Last year, Caroline Jurevicius, redshirted for the Nebraska Huskers before transferring to Penn State. Now, within a year, Jurevicius has played a crucial role in handing her former team a massive defeat. With 18 kills and a hit percentage of over .400 to her name, the Nittany Lion has led Penn State to upset the favorites to earn a share of the Big 10 title.

Jurevicius’s highlight performance also became a landmark win for Penn State. The university earned the Big 10 title for the first time since 2017. Jurevicius explained how it felt to go up against her former team and her best friend Andi Jackson in an interview with Michella Chester. “What did it mean for you to just come up so big for your team personally?” asked Chester.

Caroline Jurevicius responded with nothing but positivity toward the Huskers. “I mean, I have nothing but love and respect for the Nebraska Volleyball Program. They’re a great group of girls. I mean, I threw the ball to my best friend, Andi Jackson, across the net beforehand. And I am very, very thankful for that program,” the Cleveland, Ohio native told Chester.

The redshirt freshman at Penn State then revealed that taking on the Huskers was a tough task. The Lions knew that Nebraska was on a 25-game win streak and had defeated Wisconsin twice this month. “It was a lot of mental preparation coming into this. It’s a daunting task. I mean, they’re a good team.” said the triumphant Outside Hitter.

The Badgers had snapped the Nittany Lions’ 15-game win streak, and after Nebraska dominated Wisconsin, they came to University Park as the favorites to win the Big 10 title outright. However, despite losing their chance at becoming outright champions a second year in a row, Nebraska may yet become the split Big 10 champions.

If the Huskers can bounce back against Maryland in their final regular season game, it may very restore their confidence. However, after winning the Big 10 trophy after seven years, Penn State believes they can go all the way.

Caroline Jurevicius is brimming with confidence ahead of the NCAA championship

Besides asking about Jurevicius’s experience of facing her former team, the interviewer also asked about the “statement” win ahead of the upcoming national championships. “I think we just kind of solidified like, ‘Yeah, we should be here. We’re Penn State volleyball, and we’re gonna defend our house,'” said the #14 Nittany Lion. Now they are looking to maintain confidence.

“We know we can do it. It’s just about capitalizing on that and not resting on our laurels.” said Caroline Jurevicius. However, there’s another reason the redshirt freshman’s rise has been so monumental at Penn State, is because of her family connection. Her father Joe Jurevicius is a Super Bowl-winning NFL icon who played football for Penn State in college.

“My dad didn’t take me to football games, he took me to Penn State volleyball games,” said Jurevicius. So, playing for the team that she grew up watching on the court has bestowed the young star with immense confidence. So the triumphant Penn State will now head into selections riding high on the momentum of the Big 10 title and a six-game win streak. Do you believe the Nittany Lions can emerge also defeat defending champions Texas Longhorns to win the national title this year? Write your views in the comments.