Nebraska volleyball sweeps Penn State in revenge match
Last season, Nebraska volleyball fell one game short of the national championship after getting reverse-swept by eventual national champion Penn State. However, the Huskers (13-0, 3-0) got sweet revenge and swept the Nittany Lions (7-6, 1-2) to amend last season’s loss in their first conference road game of the season (25-6, 25-15, 25-13).
Nebraska obviously had last year’s crushing loss on its mind as it ran Penn State into the ground. Dani Busboom Kelly, who lost to the Nittany Lions in last year’s national championship while at Louisville, and her team gave them no chance for another reverse sweep.
The Huskers had an all-around dominant match. The Scarlet and Cream hit .437, while limiting Penn State to a -.114 percentage. Nebraska’s defense had nine blocks and forced the Nittany Lions into 26 total hitting errors.
After a career game against Maryland, Rebekah Allick led the team with nine kills and hit .615, while adding four blocks. Virginia Adriano added eight kills and recorded a .545 clip.
Florida transfer Kennedy Martin led Penn State with 11 kills while hitting .182.
Set 1: Absolute domination
Nebraska didn’t just win the first set. It set the tone for the rest of the match. The Huskers shot right out of the gate with a nearly flawless first set, defeating Penn State 25-6.
The Nittany Lions opened up with a quick 2-0 lead, but the Huskers answered with a 15-2 scoring run to quickly quell Penn State. From there, the floodgates were opened.
Nebraska volleyball spread the love on offense with six players recording at least two kills. Allick had three in the first set, along with a block. The Huskers hit .583 in the set with only one attacking error.
Nebraska’s stalwart defense also limited the Nittany Lions to a -.167 hitting percentage. Penn State had eight attacking errors in the set, compared to four total kills.
Set 2: Huskers keep on rolling
The Nittany Lions may have eclipsed their point total from set one, but Nebraska still beat them convincingly in set two. The Huskers’ attack kept at their absurd pace from the first set, en route to a 25-15 win.
Nebraska took a 13-5 lead midway through the set. In that span, the Huskers recorded an unreal .800 clip while still keeping Penn State’s hitting percentage in the negatives.
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Nebraska’s attack cooled off a bit but continued to roll. The Huskers hit .440 in the set as Allick added four kills to her total and Adriano kept piling it on. The former Italian pro had six kills and a .714 hitting percentage through two sets.
Although the Nittany Lions had a better second set hitting-wise, with a .031 clip, Nebraska still held it to -.050 through two sets.
Set 3: Nebraska slams the door
The Huskers left no room for a reverse sweep this time. Nebraska slammed the door on the match with a decisive 25-13 win.
After two demoralizing sets, Penn State struggled to get anything going. Although the Huskers’ attack had its worst set, Penn State also had its worst offensive set. The Nittany Lions’ hitting percentage dipped as low as -.294 in the set.
Nebraska volleyball hit a respectable .273 in the set, and Penn State finished another set with a negative clip, this time at -.250, their worst mark of the match.
The Huskers will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6:00 p.m. CT against Rutgers. Catch the match on B1G+.
