On November 29, Nebraska volleyball fell apart against Penn State. Riding high on their 25-match win streak, the Huskers arrived in Pennsylvania as favorites. Despite their best efforts, the NU team crumbled under the Nittany Lions, losing 3-1. Yet, the Huskers showed their resilience as they immediately bounced back to earn a share of the BIG10 title against Maryland.

Despite having to share the 2024 BIG10 championship title with Penn State, the Huskers ended their regular season on a victorious note. Now, Nebraska will join the best volleyball teams in the nation for the grandest tournament of the season, the 2024 NCAA Championship. However, before embarking on their quest to become national champions, the Huskers have faced a setback.

Nebraska volleyball takes a tumble on final standings

The Nebraska Huskers had held their position as one of the top two Division 1 volleyball teams in the nation since September. However, the loss to Penn State has cost them dearly in the AVCA Polls. For the first time in three months, Nebraska volleyball finds itself out of its familiar post on the rankings. “Pitt finishes the regular season atop the AVCA poll.” Lincoln Arneal, posted.

“Penn State moved to No. 2, followed by Nebraska and both teams received a first-place vote,” the Volleyball State Podcast host wrote on X. Despite their 25-game win streak, Nebraska entered the final week of their regular season as #2 on the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll. While winning the BIG10 title outright may have earned them the first spot, the opposite happened.

After beating Nebraska at Rec Hall, the Nittany Lions also bumped the Nebraska volleyball down a spot on the AVCA list. However, NU wasn’t the only one who fell a rank. “Louisville slipped to No. 4, one spot ahead of Stanford. Creighton was sixth followed by Wisconsin, Arizona State, Purdue, and SMU,” added the Huskers Illustrated reporter.

Besides Penn State moving up two spots and Stanford gaining one, every other team in the top 10 slipped one spot on the AVCA list. While the Huskers will earn 14 first-place votes in last week’s polls, they have to settle for a third-placed finish in the final week of the regular season. Yet, the AVCA ranking is probably the last thing on the NU players’ minds right now.

The Huskers prepare to embark on their road to redemption

Although the Nebraska Huskers are heading into the NCAA tournament on the back of their BIG10 title triumph, their last two games have exposed some potential weaknesses. In their loss against Penn State, the stars of the NU volleyball team struggled to find their footing. Although Harper Murray scored 13 kills for her team, Penn State’s Caroline Jurevicius got 18 kills in their 3-1 victory.

Nebraska volleyball found their winning ways once again against Maryland. However, the final score didn’t reflect the rocky start to their 3-1 victory against the Terps. Senior Merritt Beason led the Huskers to victory with 19 kills. However, several other stars made errors during the game. “Murray has 5 kills, 6 errors. Landfair with 3 kills, (and) 4 errors. Allick has 1 kill, 2 errors.” Arneal wrote.

So it’s safe to say that last year’s runner-ups need to iron out the kinks in their armor to make it to the finals once again. Thankfully, winning a share of the conference title and a stellar overall record of 29-2 this season, the Huskers earned the #2 seed. They’ll start their 2024 NCAA Tournament journey against Florida A&M on Friday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Will the home-ground advantage help the Huskers breeze through the challenge? Tell us what you think in the comments.