Despite their slow start, the Nittany Lions are now on an nine-match win streak, with notable wins over ranked Ohio State and Western Kentucky. Their demise was a strong schedule early on — which the Nittany Lions usually handle well — but consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and Florida bumped their preseason No. 8 spot all the way to No. 14 in Week 1; they haven’t gotten back to the top 10 since.
To be fair, Penn State has seen a lot of turnover on its roster, and the team has had to learn how to play together through some trial and error. Transfers Mac Podraza and Jess Mruzik entered the starting rotation at the beginning of the season and have completely commanded the court, leading the team in assists (591) and kills (244), respectively.
What Nebraska has that Penn State doesn’t, however, is depth throughout the entire rotation. The Huskers are on a dominant 16-0 run right now, and their roster boasts some of the best of the best in the nation. Bekka Allick swarms the block, ranking 11th in the nation defensively with 1.45 B/S. AVCA All-American Lexi Rodriguez takes care of backcourt defense — averaging 3.5 D/S — while Merritt Beason and Andi Jackson handle things up top… It’s a dream setup.
What both teams can take advantage of? The serve.
