The No. 2 Nebraska Cornhusker volleyball team played host to No. 1 Wisconsin in arguably the most anticipated matchup of the college season. The current chapter of the rivalry did not disappoint as the Huskers and Badgers once again took the battle to five sets. Nebraska overcame the fierce war with Wisconsin and conquered its foe for the first time since 2017 (25-22, 17-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-13.
The Huskers got off to a strong start, taking the first set, but the Badgers responded by taking the following two. Nebraska then clashed with Wisconsin throughout the fourth set but managed to pull away with the win, forcing a fifth set. The battle went down to the wire, but the Huskers managed to come out on top.
Nebraska scored 69 kills off 193 attacks but mustered up a hitting percentage of .130. The Huskers surrendered a season-high 44 attack errors, which accompanied Wisconsin’s 52 kills off 157 attacks. Merritt Beason led the way in kills for Nebraska, finishing with 21 kills off 52 attacks.
Freshman Harper Murray and Ally Batenhorst also hit double-digits in kills. Murray finished the match with 14 kills off 44 attacks and also put up 15 digs, while Batenhorst finished with 13 kills off 40 attacks. Four different Huskers cracked double digits in digs, combining for 60 of the team’s 72: Murray, freshman Bergen Reilly, Lexi Rodriguez and freshman Laney Choboy.
Both Reilly and Rodriguez finished with 17 digs each, while Choboy tallied up 11 digs. Reilly led Nebraska in assists, totaling up 50 on the night.
The Huskers stand at 19-0 and will now become the No. 1 team in the country. Nebraska is the only undefeated team in the top 25. The Huskers will remain home to face Maryland on Friday night. The match is set for 7:00 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.
There's a new #1. pic.twitter.com/0c52T9IGBc
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 22, 2023