Tag: NCAA Volleyball Tournament

Nebraska volleyball falls to Texas in NCAA Championship Game

The Huskers entered Sunday afternoon looking to claim its sixth national title in volleyball.

The Huskers entered Sunday afternoon looking to claim its sixth national title in volleyball. But one final opponent stood in their way, reigning national champion Texas. The experienced Longhorns outmatched the No. 1 Huskers, resulting in a sweep (22-25, 14-25, 11-25) for Texas to win their second straight national championship.

Following an intense back-and-forth first set, Texas quickly ran away with the match, dominating Nebraska in the next two sets. The Huskers finished with their lowest hitting percentage of the season, .013, while also surrendering a hitting percentage of .264.

The Longhorns’ main strength came in serves and total kills. They finished with 38 kills and 12 aces on the day. Nebraska meanwhile only earned mustered up 20 kills and two service aces.

Freshman Harper Murray finished the match as Nebraska’s leader in kills, delivering seven off 23 total attacks. Murray also landed both of the Huskers’ service aces. Freshman Andi Jackson finished with the second-most kills for Nebraska, earning four off nine attacks.

Bekka Allick led Nebraska in blocks with four, while also landing three kills off seven attacks. Freshman Bergen Reilly concluded the season with 17 set assists and six digs for the Huskers. Reilly tied with Lexi Rodriguez for the most digs in the match for Nebraska.

Nebraska volleyball sweeps Pitt to advance to the NCAA Championship

The No. 1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers entered the Final Four of the NCAA volleyball tournament on Thursday night, facing off against Pittsburgh.

The No. 1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers entered the Final Four of the NCAA volleyball tournament on Thursday night, facing off against Pittsburgh. The Huskers swept the Panthers (25-20, 25-23, 25-17) in dominating fashion to advance to its 11th NCAA Championship Game.

The Huskers held the lead for nearly the entire match, trailing for just four rallies. Nebraska hit .245 against Pittsburgh and limited the Panthers to a .137 attack percentage, which marked Pitt’s second-lowest mark of the season and its lowest since its season opener against BYU.

Harper Murray racked up the most kills for the Huskers, landing 13 off 33 attacks while also earning five digs. Merritt Beason followed with eight kills off 26 attacks and accompanied it with five blocks, four digs, and four service aces. Ally Batenhorst also tallied up eight kills off 21 attacks and added four blocks.

Bekka Allick led the block for Nebraska, putting up 10 in the win. Allick also racked up four kills off seven attacks. Andi Jackson added to the offense with five kills off nine attacks. Bergen Reilly once again delivered in set assists, serving up 31. Lexi Rodriguez finished as the team leader in digs with 14.

With the win, Nebraska advances to the NCAA Championship, where it’ll take on Texas on Sunday afternoon. The match is set for 2 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.

Nebraska volleyball takes down Arkansas to punch its ticket to the Final Four

The No. 1 Huskers concluded the second week of the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight.

The No. 1 Huskers concluded the second week of the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight. One team stood in their way from heading to Tampa, No. 9 and third-seed Arkansas. The Razorbacks brought the fight to Nebraska, hanging with them throughout three of the four sets. But the Huskers held their ground at home and took down Arkansas (26-24, 25-14, 21-25,25-22) to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

The defense was the name of the game in the win. Both teams finished the night under .200 in hitting, falling victim to blocks, digs, and attack errors. The Razorbacks did have an advantage over Nebraska in one category: service aces. Arkansas finished the match with eight aces, while the Huskers only shot one. But Nebraska triumphed in every other stat category, finishing with 57 kills off 155 attacks, 78 digs, and 17 blocks.

Merritt Beason and Harper Murray acted as the main driving force for the Huskers’ offense, combining 34 kills off 89 attacks. The duo also combined for 23 digs to add to Nebraska’s defensive showing. Bekka Allick finished as the Huskers’ lead blocker, racking up 12 for a career-high.

Bergen Reilly again finished with another stellar showing at setter, delivering 40 set assists and 16 digs. Lexi Rodriguez finished as Nebraska’s leader in digs, cracking 20 for the first time this season. Freshman Laney Choboy also served up a collection of digs, earning 13 to be one shy of her season high.

The Huskers travel down to Tampa, Florida, and will play Pittsburgh in the Final Four for the second straight time. The match is set for Thursday night, but the time is to be determined.

Nebraska volleyball moves on to the Elite Eight with sweep over Georgia Tech

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team hosted the Sweet Sixteen match against No. 12 and fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Thursday afternoon.

The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team hosted the Sweet Sixteen match against No. 12 and fifth-seeded Georgia Tech on Thursday afternoon. The Huskers swept the Yellow Jackets (25-11, 25-16, 25-21) in dominant fashion, advancing to Elite Eight for the 11th time in the last 12 years.

Nebraska delivered a hitting percentage of .326 in the match, just the third time this season Georgia Tech allowed a .300 hitting percentage or better. The Huskers’ offense served up 37 kills and only nine errors and held the Yellow Jackets to a .019 attack percentage and 28 attack errors.

Merritt Beason acted as Nebraska’s leader in kills, earning 11 off 23 total attacks. Ally Batenhorst finished behind Beason with ten kills on 25 swings for her ninth double-digit kill match of the season. Andi Jackson delivered four kills off six attacks while leading the team in blocks with five.

Bekka Allick also posted solid numbers, earning six kills off 11 attacks and adding four blocks. Lexi Rodriguez finished as the Huskers’ leader in digs with 12, while freshman Bergen Reilly added ten digs to go along with 30 set assists and three blocks.

Nebraska will play No. 9 Arkansas in the Elite Eight match on Saturday night. Arkansas enters the match off a five-set win over No. 8 Kentucky and holds the third seed in the regional.  The match is set for 5:00 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPNU.

Nebraska volleyball advances to Sweet Sixteen following sweep over Missouri

The No. 1 Huskers returned to postseason action with the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night.

The No. 1 Huskers returned to postseason action with the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night. Nebraska played host to eighth-seeded Missouri and swept the Tigers to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

The Huskers once again brought a powerhouse showing to ensure victory over Missouri. Nebraska produced 35 kills off 87 attacks and 14 total blocks, while the Tigers finished with 36 kills off 101 attacks and five total blocks. Attack errors also plagued Missouri as it suffered 27 in the match, while the Huskers only saw 12.

Merritt Beason continued to be Nebraska’s leader in the kill column, this time racking up 12 off 23 attacks. Bergen Reilly accompanied Beason’s offensive performance by delivering an all-around showcase. The freshman finished the match with 26 set assists, 10 digs, four service aces, and two blocks while also snatching two kills off five attacks.

Lexi Rodriguez earned the honors of being the Huskers’ leader in digs on the night, tallying up 11 while also earning three set assists. Bekka Allick and freshman Andi Jackson led the block party in the win. Allick put up eight, while Jackson delivered six.

Nebraska will remain host for the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight as it welcomes Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and either Arkansas or TCU. The Huskers will face off against Georgia Tech for the Sweet Sixteen next week.

 

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.

 

Nebraska volleyball selected as No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament

The Nebraska volleyball team was named the No. 1 overall seed for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon.

The Nebraska volleyball team was named the No. 1 overall seed for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Huskers will host the first and second rounds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this Friday and Saturday.

Nebraska will face Long Island University on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. to open the tournament. LIU finished the regular season with a record of 13-18 but qualified for the NCAA after winning the Northeast Conference tournament. This will be the first time that Nebraska (28-1) will face LIU in program history.

The Huskers earned the No. 1 overall seed for the first time since 2016. The top four seeds include No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Wisconsin, and No. 4 Pittsburgh. Should Nebraska win in the first two rounds, they would host an NCAA Regional on Dec. 7-9 at the Devaney Center.

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