Nearly 7,000 Penn State women’s volleyball fans piled into Rec Hall Friday night to watch a top-25 matchup between the No. 16 Nittany Lions and No. 1 Nebraska.

With the full capacity crowd looking on, the Nittany Lions nearly pulled off a stunning win over the national leader, but after taking the Cornhuskers to five sets, ultimately lost 3-2. 

“I want to thank everyone that made this such a special night,” head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said after the match. “It was a great environment, and you can’t ask for anything better than that.”

The crowd wasn’t the only positive that Schumacher-Cawley saw during this game, and she noted the way her team competed against a powerhouse like Nebraska.  

“That’s a very good team. I’m proud of the way our team fought, but not the way we wanted it to end,” she said. “Our setters and Mac [Podraza] did a good job finding ways to score, and that was something we were working on. I like to see our players take big swings, and I’m proud of the way they did that.”

Penn State took another tight 3-2 loss Sunday to No. 19 Purdue, its second loss to the Boilermakers in the last two weeks. It was also the Nittany Lions’ fifth loss in its last seven games. 

While the White Out crowd certainly aided the Nittany Lions, the players on the court were the reason for the team’s success against the Cornhuskers.

“We passed well, and when we pass well, we can score,” Schumacher-Cawley said.

The group also had 17 blocks, compared to Nebraska’s nine. 

Still, service errors were a point of weakness Friday night, highlighting areas in need of improvement ahead of Penn State’s battle with Wisconsin, a team that’s only surrendered one set since its loss to Nebraska two weeks ago.

“We need to find a way to stop the runs of points,” she said. 

In a “relentless” conference, according to Schumacher-Cawley, Big Ten play leaves no time to reflect on losses in a jam-packed schedule.

Now, Penn State is upset-minded again and shooting for its first conference victory in two weeks. Following a duel with Michigan on Friday, the blue and white will host No. 2 Wisconsin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. The Badgers’ only loss of the season came to Nebraska in five sets on October 21. 

With plenty on the line and a massive matchup days away, little has changed in the mindsets of the Nittany Lions after taking Nebraska to five sets.

“We set a standard for ourselves that we’re never going to forget, and hope that we pull that through next week,” middle blocker Taylor Trammell said.