Penn State volleyball upsets No. 2 Nebraska, claims Big Ten title

Penn State volleyball continues its mini-renaissance this season, once again in contention for a National Championship. The Nittany Lions entered the week ranked No. 4 in the country and No. 5 in the RPI. Katie Schumacher-Cawley and the Nittany Lions put an exclamation point on the end of the regular season Friday night, upsetting No. 2 Nebraska 3-1 to clinch a share of the Big Ten Championship. 

After splitting the first two sets, the Nittany Lions won the final two sets in front of a sold-out Rec Hall crowd, 25-22 and 25-23. The loss is the Cornhuskers’ first conference loss of the season.

Finishing the regular season with a 29-2 (19-1 Big Ten) record, Penn State volleyball is guaranteed at least a share of the conference crown. Nebraska falls to 28-2 (18-1), with its regular season finale against Maryland on Saturday.

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

Penn State volleyball has always been one of the sport’s blue bloods. The Nittany Lions are the only program in the country to appear in all 43 NCAA Tournaments. However, despite all of the success, Penn State hadn’t won the Big Ten since 2017.

The win should also all but secure Penn State volleyball a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. As a result, the Nittany Lions would have home court advantage all the way to the Final Four. Katie Schumacher-Cawley led her program to a 16-0 record at Rec Hall this season, so this would be key to the path for the Nittany Lions’ first Final Four appearance since 2017.

The NCAA Tournament selection show will be broadcasted live on ESPN on Sunday, December 1 at 6:00 pm ET.

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