Nebraska volleyball sweeps No. 25 Penn State in blackout match
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (29-0, 19-0) made quick work of No. 25 Penn State (17-12, 11-8), taking it down in straight sets (25-14, 25-11, 25-14) to continue its undefeated season. Last year on Black Friday, the Nittany Lions beat the Huskers to take a share of the Big Ten Championship. With the Bob Devaney Sports Center draped in black, Dani Busboom Kelly’s squad, the 2025 outright Big Ten Champions, amended that loss.
Nebraska’s suffocating defense led the way. The Huskers forced Penn State to hit a rough .011 percentage with over 20 attacking errors.
Nebraska’s offense also put together a good showing, but it was nowhere near its peak. NU’s attack hit .385 and only hit over .400 in the first set.
Harper Murray led the team with 11 kills in the match. The junior hit .476 while also posting four blocks and seven digs. Rebekah Allick added nine kills and hit a game-high .750. Kennedy Martin led the Nittany Lions with 11 kills, but only hit .094.
The Huskers’ dynamic but volatile serving also made a mark on the game. Nebraska posted seven aces, but also made seven service errors.
Set 1: Huskers shoot out of the gate
Just like in its last matchup with Penn State, Nebraska set the tone in the opening set. The Huskers pulled away behind a 12-4 run en route to a 25-14 victory.
The Nittany Lions forced a couple of long rallies early in the set. However, Nebraska consistently came out on top, getting the crowd at Devaney off its feet and giving the Scarlet and Cream momentum.
The Huskers used that momentum to build a larger lead later in the set. Nebraska’s offense led the way as it posted a .452 hitting percentage and only a single attacking error. Murray recorded five kills in the set, hitting .556.
The Scarlet and Cream’s stalwart defense also shone. The Huskers limited Penn State to a .111 hitting percentage and forced the Nittany Lions into seven attacking errors in the set.
Set 2: Nebraska’s defense shuts down Nittany Lions
The Huskers built off their strong opening set with an even stronger second set. Nebraska utterly dominated Penn State, taking it down 25-11.
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The Nittany Lions struggled to hit through the Huskers’ block. Penn State recorded a -.190 hitting percentage in the set, the second-lowest any Nebraska opponent has hit in a set this season. The lowest total also belongs to the Nittany Lions, who hit -.250 in the third set of the Huskers’ dominant sweep on Oct. 3.
Nebraska’s electric service also propelled it to a dominant set win. Virginia Adriano and Bergen Reilly both had back-to-back aces in the set. The combination of unimpentrable defense and strong serving helped the Huskers go on an 8-0 run, their longest of the season.
Set 3: Nebraska keeps foot on the gas
Fueled by last season’s losses, Nebraska made sure to give Penn State no room to come back into this match. The Huskers put together another solid set, finishing the match with a 25-14 win.
Nebraska’s offense began to sputter in the final set. The Huskers only posted a .333 clip, their lowest of the match.
However, that didn’t matter, as Nebraska’s defense continued to fluster the Nittany Lions. Penn State failed to find a rhythm on offense, hitting .027 in the set.
Nebraska will turn around and face Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 8:00 p.m. CT, as it looks to cap off an undefeated regular season. If the Huskers defeat the Buckeyes, they would complete their third undefeated regular season in school history and first since 2000. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
