The Nittany Lions are used to the spotlight of the Sweet Sixteen. On Sunday, they competed in the round of 16 for the eighth straight season.
Penn State stayed in Tallahassee, Florida, to take on Vanderbilt with the opportunity to transcend its season from sweet to elite.
The Nittany Lions defeated Vanderbilt 3-1 to escape the Tallahassee Regional and advance to the Elite Eight.
The Commodores had been the story of the tournament after upsetting the first-seeded Florida State Seminoles to reach this round.
Early in the contest, Vanderbilt looked like the momentum it garnered carried through the weekend.