LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The year of the reverse sweep.
But it couldn’t happen in the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, could it? Even though reverse sweeps seemed to happen this year more than ever.
Well, late Thursday night/Friday morning in the KFC Yum! Center, Penn State rallied for a 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13 victory over Nebraska in a battle of Big Ten teams that will live in the lore of the college game.
Nebraska, the wire-to-wire favorite, is headed home after a 33-3 season. Penn State (34-2), will go for its first title since 2014 when it plays Louisville in Sunday’s final. Louisville beat Pitt in four sets in a battle of ACC powers in the first semifinal.
It means that for the first time a woman coach will win the NCAA title when Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley goes up against Louisville’s Dani Busboom Kelly.
Penn State, which has won 11 in a row, which includes a regular-season victory over Nebraska in their only meeting this season, got 26 kills — six in the fifth set — from Jess Mruzik, who hit .300 an had two assists, an ace, 12 digs and a block. Caroline Jurevicious, who transferred from Nebraska, had 20 kills, two digs and four blocks. Camryn Hannah, who had the match-winner, had 16 kills, an ace, five digs and a solo block.
Setter Izzy Starck had two kills, 56 assists, an ace, 11 digs and two blocks. Her team hit .242 for the match, .471 in the fifth set. Gillian Grimes had 25 digs, nine assists and an ace. Penn State had nine kills with one error in 17 attacks to hit .471 in the fifth set.
Nebraska’s Harper Murray, who a year ago after her team lost in the final guaranteed three titles for the Huskers in three years, led her team with 20 kills, and had an assist, three aces, 15 digs and six blocks.
Andi Jackson was almost unstoppable, finishing with 19 kills and two errors in 27 attacks to hit .630. She had five blocks. Her first error came after she had 15 kills with no errors in 17 attempts. Taylor Landfair had 10 kills, two digs and three blocks, and Rebekah Allick had eight kills, hit .353, and had an assist, a dig and 10 blocks, two solo. Merritt Beason had eight kills, an ace, four digs and three blocks.
Setter Bergen Reilly had 55 assists, 15 digs and a block, and Lexi Rodriguez, who became the program’s all-time digs…
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