It has been nearly a month since the Illini last entered an arena with a friendly crowd, and the withdrawal from not seeing Orange in the seats will be fixed tonight when the squad enters Huff Hall.

The weekend matches open with Illinois hosting No. 11 Penn State tonight and Ohio State on Saturday.

The Illini left Huff on Sept. 16 knowing that they would not return until Oct. 10. With aspirations to be competing for the Big Ten Conference championship, senior Lisa Argabright said the Illini need to finish off big games at home and steal a few on the road, making this week's games even more important.

Illinois finished 3-2 on the road and have pushed their record to 12-3 overall.

The netters were able to take games from Northwestern and Iowa in dominating fashion.

"Those games were fun," Lisa Argabright said. "I felt like everything was clicking, the ball was always there for Erin (Virtue), and when she has time to make a perfect pass our offense can be unstoppable."

On the road the Illini were unable to take games from two nationally ranked teams. Both No. 22 Minnesota and No. 21 Wisconsin played mistake-free and were able to edge past the Illini.

"Big Ten away matches are always tough," junior setter Erin Virtue said. "We are content with finishing .500 on the road — we could have done better but I am just happy to be back at home."

Head coach Don Hardin stresses the importance for this team to use its talent to reach the next level. For the Illini to become a bona fide national powerhouse they are going to have to start winning against these top teams — thus the golden opportunity of playing strong Buckeyes and Nittany Lions teams at home.

"Both these teams are top notch," Hardin said. "These teams represent the type of team we need to beat in order to become great."

The Illini nation will show up in full force to cheer for their netters, a sound that existed for the Illini in the not so distant past before the month hiatus.

"I love being back at Huff," Argabright said. "I miss playing and seeing friends and family; I missed hearing our own band play. Here we have everything we're used to. I'm glad we are home for the weekend."

The crowd factor can sometimes come second to the cozy feeling of being in Champaign.

"The biggest advantage is not only having home court, it's having the girls sleep in their own beds, it's letting them feel comfortable with schoolwork and the reduced stress level that comes with being at home," Hardin said.

The advantage is important because Friday night's match against Penn State could statistically be the toughest match in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are coming into the match with a record of 15-1, along with the Big Ten Player of the Week Erin Iceman.

"We can do it," Argabright said. "We have the talent and ability to come in Friday night and play well from the beginning to the end; I have no doubt that we can pick them off."

Ohio State comes into the match respectively at 7-5 after beating Indiana in straight games 3-0.

The Illini have not lost two matches in a row this season. After both losses this season they have responded with strong efforts, finishing both DePaul and Iowa in straight games.

After losing to Minnesota last weekend, the Illini expect a strong performance.