Nebraska Huskers Volleyball — Rebekah Allick to lead Nebraska Cornhuskers in NCAA semifinal against Penn State (Image: Getty and Rebekah Allick's Instagram)

"Easy to get emotional" - Nebraska Cornhuskers' Rebekah Allick on facing former teammates in NCAA volleyball semifinals

Modified Dec 19, 2024 18:02 GMT

The Nebraska Cornhuskers' Rebekah Allick is focused ahead of the NCAA semifinals clash against Penn State, the team with two of her former teammates in its squad. Caroline Jurevicius and Maggie Mendelson were part of the Huskers' roster last year before changing sides to Nittany Lions in 2024.

Allick, a junior at Nebraska Cornhuskers, acknowledged that while facing her former teammates in the semifinals would be emotional, they would try to focus on volleyball. Speaking ahead of the Final Four clash on Wednesday, she said (Hastings Tribune):

“A lot of it is just seeing them as a number. It is easy to get emotional when you play against people who used to play with you. The most important thing is treating them like they are an opponent... Just try not to overcomplicate it."

The two sides will meet in a clash for a place in the final of the 2024 Women's NCAA Volleyball Championships on December 22, where they will face the winner of the Pittsburgh-Louisville semifinal.

Mendelson, who has 235 kills this season for Penn State, said her former teammates are her best friends.

“There’s always communication. Those girls are some of our best friends. We try to keep volleyball off the table when we are talking because it is such a high-stress environment and we are playing each other. Just checking in on life," she said.

While Mendelson was part of the Nebraska women's volleyball team for two years and racked up 74 kills, Jurevicius didn't spend much time with the five-time national champions with a redshirt year in 2023.

Nebraska Cornhuskers' road to NCAA semifinals against Penn State

Nebraska v Wisconsin - Nebraska Cornhuskers' Lexi Rodrigue in action against Wisconsin women's volleyball team (Source: Getty)

The Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated Florida A&M and Miami 3-0 each in the first and second round before advancing to the regionals. They defeated No.5 Dayton in a 3-1 thriller in the Regionals and registered another dominant 3-0 win in the Regional Final against Wisconsin.

Harper Murray and Merrit Beason lead the team this season in kills with 391 and 331 respectively. Bergen Reilly has emerged as one of the star performers for the team this season, scoring a massive 1297 aces.

Meanwhile, Penn State defeated Delaware State, North Carolina, No.5 Marquette, and No.2 Creighton on their way to the 2024 NCAA semifinals, with Caroline Jurevicius and Maggie Mendelson playing a crucial role in their success.