Epic reverse sweep sends Penn State volleyball to 11th National Championship in program history

For the first time since 2014, Penn State volleyball will play for the National Championship. Using a dramatic come-from-behind rally that lasted into the early hours of Friday morning, the Nittany Lions took down third-seed Nebraska 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13) to advance to the national title game for the 11th time in program history. Katie Schumacher-Cawley now prepares her squad to face No. 4 Louisville on Sunday with a chance to win the program’s eighth championship.

The second of the two Final Four matches, the evening didn’t start out as planned for the Nittany Lions, who found themselves on the verge of elimination after falling behind to the Cornhuskers 2-0.

But Penn State then went on an epic reverse sweep to punch its ticket to the national title. Up 12-8 in the final set, the Nittany Lions held off one final Nebraska surge to move to 34-2 on the season.

Penn State volleyball pulls off the reverse sweep to take down Nebraska 3-2 and will head to the National Championship game for the first time since 2014! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/nFHMbv0Q9A

— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) December 20, 2024

Jess Mruzik led the charge in the late rally for Penn State. The fifth-year senior had a match-high 26 kills, including six in the fifth set. Adding 12 digs for her 13th double-double of the year, Mruzik also crossed the 2,000-point mark for her career.

However, much like all season, it was Schumacher-Cawley’s group of young Nittany Lions that played a critical role in the victory. Redshirt freshman Caroline Jurevicius had a career-high 20 kills, surpassing her previous personal best also put up against Nebraska three weeks ago. National Freshman of the Year Izzy Starck added 56 assists and 11 digs, her 17th double-double of the year.

Penn State volleyball looking for first National Championship in a decade

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

The program’s first reverse sweep in the NCAA Tournament since 2009, Penn State volleyball next faces Louisville in Sunday’s National Championship match. After posting a 30-5 season, the Cardinals advanced to the title without ever having to leave the city of Louisville.

This will be the second time the two programs have met this season, with Penn State volleyball earning a 3-0 victory in Rec Hall on September 3. With a similar result, Katie Schumacher-Cawley would claim her first National Championship as Penn State head coach. It would be the program’s first title since Russ Rose’s Nittany Lions downed BYU in the 2014 title match.

Penn State volleyball and Louisville will face off at 3 p.m. on Sunday inside the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The match will be nationally televised on ABC.

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