Nebraska shines, Florida and Kansas impress at 2025 AVCA First Serve Showcase
🏐 Recap of the AVCA First Serve Showcase
The 2025 AVCA First Serve Showcase wraps up with a thrilling display of top-tier volleyball, as 10 teams clashed across two different locations to kick off the season. From stunning upsets, to top-10 sweeps and the dawn of new eras, the highly anticipated weekend delivered just a preview of what’s to come.
After an action packed weekend, spanned across Lincoln, Neb. and Sioux Falls S.D., two teams walked away from the weekend undefeated: No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Penn State.
The Huskers showcased exactly why they are considered the best in the nation, toppling two top-10 teams with a win against No. 3 Pitt in four and a sweep of No. 6 Stanford. In the new Dani Busboom Kelly era, the star-studded team featured dominant performances and a disciplined edge top to bottom. Veteran Rebekkah Allick tallied 11 kills on 15 swings, earning her the MVP title in their Cardinal sweep.
The Nittany Lions clinched a sweep of their own against No.12 Creighton, but narrowly escaped a fiery No. 14 Kansas in a five-set dual. The season still looks bright with newcomer Kennedy Martin shining in her Penn State debut alongside Caroline Jurevicius’ 14 kills on .393 hitting for the day against the Jayhawks.
Though falling to Nebraska in their last match, No. 6 Stanford showcased a new system and left First Serve with a win against No. 16 Florida. Elia Rubin lead the Cardinal with 14 kills on a .353 clip and 17 digs, in one of the most impressive outings of the weekend.
Florida still made their mark, clinching an upset against a No. 3 Pitt team in five sets. Gator transfer Jordyn Byrd set the tone with 23 kills and some critical blocks against 2024 AVCA Player of the Year, Olivia Babcock.
Pitt fell in both their matches this weekend. Prior to their fall against Florida, the Panthers lost to Nebraska on the first day of play, despite impressive efforts from Babcock.
The fiery Kansas team secured their first win under new leadership in Matt Ulmer, with a strong showing against the newly reinstated Vanderbilt Commodores. The Jayhawks’ athleticism lead by Rhian Swanson and Selena Leban, carried their momentum into the five-set thriller against Penn State. Though they fell short against the Nittany Lions, there is still a lot of promise to look at in the new Ulmer era team.
The weekend concluded with the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies defeating the No. 11 Minnesota Gophers, 4-1. Backed by Logan Lednicky’s first double-double of the season and veteran experience in Ifenna Cos-Okpalla and Emily Hellmutch, Texas A&M set the scene for an impressive season to come.
Results:
- Friday, Aug. 22 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.:
- No. 1 Nebraska 3, No. 3 Pittsburgh 1 |Final Stats
- No. 6 Stanford 3, No. 16 Florida 1 | Final Stats
- Saturday, Aug. 23 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.:
- No. 15 Kansas 3, Vanderbilt 2 | Final Stats
- No. 2 Penn State 3, No. 12 Creighton 0 |Final Stats
- Sunday, Aug. 24 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.:
- No. 16 Florida 3, No. 3 Pittsburgh 2| Final Stats
- No. 1 Nebraska 3, No. 6 Stanford 0 |Final Stats
- Monday, Aug. 25 at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.:
- No. 2 Penn State 3, No. 15 Kansas 2 | Final Stats
- No. 9 Texas A&M 4, No. 11 Minnesota 1| Final Stats
🥇 Texas A&M claims it in 4
The last match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase concluded with a No. 9 Texas A&M statement win over No. 11 Minnesota, 4-1.
The Aggies won their opening set in the 2025 season debut, 25-23 before falling to the Gophers 25-21 in the second. Rallying back in the third set, Texas A&M took control and secured the 25-21 win to hold a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth.
Momentum was on their side the entirety of set four, with dominance up front and precision down the line. Logan Lednicky lead the Aggies with 22 kills on a .421 clip with 12 digs and four blocks, marking her first double double of the season. She was backed by veteran leadership in Emily Hellmuth's 15 kills and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla who tallied eight kills of her own with seven blocks. The Texas A&M team leaves Sioux Falls S.D. undefeated headed into their 2025 season.
🙌 Aggies take Set 3
Bouncing back from the fall in set two, Texas A&M took charge in the third. Opposite Logan Lednicky put on an outstanding performance for the Aggies, leading her team with 19 kills on a .484 clip with 11 digs after three sets. Carrying from the 2024 season, this is now Lednicky's 25th match with 10 plus kills. The Aggies hold the 2-1 edge headed into the fourth set. Keep up with live stats here.
🥊 Gophers punch back and take Set 2
After falling in the first set, Minnesota bounced back, defeating Texas A&M 25-21 in the second. The Gophers have relied on veteran Julia Hanson on the outside, thus far notching eight kills with two digs. Minnesota evens the match up, 1-1 headed into set three. Keep up with live stats here.
Set 2 goes to and we're all tied up ‼️
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball)
👍 Set 1 goes to the Aggies
In their first appearance of the 2025 season, Texas A&M takes their first set win against a top-15 team in the Minnesota Gophers, 25-23. The high-powered Aggie offense was charged by Ifenna Cos-Okpalla with her four kills on .800 hitting and two stuffs. The match stands at the 1-0 Aggie advantage headed into the second set. Keep up with live stats here.
Set 1️⃣ goes to 👍 x 🎥 BTN
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No.11 Minnesota 🔜
The last match of the 2025 AVCA First Serve Showcase is about to kick off. Two new teams take the field in Sioux Falls S.D. for their first contests of their seasons. Tune in at 9:42 p.m. ET when No. 9 Texas A&M takes on No.11 Minnesota.
🏆 Penn State outlasts Kansas in five
No. 2 Penn State survives No. 14 Kansas in a heated five set battle at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls S.D, 3-2. The returning national champion Nittany Lions leave the AVCA First Serve Showcase undefeated headed in to the 2025 season.
Off to a slow start, Penn State finished set one with a come from behind 25-22 win over the Jayhawks. After falling to Kansas in the next two sets, the momentum and dynamic shifted. The Nittany Lions rallied for a six-set point 30-28 victory in the fourth. Pushing the match to five, Penn State took the lead early on in the last set with a steady confidence. They sealed the win in set five, 15-12, narrowly escaping the Jayhawk upset.
Transfer superstar Kennedy Martin commanded the court with 18 kills and five digs. But it was the help of Caroline Jurevicius' 14 kills on .393 hitting and Izzy Stark's 53 assists and 16 digs that made the difference for the now undefeated Nittany Lions.
Coming up next, the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies take on the No.11 Minnesota Gophers in the last match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. Tune in to live stats here.
🤯 What a rally between Penn State and Kansas
A look back on this insane rally from set two as we head into the fifth!
This rally on REPEAT 😮💨 x 🎥 BTN /
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
💪 Nittany Lions escape in Set 4
In a do-or-die showdown, featuring six set points by the Nittany Lions, Penn State survives Kansas in the fourth set, 30-28. Maggie Mendelson leads the Nittany Lions with 11 kills on 18 swings, carrying momentum and leadership throughout the set. The match is tied up 2-2 headed into the fifth. Keep up with life stats here.
Off the tape for an ACE and we're going FIVE!
— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL)
🔥 Kansas takes Set 3
The Jayhawks are heating up, claiming a 25-16 victory over Penn State in the third set to take the lead 2-1. Jovana Zelenovic has been the difference maker for Kansas, with seven kills and 4.5 blocks. But it has been an all-around effort for the Jayhawk team with .609 on hitting in set three, building their momentum with every swing and tip. Keep up with live stats in the fourth set here.
🔴🔵 Jayhawks claim Set 2
After giving up a six-point lead late in the second set and fighting off a two point deficit in a Penn State set point, the determined Kansas team rallied to claim the set win, 26-24. Outside Rhian Swanson is the spark plug for the Kansas team, tallying eight kills on .467 hitting in a gutsy performance thus far. The Jayhawks ended set two in a 4-0 run while evening up the match 1-1 headed into the third. Keep up with live stats here.
A l👀k at that set point!
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball)
📺 Tune in on Big 10 Network |
👀 Penn State squeaks by in Set 1
The Nittany Lions take set one in a come-from-behind win over Kansas, 25-22. Penn State's Izzy Stark shifted the momentum with a clutch kill late in the set. Paired with Maggie Mendleson, the duo sealed the win with a block, denying the Jayhawks. Keep up with the live stats here.
Mendelson/Starck block to end set one!
— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL)
📋 Team superlatives
Wondering which player responds the fastest? Or who's labeled as the punctual player of NCAA volleyball? Check it out here.
NCAA volleyball superlatives 🤩
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 14 Kansas 🔜
Time is ticking down until day four of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. Not only are the matches played on new soil in Sioux Falls, S.D., but two new teams enter the playing field with No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 11 Minnesota. But first, two undefeated teams in No. 2 Penn State and No. 14 Kansas will face. Who will head into the 2025 regular season with a perfect record? Tune in for the 6:30 p.m start when the Nittany Lions take on the Jayhawks.
🏐 AVCA First Serve Day 3 Roundup
The third day of the AVCA First Serve Showcase at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. featured big upsets and top-10 sweeps. Both No.1 Nebraska and No. 16 Florida put on display just how dangerous their teams can be headed into the 2025 season.
The Gators pulled off a stunning upset over the No. 3 ranked Pitt team in a five set thriller, claiming their first win in the Head Coach Ryan Theis era. The teams traded wins for the first four sets of the match in an epic dance, pushing the match to five. Florida stand-out Jordyn Byrd proved herself as a valuable new asset to the Gator team, racking 23 kills and some incredible blocks against Pitt's Olivia Babcock. Byrd led her team throughout the match, propelling them to clinch the upset with a 15-13 win in the fifth set. See full stats here.
WHAT A SURREAL MOMENT FOR THE GATORS 👏 x
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
The Huskers proved their preseason rankings as the number one team and displayed a level of dominance over No. 6 Stanford in a three set sweep. Stacked in talent, the Nebraska team came out swinging with a 25-13 win in the first set. Their momentum and command never let up, going 25-19 in the second and claiming the sweep with a 25-14 victory in the third. Rebekah Allick, the match MVP, tallied 11 kills on 15 swings and two solo block and was backed by an incredible all-around team performance. See full stats here.
That'll do, 🙂↕️
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
Huskers win!