LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Caroline Jurevicius was no surprise for the Nebraska volleyball team when it played Penn State for the first time this season.

And the redshirt freshman right guard certainly won’t be doing it this time when the third-seeded Huskers face No. 2 Penn State in the national semifinals on Thursday night.

This time last year, Jurevicius was on the Nebraska team. She transferred to Penn State in January.

Nebraska coach John Cook knows firsthand that Jurevicius hits the ball really hard and is a strong competitor.

That was evident when Nebraska and Penn State played about three weeks ago, when the Nittany Lions defeated Nebraska 25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 25-23. That earned Penn State a share of the Big Ten title, which they ultimately shared when Nebraska also finished 19-1 in the league.

Jurevicius had one of her best games of the year against Nebraska with a season-high 18 kills for a .414 hitting percentage.

On the day, Nebraska did a good job on defense against first-team All-American outside hitter Jess Muruzik, who had 10 kills but hit just .000.

But Jurevicius was an x-factor and helped Penn State beat the Huskers.

In Nebraska’s first game against Penn State, there were times when Nebraska didn’t have two blockers against Jurevicius.

“We have to stick to our game plan,” Cook said. “We have to play a lot better than we did at Penn State. Our team knows this.”

To advance to the championship game, Nebraska must beat a Nittany Lions team that defeated NU in four sets less than three weeks ago.

“It’s great for us,” righty hitter Merritt Beason said of playing again against Penn State. “We get another chance. The first time we played Penn State we weren’t the winners, so I think we’re really excited for another chance.”

Nebraska is thinking about how it can play one of its best games of the season more than its opponent.

“We’re in the Final Four, and no matter who’s on the other side of the net, we’re going to focus on our side and do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Beason said.

For the third time this season, Nebraska traveled to Louisville. This week’s trip is the best yet.

The Huskers opened the season at Louisville in the AVCA First Serve Showcase, defeating Kentucky in four sets. The Huskers played Louisville again in a non-conference game on September 22nd and won 3-0.

The Huskers arrived in town late Tuesday night. On Wednesday there was a 90-minute training session and several media events.

“Our goal was to come here a third time,” Cook said. “It’s changed a little since we were here last. It’s a great place to play volleyball in this arena and I heard it sells out, so it should be fun.”

On Wednesday evening, the team was scheduled to attend a reception for all four teams at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs.

As a player at Nebraska, Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly experienced the feeling of playing in the Final Four at home when the Huskers won the 2006 national championship in Omaha.

Now she’s grateful her players will experience a similar feeling when they play just a few miles from campus at the KFC Yum! play. Center on Thursday evening.

“The Final Four is already a big deal, but it makes it a little more fun and exciting when so many people have access to watch it,” Busboom Kelly said.

Busboom Kelly was an assistant coach for Nebraska during the Omaha Final Four in 2015, when the Huskers also won a national championship.

“I just remember that we really felt like the audience in Omaha helped us so much and that we could benefit from it,” she said.

On Wednesday, Busboom Kelly listened intently and smiled as three Louisville players sat on a stage during a news conference and answered questions about attending the Final Four at home.

Some Lincoln residents will recognize the last name of Penn State setter Izzy Starck and Penn State defensive specialist Angelina Starck.

On Wednesday, Izzy Starck was named national freshman of the year.

Her father, Doug, is a Lincoln East graduate who worked as a linesman for Nebraska volleyball games at the NU Coliseum as a teenager in the late 1980s.

Doug was also asked by the Huskers’ new, young assistant coach to play beach volleyball on the campus court and later a beach tournament. That was John Cook. Doug went on to play college volleyball at Ball State. The girls’ grandparents, Gary and Judy Starck, lived in Lincoln for more than 60 years.

Nebraska’s Elite Eight game against Wisconsin on Sunday averaged 798,000 viewers on ABC.

Equally impressive were the 617,000 viewers for Nebraska’s late-night game against Dayton in the Sweet 16, which aired on the less accessible channel ESPN2.

Scroll through Nebraska’s Final Four photos from last year.

The celebratory photos of the Huskers beating Pittsburgh in straight sets? Two of the people cheering the loudest?

Maggie Mendelson and Caroline Jurevicius.

It’s visible evidence of how much can change in 12 months.

They changed the game for Nebraska last year – Jurevicius took a redshirt season and Mendelson appeared in 13 games. This year? They play for Penn State and perform at a high level – helping lead Penn State to the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2017.

“Since the winter when we all got here, we’ve worked very, very hard as a program to get back to a place like this and get Penn State volleyball back to the era where we’re here every year, let’s be honest.” said Jurevicius. “It’s just about restoring and honoring the history of those who came before us. That’s what we’re more focused on – not necessarily Nebraska.”

Ah yes. The two have come full circle: they play against their old school in the national semifinals.

In the age of the transfer portal, this is certainly not an isolated case. Nebraska had to face several former Huskers on big stages, including Texas’ Keonilei Akana and Kayla Caffey. But it’s still admittedly a bit strange.

“It worked out really well for them,” Nebraska coach John Cook said of Mendelson and Jurevicius. “But we miss her. A year ago they were right in our dressing room. It’s kind of bizarre when you think about it. I see the pictures and stuff from last year. They’re in all the pictures, Big Ten Championship stuff.

“Here we are playing them to try to get to the national championship. … it’s just crazy.”

There is still so much love between Nebraska and these two.

Just three weeks ago, when the two programs competed in the regular season, Jurevicius gave her miniball to her best friend, Nebraska midfielder Andi Jackson. Mendelson FaceTimed her best friend, Nebraska defensive specialist Maisie Boesiger, just this week.

But when you’re on the other side of the net — like you were last time, fighting for the Big Ten championship or for a spot in the national championship game — you have to switch off. There is simply no other way out.

“I love Caroline and Maggie more than anything – especially Carol, she’s my best friend,” Jackson said. “But honestly, you kind of forget when you’re in the game because you’re just so isolated. I see her on the other side of the net and am happy for her. It’s always fun to play them. It was really fun the first time and seeing them do well is super exciting. I thought it would be a little harder, but when you’re in the moment you can’t really remember.”

The connection between Jurevicius and Mendelson is far from the only storyline in this fight.

A look at some other topics of discussion ahead of Nebraska vs. Penn State:

Andi Jackson doesn’t want this to come out the wrong way.

But she believes this year’s group is better prepared for a Final Four appearance than last year.

“We’re older,” she said. “We have a Final Four under our belt, so we know how to balance it better. We know how to handle our emotions a little better. In some ways it doesn’t feel easier, but we can manage it better.”

Most of this team has been in this spot before, with the exception of freshmen Olivia Mauch and Skyler Pierce and transfer Taylor Landfair.

But everyone else knows what to expect.

You know the Wednesday rotation cycle, in which the NCAA rotates star players through various social media stops, press conferences and other commitments.

“It’s definitely the mentality of having been here before,” junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick said. “We have girls who assume this is their last chance. So it’s definitely a different mentality. I thought last year’s loss would bother me more, but I haven’t given it much thought during this Final Four experience. And that’s really exciting because it feels like a completely new experience.”

There’s also the revenge point – knowing that Penn State defeated Nebraska in four sets in their only meeting during the regular season, giving the Nittany Lions a share of the Big Ten title.

What is Nebraska doing differently this time?

The line of the day as voiced by Jackson, libero Lexi Rodriguez, middle blocker Leyla Blackwell and others?

They need to “play Nebraska volleyball.”

Well, it doesn’t complicate things too much. It focuses on the basics – emphasizing serve and pass. Do what they are good at and excel in those areas.

“Obviously with Wisconsin we didn’t try to shake things up too much,” Jackson said. “We just knew that if we played our game and continued like we had in previous games, we would come out victorious. It’s the same for Penn State. Of course we didn’t win the first time, but we didn’t try to achieve more.

“Our good is good enough.”