One day is all it took for Nebraska volleyball to put their stunning loss behind them. As Taylor Landfair put the finishing touch in Maryland, the Huskers won their share of the 2024 BIG10 championship. “A resilient response for Nebraska,” said the commentator as the huskers gathered on their side of the court to celebrate their bounce back. However, it wasn’t an easy match.

Despite their incredible dominance throughout the season, Penn State had stunned them yesterday. Besides losing their shot at becoming outright champions, NU had looked invincible for 25 matches leading up to the loss. Maybe that’s why the Huskers looked shaky initially, practically losing the first set thanks to errors. Even stars like Harper Murray struggled to find their footing.

Only Merritt Beason and Andi Jackson could achieve an above .200 hit percentage. You could say Merritt Beason carried the offense while the rest of Nebraska volleyball’s attack struggled to find their bearing throughout the match. “Murray has 5 kills, 6 errors. Landfair with 3 kills, (and) 4 errors. Allick has 1 kill, 2 errors.” informed Huskers Illustrated writer Lincoln Arneal.

This was a huge departure from their November 7 match with Oregon. On that day NU made no service errors in their 25-12, 26-24, 25-18, sweep of Oregon. However, despite the shaky start, the Nebraska volleyball team found their stride in the second set, “to clinch a share of their fifth BIG10 championship,” as the commentator said in the clip by the official Nebraska X handle.

After going down 27-25 in the first set, the Huskers initiated a reverse sweep, winning the next three sets in dominant fashion (25-14, 25-8, 25-12). Beason put in a clutch performance for the Huskers, leading the attack with 19 kills, and even showed her defense prowess. She ended the night with a .471 hit percentage and achieved a career-high of 10 digs. And while Nebraska did enough to become back-to-back BIG10 champions, what flaws did the match expose?

What this win means for Nebraska volleyball moving forward

The Nebraska Huskers celebrate their big win on social media. However, their caption perfectly captured the mentality of the team. “BACK-TO-BACK B1G CHAMPS…  Job’s not finished,” read the caption of the post. Despite the setback, the Huskers still have their eyes set on the prize, which is the NCAA title. Last year, the Huskers came close but fell to the Texas Longhorns in the finals.

However, that’s easier said than done. The last two matches have also wiped away the aura of invincibility that Nebraska volleyball had built throughout the 2024 college basketball season. And even though they defeated Maryland, head coach John Cook didn’t really jump with joy after tonight’s performance. The footage showed Cook unusually calm for a coach who has won his fifth BIG10 title with Nebraska.

However, bouncing back on a dime despite a stunning loss also showcased the depth of the Husker’s squad. While they could’ve crumbled after yesterday’s devastating loss to the Nittany Lions, the team persevered in the face of social media backlash. And now they’ll head into the NCAA Tournament Selection in high spirits. However, we’ll have to wait and see if last year’s runner-ups can manage to clinch the ultimate prize in college volleyball.