Sweet Sixteen? Check. Elite Eight? Nailed it. Final Four? Umm… error 404. Yes, that is the narrative of the Nebraska Huskers. A reverse sweep is not something you get to see every day, let alone against a team that was favored to win by the crowd. But hey, Penn State said, ‘hold our lions,’ and the Nittany Lions did the impossible right in front of a sea of red-clad fans. It was only a few days ago when the NCAA Volleyball Final Four became one of the most dramatic stories in college sports this year. Penn State didn’t just win. They came back and took the match right out from under Nebraska’s noses and sent them home in a reverse sweep that had fans walking away with their jaws on the floor!

The Nittany Lions (34-2) pulled off a volleyball masterpiece and beat the Huskers in five sets in the national semifinals (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13). Nebraska (33-3) had fans expecting a finals trip after fighting for every point in a first-set win and dominating the second. But Penn State turned the switch on in the third set while in the fourth set, Nebraska messed up not just one but two match points. The Lions grabbed every ounce of momentum and didn’t look back. The Huskers never even sniffed the lead in the fifth, leaving Nebraska stunned and Penn State roaring into the finals. And now, to top it all off, the rankings took a hit too—ouch.

Nebraska Huskers face another heartbreak

AVCA Volleyball hit up X on December 23 with the grand finale of the 2024 rankings, and oh, they brought the drama! Their post came with a mic-drop caption: “Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley and @PennStateVBALL are No. 1 in the final 2024 AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll after beating Louisville in four to win the national title in front of a championship-record crowd of 21,860 at the KFC Yum! Center.” Yep, Penn State is living that number-one dream!

In the meantime, Louisville became the second best, Pitt entered the third, and our Nebraska Huskers? Well, they’ve slid to fourth. Only a week ago, the Huskers were comfortably sitting in third place, but this week’s rankings have demoted them. Looks like they’re not only nursing semifinal heartbreak but also trying to handle the sting of a rankings drop.

So, how did Penn State snag that top spot? Well, the 2024 NCAA national champs have been crowned, and they’re rocking navy and white with all the swagger! After a decade-long title drought, the Nittany Lions roared back to the top, snatching their eighth national championship with a hard-fought 25-23, 32-34, 25-20, 25-17 victory. For now, let’s circle back to the Nebraska Huskers. This drop hits hard for a team that’s been dominating all season long, practically owning the court. To come out second best in the semis and then drop down in the rankings? That’s a double whammy no one saw coming.

Huskers and their domination!

Only a few weeks ago, it seemed that Pittsburgh and Nebraska Huskers were invincible, occupying the position of the best college volleyball teams. Pittsburgh, perched at No. 1 in the AVCA rankings, was riding high with a 23-1 record and an eight-match winning streak. Nebraska was right behind at number two with a clean 23-1 and an eight-match winning streak. The Huskers even had 15 straight sets under their belt, dating back to a showdown with Michigan last month. Basically, these two teams were serving up dominance on the daily.

The Panthers earned 49 of the first-place votes in the poll while Nebraska Huskers were left with the remaining twelve votes. The rankings had Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Louisville, Penn State, Creighton, and Wisconsin completing the list of top six teams. SMU, after big wins against both Pittsburgh and Nebraska, climbed to No. 10 with a 19-6 record. But now, with Nebraska’s crushing semifinal loss, the Huskers are facing not just heartbreak but also the sting of a rankings drop. It’s been a whirlwind month for Husker Nation. From ruling the court to grappling with a tough loss, they’ve hit a bump in the road.