Heading into the NCAA volleyball national semifinals Thursday night, Penn State had never beaten Nebraska twice in the same season and had lost 14 of its previous 16 games against the Cornhuskers. The Big Ten co-champions battled for a spot in the championship game in Louisville.

Nebraska led for most of the first set, helped by three serving errors from Penn State. Despite the early hole, three kills from Camryn Hannah and an Izzy Starck ace helped Penn State take a 23-21 lead late in the set. Nebraska’s Andi Jackson responded immediately, scoring three kills during a 4-0 run, and the Huskers won Set 1, 25-23.

The Cornhuskers dominated the second set with their blocking and powerful serving, outscoring PSU .400 to .098 in the frame. Nebraska extended the lead to 16-8, and while the Lions began to find an offensive rhythm later in the set, the Huskers were able to escape with a 25-18 victory in the second set.

With their backs against the wall, the Lions concentrated on both sides of the ball in the third set and recorded just two scoring errors after combining for 16 in the first two sets. A varied attack led by six kills from Caroline Jurevicius helped Penn State keep pace, and her sixth kill of the set gave PSU two set points at 24-22. A kill by Harper Murray allowed Nebraska to fend off the first set point, but PSU converted the second set on a Murray attack error. Penn State stayed alive with a 25-23 win in the third set.

Penn State continued its offensive rhythm in the fourth set and held a 15-12 lead midway through the set. A Jess Mruzik service error led to a 6-0 Nebraska run, and suddenly the Lions were down 18-15. The Huskers continued to frustrate Penn State with their serve, and a combo block from Rebekah Allick and Taylor Landfair extended Nebraska’s lead to 22-16. The margin for error was slim for Penn State.

Two kills and a block from Camryn Hannah helped the Lions cut the deficit to 23-22. After a kill from Rebekah Allick gave Nebraska two match points, Jess Mruzik and Caroline Jurevicius each recorded a kill to avoid elimination. A back-and-forth fourth set ended with another Hannah kill, and Penn State’s 28-26 win in the fourth set pushed the game into a deciding fifth set.

Coming into tonight, Penn State was undefeated in five games this season (4-0). A serving error by Nebraska and an ace by Ava Falduto on consecutive plays gave the Lions a 4-2 lead, and Penn State would lead by at least two points until a kill by Harper Murray cut PSU’s lead to 9-8. A key 3-0 run by Penn State, highlighted by a combo block from Jordan Hopp and Caroline Jurevicius, extended the lead to 12-8.

A kill from Camryn Hannah gave the Lions three match points to make the score 14-11. After Nebraska blocked the first two, Hannah duly sealed the comeback victory with a kill that ricocheted off Nebraska’s block and out of bounds.

Penn State’s reverse sweep was its first in the NCAA Tournament since the 2009 title game against Texas. Nebraska was defeated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1982.

With the win, Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s team advances to the NCAA Championship game for the 11th time in program history and the first time since winning the title in 2014. The Nittany Lions have a 7-3 all-time record in title games.

Penn State will face host Louisville, which defeated No. 1 seed Pitt in the other semifinal, for the NCAA Championship on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.