The Penn State Nittany Lions have long been a good test for the Nebraska volleyball team. This year, the new-look squad will offer a different litmus test, partly because PSU has so many new faces and new ways to play.
The Thursday night faceoff between the two Big Ten rivals will also be a heck of a litmus test for Dani Busboom Kelly’s squad because the Huskers haven’t had to leave the friendly confines of Lincoln since they played in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field back on September 6.
The trip to Penn State starts a stretch where Nebraska will play four of five matches on the road. After the Nittany Lions, they’ll play Maryland on Saturday, then travel to Indiana next Thursday. After coming home to face Wisconsin on October 10, they'll go back on the road at Northwestern.
But it’s not just the road that makes Penn State an interesting twist. PSU still has opposite hitter Kennedi Martin, one of the best players in the country; now she’s joined by newcomer and former Nebraska star outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein. Then there’s setter Alexis Stucky, who uses her height and athleticism to her advantage in a big way.
Penn State is also an unknown because it’s simply not clear who else might line up across from the Huskers in any given set. Haley Burgdorf has started all 12 matches, and Lauenstein has started 11. Emmi Sellman, Finley Krystkowiak, senior Caroline Jurevicius (another former Nebraska player) and Alexis Ewing have all seen playing time at outside hitter.
Ahead of Thursday’s match, Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly made it clear that Penn State is a puzzle the Huskers need to solve if they want to win in hostile territory.
“They have a lot of hitters that you can’t really put one tendency on, so you have to be ready to defend anything,” Reilly said. “It’ll be a good challenge for us.”
On Tuesday night, Busboom Kelly did deliver some very good news for a team looking for any edge. NU’s outside hitter and rising star Teraya Sigler is back and 100% for Thursday’s match.
Sigler was injured in the makeup match for the Wrigley Field event, which was canceled when condensation formed on the court due to humidity at the outdoor venue. Sigler sat out a sweep of Rutgers on Friday and then played only sparingly in another sweep against Ohio State after slipping and injuring her ankle against the Tigers.
For 13-0 Nebraska, this is the first time they venture into unknown territory in 2026. How they respond should tell everyone a ton about how the rest of the season will play out.
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