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Lauren Stivrins is back – and the highly anticipated return of the All-American Nebraska star was all it was expected to be. Stivrins missed the first 11 games with off-season back surgery, and in the midst of his absence, Nebraska experienced a flurry of roster changes, three straight losses and a drop in standings. But she came back on October 1 against Michigan, and she too wanted to win her place. Stivrins recorded 11 kills on 0.733 strikes with three blocks in the sweep. Now, the Huskers will face their first ranked opponent since the return of their leader – No.13 Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are in the middle of a six-game winning streak after two straight losses to Oregon and Stanford. They looked awesome in a then-No sweep. 3 Ohio State, and the next will face their first ranked matchup since the Buckeyes. Penn State leads the nation as a team in blocks per set at 3.32 with Kaitlyn Hord placing second nationally at 1.74 blocks per set. Their attack has also found its rhythm, led by Jonni Parker and other contributors to Adanna Rollins, Allie Holland, Erika Pritchard and Anastasiya Kudryashova.
MOVING UP: Penn State drops to top 10 in latest Power 10 ranking
When it comes to Nebraska and Penn State, I would expect an incredibly loud environment at Rec Hall and some top level volleyball. The Huskers have a class of talented freshmen who, amid the lineup shuffle, has fallen to three ranked teams. They have had time to regroup as a group and will face a great opponent from Penn State. As for history, Nebraska have won nine of the last 10 clashes between these two teams, but the Huskers’ last two wins have been at the Devaney Center. Now they will face the seasoned Nittany Lions on the road.
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