Match day: Nebraska volleyball continues championship run in NCAA National Semifinal

Mark Fischer,

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska volleyball team will resume its national championship run Thursday night with a rematch against No. 2 Penn State in the NCAA Semifinal at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

Nebraska will take the court 30 minutes after the end of the first national semifinal game between No. 1 Pitt and No. 4 Louisville. Both games will be on ESPN.

The Huskers come into this match following a sweep over No. 7 Wisconsin in the regional final, advancing to the Final Four for the seventh time in 10 years.

To preview tonight’s matchup with Penn State, Channel 8’s Nate Johnson has been on the ground in Louisville talking with players, coaches and parents.

Assistant coach Jaylen Reyes spent time with the media talking about the bond the team has created over this season.

To stick on the subject of family, outside hitter Taylor Landfair and freshman defensive specialist Olivia Mauch had similar comments.

Channel 8 also sat down with Pat Krause, the father of Lindsay Krause, to talk about what the last four years has meant to him.

Finally, Big Ten Setter of the Year Bergen Reilly talked about the importance of sticking to their training.

Scouting Penn State

The Penn State Nittany Lions boast a 33-2 record, going 19-1 in the Big Ten and sharing the conference title with Nebraska.

In their regional final, the Nittany Lions escaped a five-set slugfest with Creighton, making it to their first Final Four since 2017.

Big Ten Coach of the Year Katie Schumacher-Cawley has coached Penn State to its best record since 2017, when the Nittany Lions also went 33-2.

Since being swept by Wisconsin on Nov. 9, Penn State has won 10-straight matches, including a win over Nebraska to secure a share of the Big Ten title.

Jess Mruzik leads Penn State with 4.21 kills per set with 2.37 digs per set. Camryn Hannah adds 2.59 kills per set.

Freshman setter Izzy Starck is averaging 10.89 assists per set, commanding Penn State to a .285% hitting percentage. Starck was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Nebraska is 28-12 all-time against Penn State and has won 14 of the last 16 meetings.

The two teams have met 11 times in the NCAA tournament, with Nebraska holding an 8-3 record in those games.

The last time these two squads met in the NCAA tournament was in that 2017 season. Nebraska took home a 3-2 victory in the National Semifinal.

Rotation Rundown

Harper Murray: The outside hitter is the team leader in kills at 3.37 per set. Murray also leads the team in aces with 36. She is one of the top six rotation players in the entire country. Murray has improved her defense since last season, adding 2.41 digs per set.

Merritt Beason: Beason is a close second on the team with 2.83 kills per set. The two-year captain has served 29 aces this season and adds 1.25 digs per set.

Andi Jackson: The powerful middle blocker is an offensive nightmare for opponents, tallying 2.57 kills per set with a .448% hitting percentage, which ranks ninth in the nation.

SEE ALSO: Five Huskers Named to All-Big Ten First Team

Rebekah Allick: Allick is the defensive anchor, averaging 1.40 blocks per set. She has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks at No. 6 with 405.

Bergen Reilly: Reilly averages 11.09 assists per set, which ranks 10th in the nation and first in the Big Ten. The two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year adds 2.85 digs per set and has racked up 21 aces this season. She has also recorded 16 double-doubles this season.

Lexi Rodriguez: Rodriguez was named the 2024 Big Ten Libero of the Year and leads the Huskers’ back row with 3.91 digs per set. Rodriguez ranks No. 2 in school history in career digs with 1,882, needing nine more to break the school record of 1,890 set by Justine Wong-Orantes in 2016.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska volleyball’s Lexi Rodriguez named finalist for national player of the year award

Match Predictions

Nate Johnson: Huskers win, 3-1

Jake Homan: Huskers sweep, 3-0

Mark Fischer: Huskers win, 3-1

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