Tag: John Cook Nebraska

Nebraska volleyball opens 2024 season with Red-White Scrimmage

Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling to Texas.

The Nebraska volleyball team returns to the court for the 2024 season this weekend, opening up with the Red-White Scrimmage. Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas.

The Huskers also won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2017. Head coach John Cook was also named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.

The Huskers, who had no seniors on their roster in 2023, return ten letter-winners, including every starter. With four freshmen in the lineup, the Huskers won their first 27 matches of the 2023 season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season.

Nebraska now has two new additions via the transfer portal: Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair and San Diego middle blocker Leyla Blackwell. Landfair, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter who won Big Ten Player of the Year in 2022, has two years of eligibility remaining.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker, was a three-time All-WCC selection at San Diego, guiding the Toreros to the NCAA semifinals in 2022 by shattering the school record for single-season block assists (152), and she finished sixth nationally at 1.50 blocks per set.

Nebraska also brings in two freshmen: Skyler Pierce, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Lenexa, Kansas, and Olivia Mauch, a 5-foot-6 libero from Bennington, Nebraska.

The scrimmage is set for Saturday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.  The first serve is set for 6:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on Nebraska Public Media and streamed at B1G+.

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Nebraska volleyball pulls off sweep over Michigan

The Huskers wrapped up their weekend road trip to Michigan with a showdown against the Wolverines on Saturday night.

The Huskers wrapped up their weekend road trip to Michigan with a showdown against the Wolverines on Saturday night. Nebraska battled Michigan early throughout the match, but they went on to complete the sweep in dominating fashion (29-27, 25-17, 25-14).

Nebraska overshadowed the Wolverines, ending the night with 48 kills off 105 attacks compared to Michigan’s 30 kills off 98 attacks. Lindsay Krause led Nebraska in the match, finishing with a season-high 15 kills off 27 for a hitting percentage of .519.

Freshman Harper Murray and Merritt Beason joined Krause in the festivities. Murray tallied up 13 kills off 26 attacks while Beason delivered 10 kills off 25 attacks. Murray also finished the match with 11 digs. Bergen Reilly continued her strong freshman year as the team’s setter, putting up 40 assists in the win. Lexi Rodriguez led the team in digs, snatching 16 in the win.

The team is now 15-0, continuing its best start since 2008. Nebraska will return home to face off against Michigan State on Friday night. The match is set for 6 p.m. and can be viewed on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Husker volleyball sweeps No. 21 Ohio State

The Nebraska volleyball team began its conference portion of the 2023 season, kicking off with a showdown at home against No. 21 Ohio State Friday night.

The Nebraska volleyball team began its conference portion of the 2023 season, kicking off with a showdown at home against No. 21 Ohio State Friday night. The Huskers swept the Buckeyes (25-14, 25-16, 25-21) to move to 10-0, making it their best start since 2016.

Nebraska dominated Ohio State throughout the night, holding it 27 kills off 89 attacks for a hitting percentage of .090. The Huskers, meanwhile, put up 42 kills off 93 attacks for a hitting percentage of .333. They also finished the match with 37 digs and 11 blocks.

Merritt Beason and Harper Murray led the way in Nebraska’s win, both on offense and defense. The duo combined for 25 kills off 50 attacks and 17 digs. Bergen Reilly once again led the Huskers in assists, finishing the match with 37.

This commanding performance by Nebraska gave them the early advantage, as it went up 2-0 by holding Ohio State to just 30 combined points. Though the Buckeyes stuck with the Huskers throughout a majority of the third set, the Huskers managed to pull away to complete their seventh sweep of the season.

Nebraska will remain home for the weekend as it welcomes No. 12 Minnesota. The match is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed on Big Ten Network.

Volleyball Day in Nebraska ends with a new world record for the Huskers

It was perhaps one of the biggest days in volleyball history, Volleyball Day in Nebraska.

It was perhaps one of the biggest days in volleyball history, Volleyball Day in Nebraska. After Wayne State and Nebraska-Kearney played earlier in the day, the Nebraska volleyball team faced off against Omaha in front of a record crowd at Memorial Stadium.

Not only did the Huskers walk away with a win, but they also walked away with the Women’s Sporting Event World Record. Memorial Stadium saw a grand total of 92,003 in attendance to watch Nebraska face down the Mavericks.

This surpassed the previous world record of 91,648, which came in a UEFA Champions League match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg on April 22, 2022, at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. The previous record for an American women’s sporting event was 90,185 in the USA’s FIFA World Cup Final against China on July 10, 1999, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The Huskers also shattered a pair of NCAA records with this match – the previous records for any NCAA volleyball match and an NCAA volleyball regular-season match.

Entering Wednesday night, the largest-ever crowd for any NCAA volleyball match was 18,755 when Nebraska played Wisconsin in the NCAA Final in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 18, 2021. The largest NCAA volleyball regular-season attendance was 16,833 when Wisconsin hosted Florida in Madison, Wisconsin., on Sept 16, 2022.

The Huskers are now 4-0 on the season and will hit the road for their first road match of the season against Kansas State. The match is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+.

Social media buzz for Volleyball Day in Nebraska

Volleyball Day in Nebraska has arrived.

Volleyball Day in Nebraska has arrived. The No. 4 ranked Nebraska volleyball team will play Nebraska-Omaha at Memorial Stadium.

The Huskers are expected to play in one of the largest crowds for a women’s sporting event. The game will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.

Head coach John Cook said he can’t wait for tomorrow’s game.

“This is as close as I’m going to be to being the head football coach at Nebraska playing down here. This is going to be awesome!”

Nebraska looks to be on pace to shatter attendance records. The largest NCAA volleyball regular-season attendance is 16,833 when Wisconsin hosted Florida in Madison in 2022.

The American attendance record for a women’s sports event is 90,185 for the USA vs. China FIFA World Cup Cup final in 1999. In fact, eight of the top nine crowds in NCAA volleyball history are matches that involve the Cornhuskers.

The Huskers enter the game with a record of 3-0. Harper Murray was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after averaging 3.67 kills per set with a .343 hitting percentage.

Omaha holds a record of 0-2 on the season. Nebraska is 17-1 all-time against Omaha, the lone win coming on Sept. 2, 1986.

Find the pre-game buzz for Volleyball Day in Nebraska below.