NCAA Tournament selection is coming up this weekend, but before the show on Sunday, No. 2 Nebraska volleyball has some business to take care of.
Before they turn their attention to the postseason, the Huskers have a Big Ten title to win. To do that, they’ll need to beat No. 4 Penn State on its home court Friday. The 17-1 Nittany Lions (28-2 overall) are one game back of the 18-0 Huskers (28-1) heading into the final weekend of conference play.
The Huskers will then wrap up the regular season at Maryland on Saturday before learning their path back to the Final Four on Sunday.
“I think we know that to get there, we have to win these two games, and to be in the position that we want to be in going into postseason, we have to win these two games,” Merritt Beason said. “So I think that’s a big motivator for us. And obviously the Big Ten isn’t clinched yet, so that’s obviously a huge motivator for us to be locked in and making sure that we’re taking care of business this weekend.”
The Nittany Lions are 15-0 at home this season with 3-0 wins over Louisville, Oregon, Minnesota and Purdue — all top-15 teams. Nebraska went 2-0 last season against Penn State, including a reverse sweep in University Park. Beason said that match might be the favorite one she’s played in during her college career.
“It’s a rowdy environment, and we know it’s going to be that way, and so I think that kind of fuels a lot of our fires,” Beason said. “When they start coming at us, we’re like, ‘OK, say something else.’ So it’s a rowdy place, but we’re excited to be back there, and we know they’re a great team and we’re going to have to bring our A game. Being down 0-2 last year, I think that was obviously a really fun match, but it’ll also prepare us a little bit more this year, going in there and really knowing what to expect, but also knowing that if we do get into that position again, we’ve pulled out of it before, and so we’ll have a little bit of confidence from that aspect. But like I said, they’re a great team, and it’s a really tough place to play, so we’ll definitely have to bring our A game.”
Penn State is third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.287) and first in kill per set (14.61). The Nittany Lions are also third in reception percentage (94.5%) and fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.175).
Senior Jess Mruzik leads the way for the team and is fifth in the Big Ten at 4.25 kills per set on .261 hitting. Fifth-year senior Camryn Hannah, in her second season with the Nittany Lions after three at Clemson, isn’t far behind at 3.62 kills per set on .291 hitting. Freshman setter Izzy Starck is third in the Big Ten in assists per set (11.03). Junior libero Gillian Grimes is fourth in the Big Ten in digs per set (3.91).
The Nittany Lions also have a pair of starters that will look very familiar to Nebraska fans: junior middle blocker Maggie Mendelson and redshirt freshman opposite hitter Caroline Jurevicius.
Mendelson transferred to Penn State after spending two seasons playing both volleyball and basketball at Nebraska. She’s averaging 2.07 kills per set on .324 hitting and a team-best 1.18 blocks per set as a full-time starter for the Nittany Lions.
“I think the biggest thing is she’s not playing basketball, so she’s committed full-time to volleyball,” Cook said. “We knew when she came here, at some point she was going to make a decision, and when she decided to go full-time volley volleyball or full-time basketball, that’s where she would probably really shine. And remember, she was a year early when she got here too, a year younger. I just think you’re seeing what we all thought she could do, and she’s getting great opportunity. She’s got a great setter setting her, so she’s doing a nice job.”
Jurevicius redshirted behind Beason in her lone season at Nebraska, and with Beason set to return for one more season, she sought a program for which she could get on the court. She chose the alma mater of her father, former NFL wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, and is averaging 1.79 kills per set on .223 hitting this season.
“She’s doing exactly what we thought she would be doing,” Cook said. “She hits the ball hard, she’s a great competitor, and she’s playing the role that we envisioned her playing after Merritt. That’s why we redshirted her.”
Beason said it will be strange to see Mendelson and Jurevicius across the net, but the current Huskers have been happy to see their success this season.
“We have so much love for both of them,” Beason said. “I know all of us are super excited just to see them and talk to them and see how they’re doing and things like that. A lot of people still keep in touch when we can; obviously, it’s hard when we’re in season. So it’ll definitely be weird seeing them in a Penn State jersey, but I think we’re all excited just to see them and see how well they’re doing, and we’ll all be really, really happy for them.”
The Nittany Lions are in position to potentially earn the right to host through the Final Four with the season they’ve had, and they’ve done it while Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley is fighting her own battle off the court. On Oct. 17, Schumacher-Cawley announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, yet she has continued to coach her team as it racked up wins.
“I have lot of respect for what she’s doing,” Cook said. “I can’t imagine balancing all that, coaching. It’s tough, but she’s tough. She was a tough player. She’s shown a lot of toughness and determination, and she’s probably very inspirational for her team, to see that.”
First serve at Rec Hall on Friday is set for 4 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network with Michelle McMahon and Emily Ehman on the call.
The Huskers will close out the season in College Park against the Terrapins (13-16, 4-14 Big Ten). Senior pin-hitter Samantha Schnitta is leading the Big Ten with 81 aces while leading the Terps with 3.37 kills per set on .220 hitting. Maryland runs a two-setter offense with Zoe Huang and Sydney Dowler splitting setting duties while Dowler also takes some swings.
First serve at the XFINITY Center on Saturday is set for 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network with Jack Kizer and Audrey Flaugh calling the match.
