Penn State vs. Nebraska Volleyball: Time, TV Channel, 2024 NCAA Semifinal Preview

On By Littum

14.01 on 16 December 2024

Penn State vs. Nebraska

Penn State and Nebraska are set to battle tonight for a spot in the 2024 NCAA DI women’s volleyball national title game, where they will face the winner of the Pittsburgh-Louisville semifinal. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, December 22nd in Louisville, KY.

This year marks the first time since 2008 that the top four seeds have advanced to the tournament’s semifinals, setting the stage for a historic showdown.

Here is all the information needed to watch Penn State vs. Nebraska in semifinals of DI women’s volleyball tournament:

  • Date: Thursday 19 Dec
  • Time: 9:42 PM ET
  • TV: ESPN | Current
  • Location: KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Kentucky
  • Follow: Live results and statistics

We will be live blogging the game here on NCAA.com.

14.33 on 16 December 2024

Here are the paths Penn State and Nebraska took in the DI women’s volleyball tournament to reach the semifinals:

Penn State Round nebraska
def. Delaware State, 3-0 First def. Florida A&M, 3-0
def. No. 8 North Carolina, 3-1 Other def. No. 8 Miami, 3-0
def. no. 5 Marquette, 3-1 Regional def. 5 Dayton, 3-1
def. no. 2 Creighton, 3-2 Regional finals def. No. 2 Wisconsin, 3-0

14.46, 16 December 2024

Let’s take a look at how each team’s season totals compare:

Category Penn State Nebraska
Record (conference) 33-2 (19-1) 33-2 (19-1)
Team hits % .285 .285
Opponent Hit % .176 .139
Assists per set 13,516 13.111
Service Aces/Faults 189/297 149/186
Excavations per set 14,683 15,248
Block per set 2,488 2,791
Top individual kills Jess Mruzik (510) Harper Murray (391)
Top individual assists Izzy Starck (1372) Bergen Reilly (1297)
Top individual blocks Maggie Mendelson (140) Rebekah Allick (146)

16.25 on 16 December 2024

Earlier this season (Nov. 29), then-No. 4 Penn State upset, then-No. 2 Nebraska, snapping the Cornhuskers’ impressive 25-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-14, 22-25, 23-25).

Here are the teams’ stats against each other this season:

Penn State had 20 blocks and held Nebraska to .154. The Nittany Lions also had 11 more kills, 57-46.

PENN STATE
category Managers
Kills Caroline Jurevicius (18), Camryn Hannah (12), Jess Mruzik (10)
aces Ava Falduto (1), Gillian Grimes (1), Jess Mruzik (1)
Block Izzy Starck (6), Maggie Mendelson (6), Taylor Trammell (4)
Assisting Izzy Starck (46), Jess Mruzik (5), Gillian Grimes (4)
Graves Gillian Grimes (12), Izzy Starck (11), Ava Falduto (10), Jess Mruzik (10)

Nebraska had 16 blocks, holding Penn State to .152.

NEBRASKA
category Leaders
Kills Harper Murray (13), Andi Jackson (10), Rebekah Allick (8)
aces Harper Murray (1)
Block Andi Jackson (8), Rebekah Allick (7), Merritt Beason (5)
Assisting Bergen Reilly (38), Lexi Rodriguez (3), Harper Murray (1), Andi Jackson (1), Rebekah Allick (1)
Graves Lexi Rodriguez (16), Harper Murray (13), Laney Choboy (9)

16.30 on 16 December 2024

Penn State and Nebraska will meet in the semifinals after overcoming tough opponents. The Nittany Lions secured their spot with a thrilling five-set win over Creighton, taking the final set 15-7. Meanwhile, Nebraska cruised past Wisconsin in a decisive sweep to punch their ticket to this stage.

These Big 10 rivals share a history and have nine national runner-up finishes between them.

Penn State

  • Semi-final comeback: The Nittany Lions return to the semifinals for the first time in seven years after reaching this stage last in 2017, falling to Nebraska.
  • Milestone for Schumacher-Cawley: Third-year head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley secured her first NCAA regional final win with the win over Creighton.
  • Semifinal Legacy: This marks Penn State’s 14th semifinal appearance in program history.
  • Championship history: Penn State has seven NCAA titles, all won under legendary coach Russ Rose. Now Schumacher-Cawley has the chance to become the first woman to win an NCAA Division I volleyball championship as a head coach.

Nebraska

  • Semifinal Regulars: The Cornhuskers are making their seventh semifinal appearance in the past 10 seasons and their 18th overall, a testament to their continued dominance.
  • Cook’s Dynasty: In his 25th season, head coach John Cook has led Nebraska to 12 semifinal appearances and four NCAA titles, making him the only coach in this year’s semifinals with championship experience.
  • Redemption Arc: Nebraska reached last year’s national championship, but fell short. They will be hungry to avenge their loss and add to their five NCAA titles.
  • Past Glory: Nebraska last won the national title in 2017, the same year they defeated Penn State in the semifinals.

2:15 on December 20, 2024

Today’s second semifinal between Penn State and Nebraska is set for 9:42 PM ET first serve on ESPN. The winner will play Louisville on Sunday for the national title.