LINCOLN—Nebraska didn’t want to waste any time Friday evening — it had a Big Ten championship to celebrate.
The top-ranked Huskers needed just 1 hour, 13 minutes to finish off No. 25 Penn State in a 25-14, 25-11, 25-14 sweep Friday evening in front of 8,537 black-clad fans at the Devaney Center.
After the match, the Huskers (29-0, 19-0) were officially presented with the Big Ten championship trophy, along with commemorative shirts, hats and medals. They took plenty of pictures and made TikToks while sharing hugs and celebrating with their family and friends.
When Nebraska clinched the Big Ten title during the last two seasons, they were presented the trophy on the road: at Iowa in 2023 and at Maryland last year. Even though they locked up sole possession of first place Saturday at Indiana, the Huskers asked if they could delay the official ceremony until a home match.
Junior middle blocker Andi Jackson said celebrating at home allowed her parents, as well as her aunt, uncle and two cousins in the stands for the match.
“It’s just so special getting to do it in front of our fans, and one thing that I’m super happy about, too, is our families are here. When we’re away, not everyone’s family has the opportunity to go,” Jackson said. “The fans do so much for us, and we want them to be a part of this special moment. It’s a super cool thing that we get to celebrate here and celebrate out on the court.”
The victory was the Huskers’ quickest match of the season. It was two minutes faster than NU’s sweep over Michigan on Sept. 24, and the fifth time this season that they’ve finished off an opponent in less than 80 minutes.
The fast match time was aided by only one replay challenge, which Nebraska won after a quick review, and the Nittany Lions did not call any timeouts in the third set.
The Huskers also held Penn State under 40 total points for the second time this season. NU limited the Nittany Lions to just 34 total points the first time they played and gave up just five more in Friday’s match.
After losing to Penn State twice last season, including in the national semifinals after having match point, junior outside hitter Harper Murray said they wanted to make a statement against the Nittany Lions this season.
“I feel like we got our redemption back from last year, and that’s something a lot of us never have forgotten, and I’m sure we won’t,” She said. “It feels great to come out here the past few months and beat them in a sweep, both times, especially in their gym, because that’s a hard gym to play in, so it’s really cool for us.”
Nebraska finished hitting .385 with nine blocks and seven aces while limiting PSU to just a .011 hitting percentage. Murray led NU with 11 kills at a .476 clip while Bergen Reilly tallied 29 assists, a team-high 12 digs, two blocks, two aces and two kills.
Rebekah Allick added nine kills with no errors for a career-best .750 hitting percentage. Allick, Murray and Jackson all recorded four blocks. Jackson also chipped in six kills, while Taylor Landfair and Virginia Adriano finished with five kills each.
“This game tonight was honestly probably the best we’ve played all year,” Murray said. “There were absolutely no cracks tonight, and I feel like that just shows our potential, and that’s how we need to continue to play the next seven games.”
The Huskers slowly pulled away in the first set, siding out Penn State each of its first 12 times to serve. By the time PSU scored on its serve, the Nittany Lions were already down 21-13. PSU didn’t score on its serve in the second set until it was down 23-9.
Taylor Landfair tips the ball over a Penn State block. / Amarillo Mullen
For the match, the Huskers finished with an 88 sideout percentage and scored on more than half their serves.
NU also limited All-American Kennedy Martin to 11 kills, which tied her second-lowest output this season. (Her only lower total was seven kills in two sets against New Hampshire.) The junior opposite also set a season-low with a .094 hitting percentage on 32 swings. Five of her eight attack errors came via NU blocks.
Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said the key to slowing Martin down was effective serving, which they ramped up after a slow start.
“The first 15 points, our serve was a little bit weak, but we were encouraging them to keep going for it, and that eventually we’d start to crack them,” she said. “We had great prep on her. We had a whole week to prepare, which is really nice, and we know she’s going to get the ball a lot, so it’s just executing what we worked on in practice.”
The Huskers cranked up their serving in the second set and recorded five aces. Teraya Sigler recorded an ace on the second point of the set. Later, Virginia Adriano added back-to-back serves that Penn State could not handle. Then Reilly got in on the act with consecutive aces that were part of the Huskers’ first 8-0 run of the season.
The Huskers hosted a blackout Black Friday night against Penn State. / Amarillo Mullen
After the Nittany Lions took their only lead of the match — 2-1 in the third set — NU responded by winning the next four points and never looking back. Penn State didn’t help their cause as it missed five serves in the set.
The Nittany Lions (17-12, 11-8) have never lost eight matches in a conference season, and the last time they lost 12 matches in any year was 1982, when they went 26–15 under fourth-year head coach Russ Rose.
The NU players also fed off the energy of the crowd, which was almost entirely wearing black for the first-ever Black Out at the Devaney Center. With the players wearing long-sleeved black jerseys, Busboom Kelly got in on the action by wearing her sequined Adidas jacket that Murray presented to her before the season.
Jackson said the Huskers were eager to see how their home arena would look in black because they are used to it being covered in red.
“With the blackout and everything else going on, it was so exciting,” she said. “It was a really cool atmosphere to be in. I think the crowd brought so much energy. It was just an overall different vibe. They were so loud between points, and it was just a really, really fun atmosphere to play in.”
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LARA LIWANAG ON I-LISTEN: STRENGTH, PURPOSE, AND FIGHTING FOR FILIPINO ATHLETES
Episode dropping this Wednesday December 31, 2025 5PM on GMA Public Affairs Youtube Channel, Spotify and Apple Podcast
The upcoming episode of I-Listen spotlights Lara Liwanag—elite CrossFit athlete, coach, and advocate for inclusive sports—whose journey proves that strength goes far beyond physical power.
Known as the “clutch queen” after her standout performance on Physical: Asia, Lara represented the Philippines on an international stage, competing against some of the strongest athletes in the region. Despite being underdogs with no combat sports background, Lara and her teammate pushed through fear, injury, and pressure to give an all-out performance for the country. “Manalo man o matalo,” Lara says, “we did it for the Philippines.”
Beyond competition, Lara opens up about her long road as an athlete—from childhood dreams of representing the country, to becoming a national CrossFit champion, to facing injuries, setbacks, and online criticism. A registered nurse by profession, Lara chose to follow her true calling in fitness, even when others questioned her path. “Everything happens for a reason,” she shares. “Nandito ako ngayon dahil may purpose.”
Today, Lara is not only an athlete but a mentor. Through her gym and grassroots training initiatives with Olympian Hidilyn Diaz, she coaches children—many from underprivileged backgrounds—free of charge, helping them discover their potential through sports. Her advocacy highlights a pressing issue: the lack of support and funding for Filipino athletes, despite the abundance of raw talent across the country.
In her I-Listen interview, Lara delivers a powerful message to young women and aspiring athletes: strength is beautiful, fitness is for everyone, and confidence is built by simply starting. “Kung kaya ko, kaya niyo rin,” she says.
Dropping this Wednesday, December 31, 2025, this episode of i-Listen is a story of grit, faith, and purpose—reminding us that real strength lies in perseverance, service, and lifting others as you rise.
The University of Lynchburg announced Joshua Knapp as the head coach of the Hornets’ Men’s Volleyball Program in December 2025. He arrived in the Hill City with experience as a coach, student-athlete, and official, bringing a versatile background that will support the continued growth of the Hornets’ emerging men’s volleyball operation.
Knapp most recently served as the head coach for the Liberty University men’s club volleyball program, where he led the team since January 2023. In that role, he managed all aspects of the program, including training direction, recruitment efforts, and the coordination of support staff. Prior to taking over as head coach, he worked with the Flames as an assistant coach from August 2022 to January 2023, helping integrate skills development, training plans, and travel logistics for the team.
In addition to his coaching experience, Knapp is also a certified volleyball official with the Virginia High School League and the NCAA, a role he began in August 2025. His work as an official allowed him to use working knowledge of volleyball rules, regulations, and procedures while exhibiting professionalism through all interactions.
A former two-sport student-athlete at Liberty University, Knapp competed for four years in a high-level collegiate setting and served as a team captain for the men’s volleyball team from 2020 through 2022. Knapp earned his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Liberty University in 2022, completing academic specializations in business, sports management, and carpentry.
LONGVIEW – State champion Blum dominated voting for the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class A All-State Volleyball Team for the 2025 season.
Blum’s Kinsley McPherson earned Player of the Year honors, and Blum head coach Lauren McPherson was named Coach of the Year.
Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.
TEMPE – The 2026 Sun Devil Beach Volleyball schedule has been announced, marking the Sand Devils’ third season with head coach Kristen Glattfelder and second in the Big 12 conference.
The Sand Devils have 10 weekends of competition, two of them at home. The team will face 10 of the 16 teams that competed in the 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship and will play against all four national semifinalists (TCU, LMU, Cal Poly and UCLA).
ASU will start its season across the Valley at the Canyon Classic at Grand Canyon from February 20-21. The Sand Devils will face host GCU along with Colorado Mesa, UC Davis and reigning 2025 NCAA Champion and Big 12 Champion TCU.
The Sun Devils will continue to stay in state and head south to Tucson to compete in the Cactus Classic on February 27, where they will compete against Arizona and Georgia State.
The home opener will be from March 6-7, as ASU will host Arizona, Southern Miss, Arizona Christian and Nebraska at the Sun Devil Classic.
The Sand Devils will be out of state for three-consecutive weeks. From March 13-14, they will compete in Manhattan Beach at the East Meets West Invitational where they will go head-to-head against NCAA runner-up LMU, as well as UCLA, Hawai’i and Cal. ASU will travel to LSU for the Death Volley Invitational from March 20–21, facing Georgia State, Texas, Florida State and LSU, before heading to TCU for the Big 12 Preview Tournament from March 27–28.
To start the final month of the regular season, the Maroon and Gold will head home and host the Sparky Invitational where they’ll play Stetson, GCU, FIU and Ottawa from April 3-4. The Sand Devils will be back on the road the following week and compete at the COE Challenge at Cal Poly from April 10-11 and face California, Cal Poly and UCLA.
ASU will play at lone dual at Long Beach State on April 17 before heading to Tucson for the Big 12 Championships on April 23 and 24.
In its first Big 12 season, Arizona State went 22-14, setting a new win record for the program. The Sand Devils also went 9-1 on home sand and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The team also finished second at the first Big 12 Beach Volleyball Championships, falling to TCU 3-2.
The program and players earned several awards and accolades after finishing second in the league. Daniella Kensinger, Ava Kirunchyk and Samaya Morin were all named to the Big 12 All-Conference Team. Morin was also named an AVCA Second Team All-American. In addition, the team had three pairs named Big 12 Pair of the Week.
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State concludes 2025 with a 23-8 record, showing tremendous turnaround after going 10-18 last season. It is the highest win total since 2011, while ISU also went 12-6 in Big 12 play to finish tied for third after being chosen ninth in the preseason poll.
Cyclones wrapped the season earning national and conference awards including AVCA Libero of the Year, AVCA Second Team All-America, Big 12 Libero of the Year and Big 12 Setter of the Year.
Iowa State is ranked in the final AVCA Coaches Poll for the first time since 2017 earning the rank of T-No. 22. It’s the highest final ranking in 13 seasons (2012, No. 14). The Cyclones capped the season in the second round of the NCAA Championship, ISU’s 18th trip to the tournament.
Rachel Van Gorp, National Libero of the Year
Van Gorp showed the nation she is the best of the best becoming the inaugural AVCA Libero of the Year. The true sophomore, in her first full season at the position, compiled a list of awards also including AVCA Second Team All-America, AVCA First Team All-Region, Big 12 Libero of the Year, First Team All-Big 12 and two Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Iowa State took home Big 12 Libero and Setter of the Year, while five Cyclones were placed on All-Big 12 Teams. Van Gorp was the unanimous choice for Libero of the Year, while Morgan Brandt secured Setter of the Year. Both were First Team All-Big 12 selections, and Tierney Jackson was placed on season team. True freshmen Alea Goolsby and Reagan Hanfelt earned Big 12 All-Rookie Team.
Leading the Conference
ISU ends 2025 as the Big 12 leader in digs (15.12 per set) and kills (13.98 per set). The Cyclones ranked top 25 nationally in kills (No. 18) and assists (12.91 per set, No. 24), helping lead Iowa State to hit at .245 on the season. The efficiency is the fourth-highest single-season hitting percentage in program history.
2025 By the Numbers
4 – ISU had four ranked wins on the season, the most since 2012. The Cyclones were the only Big 12 team to take down Arizona State this season and ended No. 6 ASU’s 12-match win streak and 26-match Big 12 win streak.
4 – Morgan Brandt ends her Iowa State career ranking fourth in program history with 3,787 assists. The total led all 2025 Big 12 active players.
7 – The Cyclones hit over .300 in seven matches. ISU had a stretch of three straight hitting over .400, a program first, while two of those match efficiencies now rank in the program all-time top 10.
8 – Iowa State ended non-conference with a record of 10-1, the best mark in eight seasons.
10 – Maya Duckworth entered the ISU top 10 in career kills and concludes her career with 1,073. Duckworth was the 12th in program history to join the 1,000-kill club.
12 – Iowa State sealed 12 Big 12 wins for the first time since 2012.
15 – ISU opened the season at 5-0 without losing a set, one of the final three teams to begins with 15 set wins. It marked the first time in program history to open the season with a 15-0 set record.
400 – Christy Johnson-Lynch celebrated win No. 400 this season vs. No. 16 TCU. Johnson-Lynch now owns 11 20-win seasons and 48 top 25 wins, with 12 in the top 10.
Kansas State volleyball All-American Shaylee Myers announced she is stepping away from the sport and will not pursue a professional career.
The Lincoln, Nebraska native was selected in the second round of last month’s Pro Volleyball Federation draft by the Atlanta Vibe, but has decided not to continue playing beyond her collegiate career.
Myers closed her time in Manhattan with one of the most decorated seasons the program has seen. She earned All-America Honorable Mention recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), becoming the 12th player in school history to receive the honor and the second under head coach Jason Mansfield, joining former Wildcat teammate Aliyah Carter.
Her All-America nod capped a historic senior campaign filled with accolades. Myers was named the program’s first-ever AVCA Region Player of the Year, earned AVCA First Team All-Region honors and was a unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection. She also claimed three Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards during the season.
Statistically, Myers rewrote the K-State record book. She finished her senior year with 498 kills (4.70 per set) and 547.0 points (5.16 per set), setting the rally-scoring era single-season record for kills per set and tying for third-most total kills in that era. Her 34-kill performance against West Virginia on Oct. 1 marked the Big 12’s top single-match output of the season.
Myers reached another milestone during the NCAA Tournament, becoming just the 20th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career kills. She finished her career with 1,029 kills and 1,148.5 points, ranking among the program’s top 25 in multiple career categories.
K-State concluded the 2025 season at 18-10 overall and 10-8 in Big 12 play, earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament — the program’s 19th postseason appearance and first under Mansfield.
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