Penn State vs. Nebraska: A Storied Rivalry in NCAA Volleyball
The clash between Penn State and Nebraska is more than just a volleyball game; it's a meeting of two powerhouses, a collision of "freight trains" vying for another banner to hang in the rafters. Dating back to 1981, these two schools have forged a remarkable history, characterized by streaks, drama, and a lasting impact on the sport. Their encounters are often pivotal, shaping seasons and defining legacies.
A History of Battles: Streaks and Turning Points
As of their meeting in October, the series stands at 29-13 in favor of Nebraska. The Cornhuskers’ consistency was brought to the rivalry after joining the Big Ten in 2011, prior to which only a handful of matches occurred throughout the 2000s. Before their first Big Ten meeting in 2015, the Nittany Lions held a 4-3 advantage in conference play over four seasons against Nebraska.
One notable early encounter occurred in the 2017 Final Four, where Penn State reached the Final Four for the fourth time in six years. Penn State took the first two sets and would conquer the Cornhuskers in four thanks to Lauren Cacciamani and Christy Cochran, who tallied 20 and 19 kills, respectively.
Sandwiched in the middle of Penn State’s NCAA volleyball-record 109-match winning streak was possibly the most unforgettable match in this rivalry. The Cornhuskers came storming back behind a sell-out crowd in Omaha to hammer the Nittany Lions 25-15 in the third set - Penn State’s first loss in a set all season.
In 2015, Penn State was undefeated, having dropped just two sets in 13 matches that consisted of a number of ranked opponents. The wheels fell off for Penn State that night against the Cornhuskers and the Nittany Lions never quite looked the same as they dropped five more matches on the year on the way to a Sweet 16 exit against Hawaii.
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The 2016 NCAA Tournament meeting served as a potential turning point for Penn State. In between these two games, Nebraska took down Penn State three times, including two sweeps. Yet Penn State was still seeded, competing for a spot in the regional finals, and somehow playing a match point against No. 1 Nebraska. Having battled through two tough sets, the Nittany Lions held a 2-0 lead and had a 24-22 advantage in the third set. The ball made its way over to the lethal Simone Lee, but the Penn State star knocked her potential match-winner into the Nebraska block.
Nebraska won the only meeting between the two in 2017 - a convincing sweep in Rec Hall.
The 42nd all-time meeting between Nebraska and Penn State didn’t carry the same stakes as the previous edition when the Nittany Lions stormed back to stun the Huskers en route to winning the national championship.
The 2024 Season: A Recent Chapter
In their recent match, No. 1 Nebraska shut down No. 16 Penn State in a commanding sweep, 3-0. Penn State opened up play with the first two points in set one, fueling the rowdy Nittany Lion fans. Penn State put up more of a fight in the second, but Nebraska prevailed, 25-15. The Huskers held the Penn State offense to -.141 and .031 hitting in the first and second sets. Efficiency was the name of the game for the Nebraska Huskers. The balanced Husker team featured jaw-dropping back-court defensive plays from Olivia Mauch and digs by middle Andi Jackson. Nebraska jumped to a 2-0 lead after taking set two, 25-15 over Penn State. Rebekah Allick led the Husker offense with seven kills on a .667 clip. After falling in a 0-2 deficit to open up play, Nebraska took control and shutdown Penn State, 25-6. Nebraska led 1-0 headed into set two. Big Red held a 17-5 advantage over Penn State entering the Nittany Lions' second timeout. At the Penn State timeout, Nebraska led set one 8-3.
In a Tuesday media session, Nebraska captains Bergen Reilly and Rebekah Allick each acknowledged the past can provide motivation, but it’s the present Nittany Lions the Huskers will need to deal with Friday in front of a sold-out crowd at Rec Hall.
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“I’m not one to shy away from the elephant in the room. I think as long as we keep it light-hearted, it’ll be a really fun week,” said Allick.
“Not to dwell on (the Final Four) loss, but appreciate the rivalry and use it as fuel.”
No one had a closer witness to how close Nebraska came to victory than Reilly and Allick. With Nebraska's 22-16 lead in the fourth set all but gone, NU still had a match point to advance to the NCAA final. Reilly set Allick for a middle attack, but the two didn't connect cleanly. Allick could only tip the ball, which Penn State saved and turned into a point en route to eventually dashing the Huskers' title hopes with a five-set win.
Current Team Dynamics and Key Players
The Nittany Lions are weathering the graduation of last year's leading hitters Jess Mruzik and Camryn Hannah, plus the stunning departure of setter Izzy Starck in early September, and sit at 7-5. A Penn State win would be the tentpole victory in what’s felt like a rocky start to the season, which most recently saw Penn State lose at home to UCLA last weekend despite 34 kills from Florida transfer opposite hitter Kennedy Martin. For Nebraska, a win would keep the nation’s No. 1 team unbeaten going into a stretch of the schedule that’s critical to the Huskers’ Big Ten title hopes, with five matches out of six being played away from John Cook Arena.It would also cleanse the palate of the Husker veterans whose only losses last season came to the Nittany Lions, each denying them a coveted prize.
Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly said it's a "chip-on-the-shoulder week" in preparation for Penn State.
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These were the kinds of matches she came to Lincoln to coach in. And for a Husker team that can have a tendency to play with its food against lesser-perceived opponents, Penn State uniforms immediately seem to bring Nebraska an additional layer of focus and motivation.
“Kind of like chip-on-your-shoulder week. We know that we’re going to have to play really well to go in there to beat them,” Busboom Kelly said. “I know it’s sold out and it’s one of the toughest places to play, if not the toughest, in the conference. So it’s going to be a challenge. But I do think this (Nebraska) team, Penn State or not, this team is kind of ready for another challenge and ready for something to really have our sights set on.”
The Nittany Lions dropped one spot to No. 16 after their loss to UCLA, but will be the fifth ranked opponent Nebraska has played this season. The Huskers haven’t lost yet, but still seem to be searching for their peak. Teams respect Nebraska for their performances so far. A complete match could make future opponents fear them.
Kennedy Martin is a talented enough player to carry most teams to a victory, but, as evidenced by last week, she still needs some help. Martin, the Big Ten Player of the Week, averaged seven kills per set as the Nittany Lions held off USC and dropped a tight four-setter to UCLA. Penn State opposite hitter Kennedy Martin leads the Big Ten at more than 5 kills per set this season. She took 132 combined swings in the two matches, an average of 14.67 attacks per set. That’s among the national leaders in use rate. For context, Nebraska’s leading hitter, Harper Murray, averages less than nine swings per set.
If you’re going to be a one-trick pony, Martin is a heck of a workhorse to ask to do it. But, Penn State Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley would love if one of her other pin hitters could join the party. Ohio State transfer Emmi Sellman, despite a solid all-around game, has not yet produced offensively the way Nittany Lions’ fans undoubtedly hoped. She’s gotten kills on only 32.5 percent of her swings. An elite outside hitter should be killing the ball at least 40 percent of the time. Nebraska fans are all too familiar with Caroline Jurevicius’s ability to go off against NU. The former Husker was moved to outside hitter after Martin joined Penn State this spring, and is hitting just .192. But we’ll see on Friday if the sight of Nebraska jerseys makes Jurevicius see red again. In two meetings vs. the Huskers last season, she tortured her former team with 38 kills and hit .338, killing the ball 12 percent more against Nebraska than her season average.
Nebraska’s middle blocker attacking is among the best in the nation, but tight matches against great competition usually boil down to who can kill balls on the outside. Murray is hitting a career-best .288 this season, but the Huskers need either Taylor Landfair or freshman opposite Virginia Adriano (preferably both) to produce, too, to keep the Nittany Lions’ blockers from camping out on the Husker middles. Landfair is putting away kills at a 40 percent rate, but she hasn’t taken over a big match yet. Adriano had a string of four straight matches hitting at least .300 before putting up four kills and three errors on Saturday against Maryland.
Each team needs a supporting player to produce to get something out of their weakest offensive rotations. Adriano is in the front row in Nebraska’s Rotation 3, where the Huskers’ .208 attacking efficiency is 17 points lower than its next-lowest rotation. A strong match from Taylor Landfair would boost Nebraska's chances of winning at Rec Hall on Friday. Penn State, which doesn’t reach .300 attacking in any rotation, has struggled most in Rotation 6 (.202) with two former Huskers, Jurevicius and middle blocker Maggie Mendelson, joining setter Addie Lyon in the front row. Though the Nittany Lions counter by setting Martin anywhere, anytime she’s on the court. She’s in the back row in Rotations 4-6.
Blocking and Defense: A Crucial Aspect
Penn State is playing opponents this year to a draw in the serving game. The Nittany Lions have a 46.4 percent Good Pass Percentage. Their opponents are at 46.5 percent. Nebraska’s out-passing their opponents 52 percent to 45, but have also won matches in which its been out-passed significantly.
Penn State is not playing at its traditionally elite defensive level. The Nittany Lions are 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage (.230). Nebraska leads the nation in the category, allowing opponents to hit just .119. One other indicator of Nebraska’s defensive success is that the Huskers lead the Big Ten in Good Block Touch Percentage (GT%), which is the percentage of opponent attacks that Nebraska either stuffs for a point or gets a block touch on that leads to a controlled dig. Essentially, how frequently can you turn an opponent’s attack into your own offense? Nebraska’s 53.9 percent GT% is tops in the conference by a considerable margin. Wisconsin is second at 52.2 percent. Penn State’s GT% of 45.7 percent also ranks 17th in the conference. Nebraska's blocking is going to need to produce transition opportunities vs. Penn State.
Penn State's 2024 Season at a Glance
No. 25 Penn State women's volleyball closed the regular season with pair of road matches against Big Ten opponents. The Nittany Lions played at No. Both matches aired live on B1G Network.
The Nittany Lions were coming off a three-match winning streak, posting a five-set victory over Ohio State and 3-0 sweeps over Michigan State and Maryland. Friday’s match was Penn State’s 13th against teams in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll and 13th against teams currently in the top 25 of the RPI.
Penn State is 13-29 in the all-time series with Nebraska. The teams first played in 1981. The Nittany Lions have won two of the past three matches with Nebraska, beating the Cornhuskers twice last season. The first was by a 3-1 score at Rec Hall to clinch a share of the program’s 18th Big Ten title. Caroline Jurevicius had her best match of the season in the win, hitting .414 with 18 kills and two blocks. Maggie Mendelson contributed eight kills and six blocks. Penn State’s second win over Nebraska last season came in one of the most memorable matches in NCAA Tournament history. The Nittany Lions trailed 2-0 in the match and then later fell behind 22-16 in the fourth set before rallying for a 3-2 win in the NCAA National Semifinal. Caroline Jurevicius hit .286 with 20 kills and four blocks in the win. Gillian Grimes racked up 25 digs and just missed a double-double with nine assists. Following the win over Nebraska, Penn State went on to beat Louisville 3-1 to win the National Championship.
Nebraska's 2024 Season at a Glance
Nebraska is unbeaten at 28-0 overall and 18-0 in the Big Ten after sweeping Iowa and No.
Iowa's 2024 Season at a Glance
Iowa is 14-16 overall and 5-13 in the Big Ten following 3-0 losses to No. 1 Nebraska and No. 10 Wisconsin last week. Claire Ammeraal ranks second in the Big Ten in total assists (1,106).
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