Gallery: Huskers Sweep Penn State in Blackout at the Bob

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team moved one step closer to completing an unbeaten regular season as it overwhelmed No. 25 Penn State with a decisive 25-14, 25-11, 25-14 sweep in front of 8,537 fans dressed in black at John Cook Arena inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday night, a fitting backdrop as the Huskers celebrated their third straight Big Ten Championship and continued one of the most dominant conference seasons in program history.

The victory not only pushed Nebraska to 29-0 overall and 19-0 in the Big Ten, but it also marked the first time the Huskers have ever swept Penn State twice in the same season, and the Big Red did it in emphatic fashion by holding the Nittany Lions under 15 points in all six sets played across both matchups this year, underscoring the gulf between the undefeated conference champions and one of the league’s traditional powers.

Nebraska will now aim to close out a perfect regular season for just the third time in school history, joining the 1994 and 2000 squads, when they face Ohio State on Saturday night, but Friday’s performance showcased why this team has positioned itself to chase that milestone.

Behind a balanced and efficient offense, Harper Murray led the Huskers with 11 kills, seven digs, four blocks and a stellar .476 hitting percentage, while Rebekah Allick dominated at the net with nine kills on .750 hitting and four blocks of her own.

Andi Jackson added six kills, hit .357 and matched the four-block total, Virginia Adriano contributed five kills and two aces, and Taylor Landfair chipped in five kills as Nebraska’s attackers repeatedly found seams in Penn State’s defense. Setter Bergen Reilly orchestrated the offense with 29 assists, complemented by 12 digs and two aces, while libero Laney Choboy anchored the back row with 11 digs. Nebraska overwhelmed Penn State statistically, hitting .385 compared to PSU’s .011, and outmatching the Nittany Lions in kills (39-23), blocks (9-2), digs (41-23) and aces (7-0) while siding out at a remarkable 87.8 percent rate (36 of 41 rallies).

The first set saw early kills by Landfair and Allick for a 6-3 lead, followed by contributions from Murray and Jackson that opened the margin to 13-8 before Nebraska steadily widened it through strong blocking and an ace from Landfair, eventually closing the set 25-14 on a Jackson-Reilly block.

The second set began with an ace from Teraya Sigler and back-to-back aces from Adriano as Nebraska jumped ahead 6-2, then exploded to a 14-5 advantage with kills from Jackson, Reilly and Landfair and consecutive aces by Reilly. An 8-0 run keyed by Reilly’s serving broke the set open as Allick and Murray added kills and blocks, and Nebraska cruised to a 25-11 finish thanks to late kills from Adriano and Sigler.

In the third set, Jackson’s early three kills and two blocks pushed the Huskers to a 7-3 lead, and Nebraska continued to stack points with kills from Allick and Murray to double up Penn State 14-7. Reilly and Allick added late kills to extend the margin to 21-11 before the Huskers closed out the sweep 25-14, punctuating another dominant outing in a season full of them.

Andi Jackson tips the ball over the net. | Amarillo Mullen

Laney Choboy (6) sends a serve in set one. | Amarillo Mullen

The Huskers had a blackout Black Friday night against Penn State. — The Huskers hosted a blackout Black Friday night against Penn State. | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick passes the ball in the second set. | Amarillo Mullen

Teraya Sigler receives a Penn State serve. | Amarillo Mullen

The Huskers celebrate an ace from Virginia Adriano. | Amarillo Mullen

Harper Murray (27) led the team with 11 kills. | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick (5) celebrates a Husker point in set two. | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick (5) celebrates a block. | Amarillo Mullen

Taylor Landfair (12) tips the ball over a Penn State block. | Amarillo Mullen

Teraya Sigler (11) reacts to getting the kill on set point. | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick (5) gets the first point of set three. | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick (5) sets the ball. | Amarillo Mullen

The Huskers celebrated their third straight Big Ten title after the match. | Amarillo Mullen

Head Coach, Dani Busboom Kelly (left), hugs Harper Murray (27). | Amarillo Mullen

Rebekah Allick holds the Big Ten champions trophy. | Amarillo Mullen