Penn State women’s volleyball had a lot of momentum on its side heading into its match against UCLA last Sunday. It had won three consecutive matches and ended its four-match losing streak against ranked opponents with a win over USC. However, that momentum ended with another loss at Rec Hall against the Bruins, and now things won’t get any easier for the Nittany Lions.

A highly anticipated showdown against No. 1 Nebraska looms for Penn State on Friday before it hits the road for the first time since September 1 to take on Maryland.

The Cornhuskers have been dominant this season, remaining undefeated through 12 matches. They have beaten five ranked opponents and swept the opposition eight times out of 12.

Leading the way for Nebraska is middle blocker Andi Jackson, who leads the team with 96 kills and has the second-most blocks with 41, only behind Rebekah Allick, who has 45.

Last season, the Nittany Lions had the Cornhuskers’ number as they defeated them in their regular season to win a share of the Big Ten, and in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Now, Nebraska will look much different as former Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly succeeds former Nebraska coach, Jeff Cook, who retired at the end of last season.

Despite the change in head coaching, Penn State assistant coach Megan Hodge Easy knows that the identity that has made Nebraska one of the best volleyball programs in the country remains.

“It’s kind of different with [Cook] not being there, but [Busboom Kelly] is just as much of Nebraska,” Hodge Easy said. “I think the undercurrent [and] tenets of the program are still the same because [Busboom Kelly] played for [Cook], worked with him, so she’s carrying over a lot of the same things that he did.”

Consistency continues to be a huge problem for the Nittany Lions this season. After starting the season as the No. 2 team in the country, they have fallen 14 spots in the rankings. However, Penn State has shown glimpses of its potential despite the struggles this season, as it has beaten three ranked opponents, including a sweep over now No. 15 Creighton.

For that reason, libero Ava Falduto isn’t bothered by the fact that no one is giving Penn State a chance to pull off the upset over Nebraska.

“I think it’s fueling us more. I could speak for myself that it’s definitely fueling me more, but I can tell by my teammates [that] we’re ready to work,” Falduto said. “I’m also really excited for the crowd on Friday. It’s going to be a really great environment.”

Leading the way for the Nittany Lions is right-side hitter Kennedy Martin, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week this week. She leads the Big Ten in kills with 225 and is second in the country in kills per set with 5.23.

Despite that, the team has struggled to back her up, as only one player on the Nittany Lions has triple-digit kills this season, Emmi Sellman, with 113. Martin had a career-high 34 kills against UCLA, but it wasn’t enough.

“I do think, as a whole, we need to have more consistency from our entire group, and find ways to score in other ways,” Hodge Easy said. “I think we have a lot of trust in [Martin]. I think we could do a better job as a team backing her up, but we know that she’s got us, and we’ve got her,” Falduto said.

After the loss to UCLA, Penn State is focused on making improvements ahead of the showdown against Nebraska. Due to its struggles this season, it knows that it can make a huge statement to the country if it can pull off the massive upset against the Cornhuskers.

Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley acknowledged after the UCLA match that this is a big matchup, but echoed that every match in the Big Ten is important, including Maryland, which is 7-5 and unranked.

“They’re all massive for me, every single one. I think every match is important, has the same value, and we need to understand that,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “It’s really hard to win in the [Big Ten]. There are short windows of time when you can score points and close out a set, and you have to be able to do that. There are things that we need to work on and be better, but we’re excited to move on to the next, but learn from [the UCLA match] and start preparing.”