No. 16 Penn State Women’s Volleyball Swept By No. 1 Nebraska In Big Ten Matchup
No. 16 Penn State (9-4, 1-2 Big Ten) was swept by No. 1 Nebraska (14-0, 3-0 Big Ten), 3-0 on Thursday night.
Harper Murray led the way for Nebraska with 13 kills, with Andi Jackson following with 11 kills and seven blocks. Bergen Reilly had 33 assists and 15 digs.
Despite the loss, Kennedy Martin led all hitters with 18 kills, and Whitney Lauenstein had 13. Alexis Stucky dished out 33 assists.
How It Happened:
Penn State opened set one with a service error, which opened the door for Andi Jackson and Virginia Adriano to team up for the block. Adriano tacked on a kill for an early 3-0 lead.
Whitney Lauenstein touched fingertips to put the Nittany Lions on the board, but Jackson threw to the backline to swing possession back to the Cornhuskers.
Jackson then teamed up with Harper Murray for another block, and after a Nittany Lion attack error, Penn State called a timeout, trailing 1-7.
Kennedy Martin swung off the block, and Emmi Sellman followed in suite. Teraya Sigler delivered from the back row, and Emmi Sellman responded with her second kill of the night.
Bergen Reilly connected with Jackson for a slide, then teamed up with Manaia Ogbechie for a block.
After a rally full of out-of-system balls, Kendall Northern tipped out of the middle, and Alexis Stucky sent over a quick ball.
Adriano’s swing ricocheted out of bounds, and a Nebraska challenge resulted in Murray’s first kill. Lauenstein drilled a ball to the back row, and followed with a kill off the block to set the score at 12-9.
Points were traded back and forth down the back half of the set, Murray swinging deep and Lauenstein found her fourth kill with another swing off the block.
Jackson rose out of the middle and placed a ball on the ten-foot line before Martin changed her attack speed to drop in a tip. A Murray kill sent Nebraska into the media timeout with a 15-11 lead.
Sigler notched a kill out of the break, but Martin responded with a swing from the right side. A joust at the net resulted in a Cornhusker point, but two Nebraska attack errors had the Nittany Lions trailing by four.
Murray hammered a kill from the back row, and Northern responded off the slide from Stucky.
Both sides committed errors before Lauenstein stuffed the right side attack. Lauenstein powered off the block, forcing a Nebraska timeout with a one-point lead, 19-18.
Ogbechie notched a kill before Stucky delivered a sneaky dump over her back shoulder. Jackson found the back corner for the 21-19 advantage, but Lauenstein kept working the block.
A Nittany Lion service error and a Murray ace gave Nebraska set point, and a Sigler kill gave the Cornhuskers the 25-20 win.
Martin soared out of the back row to kick off set two, and Gabrielle Nichols tag-teamed with Lauenstein for the stuff. Lauenstein didn’t shy away from swinging off the Nebraska block, giving Penn State an early 2-0 lead. Adriano broke the run with a kill, but Nichols connected with Stucky to keep the lead.
Jackson took over the early points of the set, recording two kills and teaming up with Reilly and Murray for back-to-back blocks to erase the Nittany Lion lead.
Sellman swung cross-court, and Martin followed, drilling the ball in front of Nebraska’s back-row defense. Both teams exchanged service errors before Jackson dropped down a dink.
Sigler brought down the hammer from the outside, but Martin delivered in return. Lauenstein and Northern rose for the block to tie the set at 9-9.
Ogbechie ended a lengthy rally with a kill, but Northern swung through the block to keep the score knotted.
Ogbechie and Adriano each found the floor, and the Cornhuskers extended their lead to 13-10 after a Nittany Lion attack error. Martin continued her success from the back row before Murray slammed a ball down the line, and a service ace from Olivia Mauch gave Nebraska the 15-11 lead at the media break.
Martin earned her ninth kill of the match, but Adriano returned the favor, finding her fifth kill. Martin reached double digits on a hefty swing from the right side before Murray dropped in a kill for the 17-14 Nebraska advantage.
Sigler brought home two massive kills for the Cornhuskers, breaking the 20-point mark, and Murray’s swing forced a Penn State timeout, Nebraska leading 22-14.
Martin found open court and Lauenstein tipped over the block. Sigler snuck in a kill before Lauenstein delivered once again. A chaotic rally ended in a Nebraska point after miscommunication on Penn State’s side of the net, and an Ogbechie-Murray block closed out set two, giving the Cornhuskers the 25-17 set win and 2-0 match advantage.
Ogbechie scored the first point of set three, before Stucky sent over a quick dump and delivered two service aces for the 3-1 lead.
Jackson landed a roll shot, and Murray swung off the block to tie the set at 3-3. Laney Choboy’s ace sparked a lead for the Cornhuskers, and Reilly and Jackson combined for the block.
Back-and-forth rallies had both squads delivering for their respective teams. Martin hit a sharp four-to-four shot before Sigler found her eighth kill.
Martin and Jackson traded swings, and Finley Krystkowiak registered a kill on her first swing of the night. Reilly dumped to the 10-foot line, and Ogbechie and Sigler rose up for the block.
Krystkowiak caught fire, delivering another kill. Ogbechie swung off the block, and Lauenstein followed with two swings off fingertips. Murray sent a ball to the backline, and Martin hit a fiery lineshot.
Martin’s ball touched down on the back corner, and a Cornhusker attack error knotted the score at 12-12. Murray earned her second service ace, and a solo stuff from Jackson sent Nebraska into the media timeout with a 15-12 lead.
Martin delivered out of the break, but Jackson returned the favor with a kill. Martin earned her seventeenth kill of the match, and errors from both sides set the score at 18-15.
Nebraska challenged three calls in a row: a net violation that was unsuccessful, an attack error that was successful, and a block touch that was successful.
Martin delivered out of the back row, but Murray swung heavy off the block. Jackson added a kill out of the middle before the two combined for the block and the 23-17 lead.
Adriano’s kill gave the Cornhuskers set point, and Ryan Hunter closed out the match 25-18 with her first and only kill of the night.
Takeaways:
- Both Ava Falduto and Jocelyn Nathan dressed in blue for the match and frequently traded in and out of the libero position. Head Coach Katie-Schumacher Cawley typically sticks to one libero.
- Freshman setter Danielle Whitmire took the court, and Martin and Stucky were subbed out in the final stretch of set two.
- Ryla Jones did not play after an injury against Michigan State on September 27.
What’s Next?
Penn State will close out the weekend against Iowa at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, in Rec Hall. The game will be available on Big Ten Plus.
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