Nebraska’s nine-match home stretch is over, and the top-ranked Huskers are heading into one of the Big Ten’s most difficult environments with a chance to measure their continued growth. Nebraska travels to Penn State this week after an unbeaten start built on dominant defense, a deep middle attack and a team that coach Dani Busboom Kelly believes is becoming more confident by the week. The Huskers lead the nation in opponent hitting percentage, a number libero Olivia Mauch credits to the connection between Nebraska’s block and backcourt defense. “The block is the first line of defense,” Mauch said. “For us to be able to set up behind it, it’s so crucial for them to be in a good spot.” Nebraska’s defensive system has limited opponents throughout the early season, while its offense has continued to evolve around setter Bergen Reilly and a group of middle blockers Reilly calls the best in the country. The group’s impact goes beyond kills and blocks, Reilly said. Nebraska’s middles cr...