LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The 12 months of the reverse sweep.
Nevertheless it couldn’t occur within the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, might it? Though reverse sweeps appeared to occur this 12 months greater than ever.
Properly, late Thursday evening/Friday morning within the KFC Yum! Heart, Penn State rallied for a 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13 victory over Nebraska in a battle of Huge Ten groups that may dwell within the lore of the faculty recreation.
Nebraska, the wire-to-wire favourite, is headed dwelling after a 33-3 season. Penn State (34-2), will go for its first title since 2014 when it performs Louisville in Sunday’s closing. Louisville beat Pitt in 4 units in a battle of ACC powers within the first semifinal.
It implies that for the primary time a lady coach will win the NCAA title when Penn State’s Katie Schumacher-Cawley goes up in opposition to Louisville’s Dani Busboom Kelly.
Penn State, which has received 11 in a row, which features a regular-season victory over Nebraska of their solely assembly this season, bought 26 kills — six within the fifth set — from Jess Mruzik, who hit .300 an had two assists, an ace, 12 digs and a block. Caroline Jurevicious, who transferred from Nebraska, had 20 kills, two digs and 4 blocks. Camryn Hannah, who had the match-winner, had 16 kills, an ace, 5 digs and a solo block.
Setter Izzy Starck had two kills, 56 assists, an ace, 11 digs and two blocks. Her workforce hit .242 for the match, .471 within the fifth set. Gillian Grimes had 25 digs, 9 assists and an ace. Penn State had 9 kills with one error in 17 assaults to hit .471 within the fifth set.
Nebraska’s Harper Murray, who a 12 months in the past after her workforce misplaced within the closing assured three titles for the Huskers in three years, led her workforce with 20 kills, and had an help, three aces, 15 digs and 6 blocks.
Andi Jackson was nearly unstoppable, ending with 19 kills and two errors in 27 assaults to hit .630. She had 5 blocks. Her first error got here after she had 15 kills with no errors in 17 makes an attempt. Taylor Landfair had 10 kills, two digs and three blocks, and Rebekah Allick had eight kills, hit .353, and had an help, a dig and 10 blocks, two solo. Merritt Beason had eight kills, an ace, 4 digs and three blocks.
Setter Bergen Reilly had 55 assists, 15 digs and a block, and Lexi Rodriguez, who turned this system’s all-time digs chief, 15 digs and 5 assists. Nebraska hit .262.
Nebraska does what it does finest on the finish of the primary set. Down 23-21, the Huskers — counting on touches on the internet, got here out of their timeout by scoring 4 factors in a row. Jackson had a kill, Beason an ace, after which Jackson had two extra kills to finish it.
Nebraska hit .273 within the set, which included Jackson getting six kills with no errors in eight assaults. Penn State, which hit .222, bought 5 kills from Hannah on 10 errorless swings.
Penn State hit .098 within the second set with 15 kills and 11 errors in 41 makes an attempt. Nebraska, reasonably, hit .400 with 12 kills and two errors in 26 swings.
Penn State gutted out a third-set win. Nittany Lions, up 23-20, needed to have had first-set flashbacks when Nebraska pulled to 23-22, however went forward 24-22 on a kill by Jurevicious. Murray had a kill, however Penn State closed it out when Murray hit lengthy and large left.
Within the fourth set, Penn State led 15-12 on a kill by Mruzik, however Nebraska rallied in an enormous method. After a service error by Mruzik, the Huskers added 5 extra factors in a run that included three aces and a kill by Murray.
Penn State known as its closing timeout down 20-16. Nebraska did the identical with a 22-19 lead.
The lead closed to 22-20 when Hannah put down an overpass, however Murray’s assault out of the again row made it 23-20. Hannah bought a kill to make it 23-21 and Penn State capped an extended rally with a kill by Mruzik to get to 23-22.
Allick’s kill out of the center gave the Huskers match level. Penn State saved one level on Mruzik’s kill after which tied it when Jurevicious hit off the block. Nebraska challenged the ball was in however the name was confirmed.
Penn State bought an ace from Grimes, however Mruzik hit out of bounds and it was 25-25.
Mruzik hit off the block to make it 26-25, however Beason ended a rally with a putback of an over dig. Penn State challenged Nebraska was within the internet however there was no internet violation and it was 26-26
Penn State compelled the fifth on a Mruzik kill and cross-court blast by Hannah.
The fifth set started at 12:18 a.m.
Penn State went up 5-2 on Jackson’s second hitting error of the evening, a slide assault that by no means cleared the online. Nebraska used its first timeout.
Murray bought it to 5-3 on roll shot to the center. Penn State went up 6-3 on a kill by Mruzik.
Jackson scored on a slide earlier than Mruzik crushed a ball popping out of the again row to make 7-4.
Landfair bought a kill to get the Huskers to 7-5, however an extended rally ended with Nebraska within the internet and Penn State up 8-5 because the groups modified sides.
Landfair bought a kill from the fitting aspect to make it 8-6 however Mauch sailed a serve method lengthy.
Allick’s kill pulled Nebraska to 9-7 and Murray made it 9-8 by going off the fingers of Jurevicious. Penn State used its first timeout of the fifth.
Mruzik made an ideal cross off of a Rodriguez serve, bought it again and had an enormous kill. And it bought to 11-8 when Jurevicious blocked a comfortable Murray try. It was 12-8 on one other Mruzik kill and Nebraska used its closing timeout.
Beason had a kill from the fitting aspect and Nebraska trailed 12-9 and it was 12-10 when Jurevicious was blocked by Murray and Jackson. Penn State known as its final timeout.
Penn State received the following lengthy rally on a kill by Mruzik.
Nebraska bought some extent when Murray’s shot brought on Penn State right into a ballhandling error.
It was 14-11 when Hannah tipped out of the again row. Nebraska nonetheless had life on a serving error. And it was 14-13 on an ace by Kennedi Orr.
It ended on Hannah’s blast off a block that went out of bounds.
Each groups completed 19-1 atop the Huge Ten, however Penn State received their solely assembly, 25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 25-23 at Penn State on November 29.
Jurevicious had 18 kills in opposition to her previous workforce, hitting .414, Hannah had 12 and Mruzik 10 but additionally 10 errors.
Harper Murray had 13 kills for Nebraska and Andi Jackson 10 and eight blocks.
