Last year, Penn State’s Caroline Jurevicius wore red and white. The outside hitter redshirted for Nebraska, and after 13 games, she transferred to Penn State, remaining a freshman for her new team. However, despite not playing together, the bonds of friendship between Jurevicius and Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson didn’t fade. As rivals on the volleyball court, both Jurevicius and Jackson play to win.

Eventually No. 1 Penn State shocked Nebraska with a dramatic reverse sweep in the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball semifinals, winning 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13—the first semifinals reverse sweep since 2018.“Honestly, kind of forget when you’re in the game in a sense because you’re just so zoned in,” Andi Jackson said ahead of their Final Four clash yesterday. However, the fact that they still remain close became evident after Penn State defeated Nebraska in a thrilling five-set semifinal.

The volleyball stars have not let their on-court rivalry seep into their personal lives

The 2024 NCAA Championship semifinal loss marked NU’s second loss to the Nittany Lions this season. However, despite the heartbreaking loss, a video of Caroline Jurevicius and Andi Jackson embracing one another surfaced on social media. “Former teammates embracing one another, after one of the best semifinals ever,” wrote NTVNEWS anchor Trey Redfield.

Caroline Jurevicius reposted the video with a caption of her own. “My absolute best friend,” the Penn State outside hitter wrote on X. The clip captured a heartfelt moment between the two best friends. The only indication that they belonged to different teams? The color of their jerseys. Andi Jackson also had a similar opinion of Jurevicius.

“I love Caroline and Maggie to death — especially Carol, she’s my best friend,” the middle locker told Huskers extra ahead of their Final Four clash. Redfield also noted how equally matched the duo was during the game. “The two of them combined for 39 kills,” noted Redfield in his original post. Caroline Jurevicius scored 20 kills, while her best friend scored only one less.

However, the Nittany Lions’ coach thought otherwise. “It felt like she had a hundred kills, I’ll tell you that,” said Katie Schumacher-Cawley. The Penn State coach’s statement only solidified that during the match they don’t let friendship affect their offense. Yet, Jackson isn’t the only one fond of her best friend.

Nebraska still misses Caroline Jurevicius

Andi Jackson wasn’t the only one who spoke about the outside hitter ahead of the semifinal clash. Coach John Cook revealed the general sentiment surrounding Caroline Jurevicius at Huskers volleyball. Cook admitted that transferring to Penn State has benefited Maggie Mendelson and Jurevicius. “But we miss them. A year ago, they were right there in our locker room,” said Cook.

“It’s kind of bizarre when you think about it. I’m seeing the pictures and stuff from last year. They’re in all the pictures, Big Ten Championship stuff,” added the 68-year-old. He even added how “nuts” it felt to have Caroline Jurevicuis as an on-court adversary. However, the Huskers do have a history of treating their former players well.

They didn’t play Penn State at home but rolled out the red carpet when former Husker Ally Batenhorst returned to play at the Bob Devaney Center as USC’s star hitter. “She’s a Husker… There’s an emotional connection there… She’s part of our family,” John Cook said about Batenhorst. It seems the sentiment is the same for Jurevicius.

Caroline Jurevicius herself has nothing but love for her former team. “I mean, I have nothing but love and respect for the Nebraska Volleyball Program. They’re a great group of girls,” the Penn State player said after beating Nebraska in the BIG10 title match. So despite handing back-to-back defeats to the Huskers, the Penn State star still has a place inside the hearts of her former teammates, especially Andi Jackson.