Nebraska volleyball sweeps Long Island in opening round

The No. 1 Huskers began the NCAA tournament for the 42nd consecutive season, hosting the Northeast Conference Champions, Long Island.

The No. 1 Huskers began the NCAA tournament for the 42nd consecutive season, hosting Northeast Conference Champions, Long Island. Nebraska swept the Sharks (25-13, 25-16, 25-22) to advance to the second round.

The Huskers controlled the match from the start despite Long Island attempting a comeback in the third set. Nebraska finished the night with 44 kills off 100 attacks, while the Sharks only produced 28 kills off 93 attacks.

Merritt Beason led the Huskers in the win, racking up 13 kills off 23 attacks, along with seven digs. Freshman Harper Murray finished second on the night for Nebraska in kills, delivering nine off 26 attacks while also snatching eight digs.

Freshman Laney Choboy topped the Huskers’ stats sheet for digs, cracking double-digits with ten on the night. Freshman Bergen Reilly meanwhile continued her role as setter, aiding with 33 set assists, nine digs, and even three service aces.

Nebraska advances to the second round of the tournament and will play host to Missouri on Saturday night. The match is set for 7:00 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+. The winner will advance to the Sweet Sixteen to take on Georgia Tech.

 

Husker volleyball dominate Big Ten Conference honors

The Nebraska volleyball team dominated the postseason honors for the Big Ten Conference.

The Nebraska volleyball team dominated the postseason honors for the Big Ten Conference. The Huskers would see seven team members win awards, including head coach John Cook, who was named the Big Ten Volleyball Coach of the Year.

The Huskers would win four of the five individual awards. Junior libero Lexi Rodriguez won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time. Bergen Reilly was named Setter of the Year and is the first freshman to win Setter of the Year, and Harper Murray was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Those three players and Merritt Beason were named All-Big Ten First Team. Beason and Rodriguez were unanimous selections. It’s the first time the Huskers have had four first-team selections since it joined the Big Ten in 2011. Bekka Allick and Andi Jackson were also named second-team All-Big Ten.

Nebraska volleyball earns share of conference title with win over Michigan

On Friday night, the No. 1 Huskers played their final home match of the regular season against Michigan.

On Friday night, the No. 1 Huskers played their final home match of the regular season against Michigan. Nebraska crushed the Wolverines in its sweep (25-19, 25-12, 25-20) and clinched a share of the conference title with a loss by Wisconsin.

The Huskers brought one of their best defensive outing of the season, holding Michigan to just 22 kills off 106 for a hitting percentage of .047. Nebraska meanwhile continued firing on all cylinders offensively, finishing with 41 kills off 87 attacks, despite no one reaching double-digit kills.

The freshmen duo of Andi Jackson and Harper Murray led the Huskers on offense, combining for 18 kills off 33 attacks. Jackson continued a strong run on offense, landing nine kills off 11 attacks for a hitting percentage of .727.

This is the third match in a row Jackson has finished above .600 for a hitting percentage while delivering eight or more kills. Murray meanwhile finished with nine kills off 22 attacks, bringing her season total to 299.

Freshman Bergen Reilly joined in on the action for the young Huskers, bringing in 28 set assists and six digs. Lexi Rodriguez again led Nebraska in digs, finishing the match with 15.

The Huskers move to 26-0 on the season and will spend the final three matches on the road, starting with a Sunday afternoon showdown with Iowa. The match is set for 2 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.

Nebraska volleyball earns 25th win with 3-1 victory over Illinois

The No. 1 ranked Huskers hosted Illinois in their only matchup of the season on Sunday afternoon.

The No. 1 ranked Huskers hosted Illinois in their only matchup of the season on Sunday afternoon. Nebraska dominated the first two sets, winning both 25-14, but Illinois attempted to upset the Huskers by winning the third set and attempting to win the fourth. Nebraska stood its ground in set four to take the win (25-14, 25-14, 24-26, 25-22).

The Huskers provided an all-around performance in their 25th straight win of the season, with four players reaching double-digits in kills. Bekka Allick finished as the top Nebraska player in kills, earning 12 off of 19 attacks. She also led the team in blocks with five.

Merritt Beason and Ally Batenhorst each finished with 11 kills. Beason added eight digs, four blocks, and three service aces in the Huskers’ win. Freshman Harper Murray rounded out the double-digit squad with ten kills off 35 attacks while providing seven digs and four service aces.

Another notable performer on offense was Andi Jackson. The freshman delivered nine kills off 11 attacks for an attack percentage of .818. Freshman Bergen Reilly provided excellent support with 45 set assists and eight digs, while Lexi Rodriguez led the team in digs with 16.

Nebraska will host its final home match of the regular season against Michigan. The match is set for Friday at 8:00 p.m. and can be viewed on Big Ten Network.

Nebraska volleyball defeats Northwestern in four-sets

The No. 1 ranked Huskers began their first of three of their final home matches of the season on Wednesday night.

The No. 1 ranked Huskers began their first of three of their final home matches of the season on Wednesday night. Nebraska began the stretch by hosting Northwestern and defeating them in a four-set bout (28-26, 24-26, 25-11, 25-20).

The Huskers and Wildcats split the first two sets of the match in an aggressive fashion, taking them both past 25 points. Nebraska took control of the match in the third set, decimating Northwestern 25-11, before taking set four 25-20.

The Wildcats finished ahead of the Huskers in total attacks, attempting 140 over Nebraska’s 126. But Northwestern only delivered 50 kills while the Huskers racked up 56. Merritt Beason and freshman Harper Murray acted as the main driving force for Nebraska. The duo combined for 26 kills off 73 attacks, 17 digs and seven blocks.

Bekka Allick and Ally Batenhorst also finished with double-digit kills in the win. Allick went 11-of-16 and led the team in blocks with seven. Batenhorst delivered ten kills for Nebraska off 21 attacks. Freshman Andi Jackson also had a notable performance, tallying up eight kills from 10 attacks and completing six blocks. Freshman Bergen Reilly led the Huskers in assists and digs, racking up 45 and 12, respectively.

Nebraska is now 24-0, its best start to a season since 2005. The team continues their home stand on Sunday, where they’ll welcome in Illinois. The match is set for 2:00 p.m. and can be viewed on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Pair of Huskers earn weekly conference awards

A pair of Husker volleyball players have won weekly Big Ten awards.

A pair of Husker volleyball players have won weekly Big Ten awards. Merritt Beason was named Big Ten Player of the Week, and Bergen Reilly was announced as the Big Ten Setter of the Week. 

This is the fourth time that Beason was named the conference player of the week. This is also the fourth time that Reilly has won the Setter of the Week award. 

Beason had a career-high 27 kills with a .426 hitting percentage, along with five digs and one ace in a 3-2 win over Penn State. She followed that up with a record-setting match against Rutgers. 

The junior had 21 kills in a three-set sweep over the Scarlet Knights. She tied Kelsey Robinson for the most kills by a Husker in a three-set match, which goes back to 2008. 

Reilly averaged 11.88 assists per set and 3.13 digs while posting double-doubles in both matches. The No. 1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers will host the Northwest Wildcats on Wednesday with a start time at 7:00 p.m.

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Nebraska volleyball sweeps Rutgers

The Huskers continued their weekend road trip by traveling to Rutgers.

The Huskers continued their weekend road trip by traveling to Rutgers for a Sunday afternoon Big Ten clash. Nebraska swept the Scarlet Knights (25-15, 25-20, 25-18) to move their record to 23-0. That’s the best start to a season for the Huskers since 2006.

Nebraska dominated Rutgers in the match, finishing with 52 kills off 132 attacks, 61 digs, and eight blocks. The Scarlet Knights only put up 28 kills off 110 attacks, 51 digs, and two blocks.

Merritt Beason led Nebraska in the win, delivering 21 kills off 40 attacks for a hitting percentage of .475. This is Beason’s highest-hitting percentage of the season. It is also her second straight 20-plus kill match and her fourth of the season. Beason also finished the match with nine digs and five blocks.

Ally Batenhorst also racked up double-digit kills for Nebraska, finishing with 11 kills off 35 attacks. She also snatched seven digs. Bekka Allick joined Beason in the block party, putting up five blocks, along with serving seven kills off 15 attacks. Freshman Andi Jackson mirrored Allick in kills and attacks as she also got seven kills off 15 attacks for a hitting percentage of .467.

Freshman Bergen Reilly assisted Nebraska in the win by handing it 43 set assists and 12 digs. Lexi Rodriguez ushered in the most digs for the Huskers with 16.

Nebraska will return home to host Northwestern on Wednesday night. The match is for 7:00 p.m. and can be viewed on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Husker volleyball completes comeback over Penn State to remain undefeated

The Nebraska volleyball team hit the road for a showdown against Penn State.

The Nebraska volleyball team hit the road for a showdown against Penn State. The No. 1 Huskers took part in a fierce battle with the Nittany Lions, going to a full five sets in order to come out on top (15-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-13).

Nebraska fell behind in the match, dropping the first two sets. But it completed the reverse sweep in order to remain undefeated. Penn State finished with a higher attack percentage than the Huskers with .298 and also finished with a whopping 17 blocks.

Nebraska overcame these challenges by delivering 71 kills off 160 attacks, while the Nittany Lions only produced 59 kills off 141 attacks. Merritt Beason led the match in kills, earning a career-high 27. Harper Murray finished behind Beason with 15 kills off 29 attacks and led the team in dig with 14.

Bekka Allick also finished with double-digit kills, producing 11 off 21 attacks. Bergen Reilly delivered 52 set assists and 13 digs. Lexi Rodriguez also produced 13digs along with 11 set assists.

The Huskers stand at 22-0 on the season and will remain on the road to face Rutgers on Sunday. The match is set for noon and can be viewed on B1G+.

Husker volleyball player named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

A Nebraska volleyball player has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

A Nebraska volleyball player has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Setter Bergen Reilly earned her second career Freshman of the Week honor.

The award is the fifth weekly honor for the Sioux Falls, South Dakota native, as she has also won Setter of the Week on three different occasions. In back-to-back victories over Maryland and Rutgers, she averaged 11.33 assists per set and 2.00 digs per set.

She hit .349 against Maryland and .384 against Rutgers for an average of .366. The No. 1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers will take the floor again on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Penn State.

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Nebraska volleyball completes commanding sweep over Rutgers

The Huskers wrapped up their weekend of play with another home match against an east-coast conference foe.

The Huskers wrapped up their weekend of play with another home match against an east-coast conference foe. Nebraska squared off with Rutgers and, like its victory over Maryland, swept the Scarlet Knights with authority.

Rutgers was held to a hitting percentage of .118 after delivering 27 kills off 85 attacks. The Huskers, meanwhile, went 44 of 86 in attacks, finishing with a percentage of .384. Ally Batenhorst and Merritt Beason finished as the top two attackers for Nebraska, combining for 25 kills off 44 attacks. Batenhorst went 13-of-22 in the win, while Beason went 12-of-22.

Bergen Reilly accompanied the offensive stat sheet, tallying up 34 set assists in the win. On defense, Lexi Rodriguez led the way by snatching 13 digs on the night. The Huskers also finished the match with nine total blocks. Andi Jackson delivered the most blocks with six.

Nebraska is now 21-0 on the season, its best start since 2006, when it went 23-0 before suffering a loss. The team will travel to Penn State for a showdown against the Nittany Lions on Friday night. The match is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.