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Home US News Kentucky Penn State overcomes 2-set deficit to triumph over Nebraska in NCAA volleyball, set to face Louisville in the final.

Penn State overcomes 2-set deficit to triumph over Nebraska in NCAA volleyball, set to face Louisville in the final.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In an exhilarating semifinal match for the NCAA volleyball championship, Jess Mruzik led the charge for Penn State with 26 kills, while Caroline Jurevicius contributed 20 kills as the Nittany Lions staged a remarkable comeback against Nebraska, overcoming a two-set deficit to win in five sets early Friday. This victory propels Penn State into the championship match where they will face the host team, Louisville, who secured their own spot by defeating the top overall seed, Pitt, 3-1 in the first semifinal.

The upcoming final marks a historic moment as it will feature two female head coaches; Katie Schumacher-Cawley for Penn State and Dani Busboom-Kelly for Louisville. The Nittany Lions, boasting a 34-2 record, had to dig deep for their 11th straight win after losing the first two sets 25-23 and 25-18. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, they clawed their way back by winning the next two sets 25-23 and 28-26, even fending off multiple match points in a nail-biting fourth set, which ultimately led to a decisive fifth set where they triumphed 15-13 in front of a record-setting crowd of 21,726 fans, predominantly clad in red.

“I thought we were making one too many errors and we didn’t look too confident,” said Schumacher-Cawley. “We came out after that and focused on our serve, our serve-pass game got better and we found ways to score defensively… We were just scrapping for every point we could get.” The match concluded with a kill from Camryn Hannah, assisted by Izzy Starck, igniting celebrations after a lengthy contest.

Nebraska’s performance saw Harper Murray and Andi Jackson contributing significantly with 20 and 19 kills, respectively. The Cornhuskers, with a record of 33-3, aimed to return to the championship following their runner-up finish last year, yet faced formidable resistance. Having won five consecutive matches leading up to this semifinal, including a 3-0 sweep against Wisconsin in the regional final, Nebraska was eager for their first championship title since 2017. However, coach John Cook acknowledged, “I thought we put ’em away in game four and they found a way to win that game and carry a lot of momentum into game five. Tremendous performance by Jess. She hit some shots we had no answer for.”

Mruzik made her mark on the match, accumulating 27.5 points from 70 attacks. Starck played a pivotal role, providing 56 assists, while Gillian Grimes made significant contributions on defense with 25 digs for Penn State.

In a parallel storyline, Louisville advanced to their second NCAA volleyball championship in three years after overcoming Pitt. Despite losing the opening set 25-21, the Cardinals fought back to take the next three sets 25-23, 29-27, and 25-17, with Anna DeBeer contributing 14 kills before exiting due to an ankle injury. Payton Peterson stepped up in DeBeer’s absence, delivering consecutive aces during the match. Notably, All-American Olivia Babcock stood out for Pitt with 33 kills.

The Nebraska-Penn State match was tightly contested from the start, featuring 10 ties and six lead changes. The Cornhuskers showcased their determination by overturning a 23-21 deficit in the first set, thanks to a flurry of points led by Jackson and Beason. Following that set, Nebraska pulled ahead in the second with a 5-0 run that set them up for a comfortable victory, only to see Penn State rebound with unwavering tenacity.