It was a quiet night in Rec Hall for No. 16 Penn State volleyball fans. No. 1 Nebraska went on the road with a mission and a grudge, and it not only played like it, it dominated. The Cornhuskers (13-0, 3-0 Big Ten) swept the Nittany Lions (7-6, 1-2 Big Ten) in Happy Valley without stepping off the gas once.
Nebraska took the first set on Friday night 25-6, obliterating every aspect of Penn State's game. It outperformed the Nittany Lions on their home court on the service line, on serve-receive, on offensive distribution, up at the net blocking, on the attack, on back row defense, and in terms of drive. When Penn State came out with the first two points to open the game, it looked like it was going to be a close battle, but as soon as Nebraska was back at the service line, the Cornhuskers quickly and easily pulled away.
The first set was an embarrassing showing for Penn State, and even though it came out to put up 15 points in the second set, it had no way of stopping the bleeding that Nebraska caused. It was the most points the Nittany Lions scored in a set all night, only accumulating 13 in the third. After losing both matches in 2024 to the blue and white, Nebraska wouldn't allow that streak to continue. It's now 8-2 against Penn State, those two losses staying tucked and locked away in the previous season.
Still, that third set was the most grit and push head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley's team had. Right side hitter Kennedy Martin logged two aces against a pristine team of Cornhuskers. Before that, Gabrielle Nichols stuffed Harper Murray's attack attempt. Martin offered another point on a kill and Maggie Mendelson putting a ball down on an overpass. Despite more players getting involved offensively and Martin offering a much-needed spark, it was much too late for Penn State to have a genuine fighting chance. After the two aces, it was 22-12 in favor of Nebraska in set three. The match was well beyond reach for the Nittany Lions to grasp.
Mendelson, Emmi Sellman, Jordan Hopp, Caroline Jurevicius, and Alexis Ewing all had chances to get rolling offensively. It wasn't their approach, at times it wasn't even the defense. It came down to the Cornhuskers being the more polished, disciplined, and focused team. Never once did they have to scramble out of fearful desperation. If there was hustle, it was desperation to put the game away as soon as possible. On top of that, setter Bergen Reilly had better chemistry with her hitters and gave them chances to immediately bounce back after an attack error. She distributed the offense better on her side of the court while Penn State setter Addie Lyon only had one option, Martin, who offered something at least adjacent to consistency.
Simply put, the Cornhuskers were the better team by a long shot. The blue and white aren't the same team it was in 2024 and it hasn't found a way to overcome that. The sloppiness persists and if it can't withstand competing against top ranked teams, even if it loses, there's no other way the season can turn around. In the preseason, Friday night was a No. 1 v. No 2 match. Once the night rolled around, it was evidently a No. 1 v. a potentially unranked team.
The Nittany Lions will have to bounce back in order to remain up in the rankings. They have Maryland and No. 7 Wisconsin upcoming. A win over the Badgers, especially, is necessary.