Nebraska volleyball falls to Penn State in five-set thriller
Nebraska volleyball fell to Penn State in a reverse sweep on Thursday (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 26-28, 13-15). The Nittany Lions will advance to the National Championship to face Louisville.
Outside hitters Jess Mruzik and Caroline Jurevicius willed Penn State to victory. Mruzik tallied 26 kills while Jurevicius added 20 in a valiant effort against her former squad. Middle blocker Andi Jackson and outside hitter Harper Murray led the way for Nebraska with 19 and 20 kills, respectively.
Nebraska finished the night with a .262 hitting percentage while Penn State hit at a .242 clip.
Subscribe to HuskerOnline TODAY and get 50 percent off an annual subscription!
Set One
The first set was a back-and-forth affair as each team traded runs. Nebraska jumped out to a hot start thanks to two quick kills from Jackson before Olivia Mauch pushed the lead to 9-6 with Nebraska’s first service ace.
A Penn State net violation and a block from Jackson gave the Huskers their biggest lead of the set, 12-7.
The Nittany Lions clawed their way back. A 6-1 run complete with kills from former Huskers Maggie Mendelson and Caroline Jurevicius tied the set at 14 before a Nebraska attack error gave Penn State its first lead of the night.
A service error briefly paused the momentum, but an ace from Jess Mruzik pushed the Nittany Lions’ lead to 16-14.
Taylor Landfair refused to let the Nittany Lions pull away. Two kills from the senior outside hitter kept Nebraska alive before outside hitter Merritt Beason gave Nebraska the lead once again, 18-17.
Both teams traded points and were knotted up at 21-21 before Jurevicius gave Penn State the lead with her fifth kill of the evening. The Nittany Lions pushed their advantage to 23-21, but Jackson would not go away quietly.
She fired three clutch kills down the stretch, giving Nebraska a 25-23 set one victory in comeback fashion.
Jackson finished the first frame with six kills while hitting .750. The Huskers hit .273 with just two errors. Jurevicius had 5 kills for Penn State.
Set Two
Penn State took an early 3-0 lead in the second set, but it was all downhill from there for the Nittany Lions. Rebekah Allick sparked a 4-0 Husker run with a block and they never looked back.
Jackson kept the hot hand in the second set, with three kills pushing Nebraska’s advantage to 8-6. After a Penn State point was overturned by a challenge, the Huskers began to pour it on. Harper Murray fired an emphatic kill to give Nebraska an 11-7 lead and force a Penn State timeout.
Camryn Hannah got the Nittany Lions back on the board, but the tide had already swung in the Huskers’ favor. A 4-0 run highlighted by two huge blocks extended Nebraska’s lead to 15-8. Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley called her final timeout of the set.
The block party continued out of the break. Landfair and Allick combined on a stuff to give the Huskers an eight-point advantage.
Jurevicius did all she could, sparking a 5-1 Nittany Lion run with three straight kills. Penn State got within four, 17-13, but it was too little too late.
Two more kills from Jackson increased her total to 11 and extended Nebraska’s lead to 21-16. A back-row attack from Murray gave the Huskers full control, 23-17, before two service errors gave Nebraska a 2-0 set advantage.
The Huskers hit at a .400 clip in the second set while holding the Nittany Lions to .098. Jackson continued her error-free night through two frames.
Set Three
Both sides traded points early in the third set as neither built more than a one-point advantage. Allick finally put Nebraska in control of the set with three straight kills to give her squad a 10-8 lead.
Jurevicius didn’t allow the deficit to grow any further. She fired a kill and combined on a block to help the Nittany Lions retake the lead, 11-10. Mruzik kept the momentum going and Hannah punctuated a 5-0 Penn State run with a service ace.
On the following rally, Lexi Rodriguez tied Nebraska’s all-time digs record before Murray ended the run with a powerful kill.
The Nittany Lions wouldn’t go away, though. Two straight kills from Mruzik extended Penn State’s advantage to 15-11. Jackson and Murray traded attacks to help Nebraska climb back into the set but the Nittany Lions held on to a two-point buffer.
A service ace that fell just short of the end line gave Penn State a 19-15 advantage, and after an attack error from Landfair, John Cook opted to call a timeout.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Shane Gillis
Actor named CGD picker
- 2
Carson Beck
Latest on Georgia QB status for Sugar Bowl
- 3
Nick Saban
Questioning sustainability of NIL, unlimited transfers
- 4
Steve Sarkisian
Texas HC rips Vandy QB ruling
- 5Hot
Kiper offers Ewers advice
Hit the portal or light up CFP
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
Landfair responded out of the break with her seventh kill and Allick notched Nebraska’s first block of the set. A Penn State service error made it 21-19 before Murray pulled the Huskers within one. The Nittany Lions called a timeout after watching their four-point advantage shrink in the blink of an eye.
Back-to-back attack errors, including Jackson’s first of the night, put Penn State up 23-20. Jackson responded immediately with another kill and a block, but Jurevicius gave the Nittany Lions set point with her 16th kill. A Murray attack error gave Penn State its first set win of the night.
Set Four
Penn State took early control of the fourth set. The Nittany Lions built an 8-4 lead with multiple hitters getting in on the action.
Just when they began to pull away, two straight errors and a Murray tip put Nebraska back within one. Allick kept the momentum rolling with a kill and her eighth block before a Jurevicius attack error tied the set 11-11.
Penn State responded with a 3-0 run highlighted by a solo stuff from Jordan Hopp, forcing a Nebraska timeout. Murray came out of the break on fire with back-to-back aces to tie the set at 15-15.
A Penn State swing went long before Murray completely took over the set. She tallied yet another ace and followed with a kill to give Nebraska an 18-15 lead. A 6-0 run gave Nebraska full control.
Penn State took its final timeout when the Huskers took a 20-16 lead. It was all Nittany Lions from there on out. They battled back within two after two Nebraska errors, 22-20, before Harper Murray ended a 4-0 run with a back-row attack.
Allick fired a kill to give the Huskers match point, but two straight kills from Mruzik and Jurevicius tied the set 24-24. An ace gave the Nittany Lions set point before Mruzik sent a hit wide to tie it up once again.
Both sides traded points before Mruzik and Hannah, despite facing match point twice, sent it to a fifth set. Nebraska hit .135 in the fourth frame with a match-high seven errors.
Set Five
Penn State kept its momentum rolling in the final set. Mruzik and Jurevicius remained in full control and multiple Husker errors did Nebraska no favors.
After a timeout, Murray ended a 3-0 Nittany Lion run but Mruzik answered with two more kills, giving Penn State a 7-4 lead.
Mauch sent a serve long to give the Nittany Lions a 9-6 lead, but Allick and Murray answered to pull Nebraska within one.
Mruzik continued to dominate, as two more kills sparked a 3-0 Penn State run. Trailing 12-8, Nebraska called its final timeout. Beason came out of the break with a kill, before Murray and Jackson combined on a block to give Nebraska a heartbeat.
Murray fired a kill to pull Nebraska within two before Penn State reached match point. Kennedi Orr notched a service ace, but Hannah finished off the reverse sweep with a kill, advancing Penn State to the National Championship.
