels like it’s been almost half a year since we’ve been home.”

The Bruins may have finally emerged from their slump with a decisive 3-0 sweep of Northwestern on Sunday. This victory marked the end of a two-game losing streak and came on the heels of a five-set defeat to Purdue. However, it seems that the Bruins’ most recent victory has shifted the team’s mindset with plenty of road left this season.

“I think they’re learning as a group and individually what it is to to stay in these tight matches,” Reft said. “Where sometimes you want to win so badly that it overtakes and overrides a little bit of the discipline and the patience of what we train.”

After the loss to Purdue brought UCLA to a .500 record, it was all about fine tuning.

“This happened in Purdue as well,” said senior libero Peyton Dueck. “We had the lead and then let the team come back and have a lead in the middle of the set, and then that makes it a little harder on ourselves to have to finish that set. I think moving forward, we can be stronger in the middle of the set to push towards the end.”

As the Bruins embark on their three-game homestand, junior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette is continuing her breakout campaign, leading the team with 247 kills – 68 ahead of second-ranked freshman outside hitter Kiki Horne. On the defensive front, graduate student middle blocker Anna Dodson stands out with 78 blocks, establishing her role as a key player in the Bruins’ defensive lineup.

Among newer additions to the squad, graduate student middle hitter Leilani Dodson has made an impact in Westwood, playing in 12 matches and ranking fifth on the team in blocks and kills.

“I think we’ve done a really good job staying competitive against everyone we played,” Leilani Dodson said. “Kind of just carrying that through and being able to stay in sets and work on our offense.”