After two sets, Nebraska looked poised to move into the national finals. But Penn State bounced back, won the final three sets, and pushed their way into the national finals with a 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13, Thursday night in Louisville, Ky. The win pushes the Nittany Lions into the national championship match against the home team, Louisville, which upset Pitt earlier Thursday, and ensures that a female head coach will win college volleyball’s national championship for the first time in the sport’s history.
But for the Huskers, it means a disappointing end to an otherwise great season. After reaching finishing as national runner-ups last year, much was expected from Nebraska, and until Thursday, they’d delivered.
Early on Thursday, it looked like the national semi would be more of the same. In two easy set wins, Nebraska had outblocked Penn State, 9-2, and committed three service errors to PSU’s seven. Set three got away from the Huskers during a run in which the Nittany Lions scored five straight points and seven out of eight.
But the fourth set will be the one that stings the most. Nebraska seemingly had the set locked up after a stretch in which it won 10 of 11 rallies. After a PSU service error, Harper Murray served three aces and notched a kill in a five-point run. After a service error by Murray, Nebraska ran four more points including two blocks to build a 22-16 lead. But Penn State won 11 of the last 15 rallies to win set four and seize momentum in the match. In set five, PSU held a three-point lead through most of it and clinched the victory.
Murray was magnificent in defeat for Nebraska with 20 kills, 15 digs and six blocks. Andi Jackson hit a surgical .630 with 19 kills on 21 swings. Taylor Landfair pitched in 10 kills, while Rebekah Allick added eight kills and 10 blocks. Jess Mruzik led Penn State with 26 kills, Caroline Jurevicius, a former Husker, notched 20 kills and Camryn Hannan added 16. Nebraska outhit the Nittany Lions, .262-242, outblocked them, 15-10, and despite scoring one fewer ace, 7-6, had just seven service errors to 14 by the Lions. But none of it added up to a Husker victory, and NU ended its season two wins shy of its stated goal: a national championship.
Nebraska ends its season in the final four and will deal with the loss of a talented senior class, including four-time All-American libero Lexi Rodriguez, outside hitter Merritt Beason and middle blocker Rebekah Allick, among others.