When Caroline Jurevicius started her NCAA career, she hoped to raise the NCAA championship trophy above her head one day. She was a runner-up with Nebraska a season ago, driving her even more. She traded the red and white for navy blue and was an intricate part of Penn State’s attack all season. It culminated Dec. 22 at the KFC Yum! Center against Louisville. Jurevicius had 10 kills, the third-most among Nittany Lions players, to help the team secure its first national championship since 2014 and eighth in team history with a 3-1 victory. Caroline Jurevicius thriving at Penn State after transferring from Nebraska “I really have no words about it,” Jurevicius said. “You always hear about people winning championships and like what it feels like. To be honest, I didn’t know how to feel about it after when we were dog-piling on the court. I was kind of just staring straight ahead like what just happened. But there is a lot of pride and gratitude for the experience.” Jurevicius and the Nittany Lions started well, taking the first set, 25-23. The difference-maker was mini runs, as three 3-0 surges pushed them to the first set win with Jurevicius racking up three kills. A wild second set ensued as Penn State took a 19-13 lead in the set. But the Cardinals went on a 6-1 run to make it a 20-19 Nittany Lions lead. Penn State got it to set point, and Jurevicius had just two kills in the set. The Nittany Lions led, 24-19, and had five set points to work with. But Lousiville came back to tie it at 24-24 all. Jurevicius tried to sub in but had to run back to the bench because Penn State had used all 15 subs. The teams traded points as Jurevicius looked on, and Louisville took the second set 34-32, an NCAA record 66 points in a championship set, and tied the game at one each. “It’s important to take the first set because it sort of solidifies that it’s possible,” Jurevicius said. “Now it’s just a matter of finishing rather than starting late. I had to watch my 5-foot-6 roommate (Jocelyn Nathan) play front row and then our 5-foot-9 DS (Quinn Menger) had to play middle. It was kind of terrifying because you feel like you don’t have control. Not only that but that something out of the ordinary is happening. I was panicking a little bit but once we got to the locker room between sets, we had a little grounding talk and deep breaths.” During the second set intermission — college volleyball’s version of halftime — the Penn State coaching staff had a simple message: Settle in again but stay aggressive. Caroline Jurevicius and Maggie Mendelson embrace as Penn State celebrates it's 3-1 victory over Louisville (Photo provided by Penn State Athletics) Jurevicius and the Nittany Lions did just that. She had five kills in the third and fourth sets and Louisville only held one lead the rest of the game, a 1-0 lead off of an attacking error. Jurevicius finished behind Jess Mruzik with 29 kills and Camryn Hannah with 19 kills, which included the championship point. But Jurevicius wasn’t worried about her numbers. All that mattered was the title being hoisted over her head. “It was one of the greatest experiences for me,” Jurevicius said. “I couldn't care less about getting the game-winning point at that time. But being on the court and getting to experience it from that perspective, whereas last year it was completely different and I was watching us lose a national title on the sideline. I had control and contributed to helping the girls as much as they had helped me.” The duality of Jurevicius’ two seasons at the collegiate level is one of the biggest swings. She started as a true freshman at Nebraska but could only sit and watch as the Cornhuskers lost to Texas a season ago. She announced her transfer portal status the day after the national title game last year, and by the end of the week, she called Penn State home. Not only did she guide Penn State past Nebraska at the end of the season for a share of the Big Ten title, but her 20-kill performance along with Mruzik’s 26 fueled the Nittany Lions to a reverse sweep of the Cornhuskers. “I think it’s jarring the juxtaposition of the two,” Jurevicius said. “I am very proud of where I’ve come from and I’m beyond grateful for the people that have gotten me to this point and helped me become a better person and player, getting healthier mentally. I really have no words because I don’t know if there’s a way to describe what the difference is.” Jurevicius and the Nittany Lions returned to State College to a cheering crowd with the title. And Jurevicius is excited about the chance of the title not being the only one that she might hoist. Not only does she have three more years left at Penn State, she’s one of five returning starters from the championship team and a recruiting class that features a five-star hitter Marin Collins plus two four-stars and Jurevicius' younger sister Ava. Penn State will attempt to become back-to-back champions for the first time since 2013-14 and the first since Texas repeated in 2021-22. The Nittany Lions also have the chance to tie Stanford for the most titles in NCAA history with nine. But Jurevicius isn’t looking too far into the future. Rather, she’s looking forward to the banner reveal for a championship at Penn State that she contributed to. “I think I’ll get flashbacks to being a little girl in the stands of Rec Hall,” Jurevicius said. “Looking up at the rafters and wanting to be there one day. And I think it’ll be the same feeling of wanting to get another one.”