A disappointing night for the Nebraska Huskers at University Park has ended. After overcoming Wisconsin, the team that has defeated Nebraska volleyball repeatedly in the last eight years, John Cook and his team had built a 25-game win streak. However, tonight the Nittany Lions gave no quarter to their visitors, taking an early lead in the match.

Although the Huskers led by Murray mounted a comeback in the second set, Penn State ran away with the game, winning the next two sets to settle the match. This defeat made the Nebraska team even worse, as a win tonight would have made them back to Big 10 champions. “FINAL: No. 4 Penn State downs No. 2 Nebraska,” reported Volleyball State Podcast co-host Lincoln Arneal.

With Camryn Hannah’s match-winning kill, Penn State scored “25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 25-23 to win a share of the Big Ten title,” the Huskers Illustrated writer informed in his post on X. Former Nebraska volleyball standout Caroline Jurevicius led the Lions’ attack putting up an impressive performance. “PSU’s Jurevicius has a career night with 18 kills and a .414 hitting percentage,” he added.

The Nebraska team showed a glimpse of consistency, with none of their stars outshining the other by a wide margin. Harper Murray led the Huskers with 13 kills with a 0.254 hit percentage, while Andi Jackson came in second with 10 kills and 15 blocks. Senior Lexi Rodriguez led the defensive side with 16 digs. Unfortunately, the Huskers never found their footing.

Penn State’s victory over the Nebraska Huskers  also removes them from an exclusive club. “@Pitt_VB is now the lone one-loss team in the nation. The Panthers will likely secure the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament with a win Saturday over Georgia Tech,” predicted James Santelli. However, they still have to overcome Georgia Tech to earn the #1 seed. Meanwhile, despite the loss, all is not lost for Nebraska.

What’s next for Nebraska volleyball?

Former volleyball player-turned-broadcaster Emily Ehman explained the tale of the tape ahead of the Big 10 volleyball clash. “If Penn State wins, they win at least a share. If Nebraska wins, they win the title outright.” wrote Ehmna. However, since things didn’t go the Husker’s way, they must compete for a share. “NU can earn a split title against Maryland tomorrow,” informed Arneal.

However, this loss could harm the morale of the Nebraska volleyball team. The Huskers have looked nearly invincible in their last ten games, dropping only two sets and have swept eight of their opponents. However, failing to earn a second consecutive Big 10 title after winning 25 games in a row is bound to bring back memories of last year’s NCAA finals loss.

However, things could either get better or worse for the husker from this point. Although not ideal, the Nebraska Huskers will get back on track with a share of the Big 10 title if they win against Maryland. On the contrary, things could get worse if the defending Big 10 champions lose the title outright, and go into the NCAA Championships with a losing streak. Thankfully, Nebraska volleyball fans won’t have to wait too long to see if the team can bounce back.