Tag: nebraska volleyball

Nebraska volleyball announces change to coaching staff

Head coach John Cook has made an announcement regarding his coaching staff.

Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook announced a change to his coaching staff for the 2025 season. Jordan Larson will be moving on from the program after spending the last two seasons with the team.

In those two years, the Huskers went 66-5 with trips to the NCAA final and semifinals. In a statement to the press, Coach Cook said he was disappointed to see Jordan move on from the program.

While I am disappointed we won’t have her on staff anymore, I am thankful to Jordan for all that she has done for our program over these past two seasons…

Larson played college volleyball at the University of Nebraska from 2005-2008. During her career in Lincoln, she was a three-time All-American and a National Champion in 2006.

She returned to Nebraska in June of 2023, when she joined the team as an Assistant Coach. Larson is currently playing professional volleyball for League One Volleyball as a member of LOVB Omaha.

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Former Husker wins LOVB Defensive Player of the Week

The former Husker was named Defensive Player of the Week.

Former Nebraska libero Justine Wong-Orantes has been named the LOVB Defensive Player of the Week. She’s the starting libero for LOVB Omaha.

Wong-Orantes played for Nebraska from 2013-16. She was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She was also a member of the 2015 NCAA National Championship team.

When her Nebraska career ended, she was the Huskers’ all-time career digs leader. A record that stood until this past season when libero Lexi Rodriguez broke the mark. Rodriguez also plays for LOVB Omaha.

Wong-Orantes is also a two-time Olympic medalist, with a gold medal in 2020 and a silver medal in 2024.

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Former Huskers shine in LOVB Omaha victory

Omaha is now 3-0 on the year and the only unbeaten team in League One Volleyball.

A trio of former Cornhusker volleyball stars led the way in Omaha’s 3-1 (25-20, 24-26, 25-18, 25-23) victory over Madison on Friday night. Omaha is 3-0 on the year and the only remaining unbeaten team in League One Volleyball.

Libero Justine Wong-Orantes had 12 digs and two assists in the victory. She won the 2015 National Championship while at Nebraska. Lauren Stivrins added ten kills on the night. Stivrins won the 2017 National Championship with the Cornhuskers.

Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan Larson had nine digs, eight kills, five assists, three aces, and two blocks in the win. Larson was a member of the 2006 National Championship team. Following the match, she talked about her excitement at playing in front of a Nebraska crowd.

“I was almost in tears driving to practice in my own car and I get to go to my own house. It’s just so surreal. I wish I could put it in better words, because it’s a dream come true for my family to be here and to experience this.”

Omaha will play again on Saturday night when they host LOVB Austin. The match starts at 7:00 p.m. CT.

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Husker volleyball player named Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award Finalist

It’s another honor for the former Husker libero.

Former Nebraska volleyball libero Lexi Rodriguez was announced as a finalist for the Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award for Volleyball. Rodriguez was joined by Olivia Babcock from the University of Pittsburgh, Brooklyn DeLeye from the University of Kentucky, and Sarah Franklin from the University of Wisconsin.

For the past 49 years, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards has given the Honda Sport Award annually. It recognizes the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and symbolizes “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.”

Rodriguez was a 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year finalist and the first-ever libero named AVCA Regional Player of the Year. She was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.

She now plays professional volleyball for Omaha League One Volleyball. The award will be given out at the annual ceremony in June.

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Two future Huskers named Gatorade Players of the Year

Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball players Campbell Flynn and Teraya Sigler have been named Gatorade Players of the Year.

Two incoming Nebraska volleyball players have won Gatorade Player of the Year honors. Campbell Flynn was named Michigan Player of the Year, and Teraya Sigler was named Arizona Player of the Year.

Flynn is a setter from Rochester Hills, MI. She recorded 730 assists and 180 digs for Mercy High School this past season. She was ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the Class of 2025 by PrepDig.com.

Sigler is an outside hitter from Scottsdale, Arizona. She recorded 619 kills and 354 digs for Horizon High School this past season. She was ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 by PrepDig.com.

According to their website, ‘the Gatorade Player of the Year award has recognized the nation’s most elite high school student-athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field. Gatorade awards each winner with a $1,000 grant to be donated to a local or national youth sports organization of the athlete’s choice.’

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Rodriguez named finalist for AVCA National Player of the Year

Nebraska Cornhusker senior libero Lexi Rodriguez has been named a finalist for AVCA National Player of the Year.

Nebraska senior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named a finalist for AVCA National Player of the Year. The award will be presented on Friday at the AVCA All-America awards banquet.

Rodriguez is a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the first libero named an AVCA Region Player of the Year. She is also the third player in program history to be named a four-time All-American.

This season, she leads the team with 3.91 digs per set and ranks second in school history in career digs with 1,882 digs, just nine digs shy of breaking the school record of 1,890 digs held by Justin Wong-Orantes.

The other three finalists are Sarah Franklin of Wisconsin, Brookly DeLeye of Kentucky, and Olivia Babcock of Pittsburgh.

Nebraska will face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday night in the NCAA Semifinal on ESPN. The match will begin 30 minutes after the first semifinal match between the Pittsburgh Panthers and Louisville Cardinals at 5:30 p.m. CT

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Wisconsin volleyball swept by Nebraska, ends season in Regional Final of 2024 NCAA Tournament

Wisconsin volleyball swept by Nebraska, ends season in Regional Final of 2024 NCAA Tournament

The No. 2-seed Wisconsin Badgers fell to the No.1-seed Nebraska Cornhuskers in the fourth round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

After vanquishing No. 6-seed Texas A&M in five sets in the tournament’s third round, the Badgers could not overcome arguably the best team in the nation.

Staged in Nebraska’s Devaney Center, the Cornhuskers claimed all three sets 26-24, 25-17, 25-21 to advance to the Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky.

Superstar Sarah Franklin finished with a team-best 12 kills and added one block in the effort. Anna Smrek added nine kills and three blocks, Julia Orzol finished with seven kills and Carter Booth added six kills and three blocks.

The loss marks the Badgers’ third loss via sweep against Nebraska this season. The Cornhuskers have lost just two matches this season and are poised to claim their first title since 2017 and sixth in program history.

Nebraska will now face the winner of Penn State-Creighton in the Final Four. The winner of that contest will square off against the victor of Pittsburgh vs. Louisville.

Wisconsin finishes the season with a 26-7 mark in a roller coaster of a season. The team dropped three straight to begin the year before winning 21 of its ensuing 23 matches in a two-month span.

The Badgers remained within the top 10 of the weekly AVCA rankings for the duration of the season, but the team didn’t appear as dominant as it did a season ago when it lost to Texas in the 2023 Final Four.

Volleyball advances to Regional Final following 3-1 win over Dayton

The Huskers will now face the Wisconsin Badgers in the Regional Final.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers faced off against Dayton Friday night, looking to reach their 33rd regional final. The Huskers achieved that feat by taking down the Flyers in four sets (25-17, 25-18, 25-27, 25-13).

Though Dayton took the third set 27-25, Nebraska held the Flyers at bay throughout. The Huskers kept Dayton a .087 attack percentage. Nebraska, meanwhile, hit 53 of 134 to give it the edge.

Harper Murray served up a career-high 22 kills off 44 attacks, along with a season-high 16 digs, four service aces and four blocks. Rebekah Allick hit 10 of 19 and four blocks.

Andi Jackson earned a team-high seven blocks along with eight kills off 18 attacks. Bergen Reilly nailed two kills off three attacks, finished with a team-high 47 set assists, six digs and four blocks.

Lexi Rodriguez tallied up a team-high 22 digs, bring her career total to 1,865. Rodriguez is now 26 digs away from breaking Justine Wong-Orantes’ all-time record.

Nebraska advances to the Regional Final, facing off against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. The first serve is set for 2:00 p.m. CT on ABC.

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Huskers sweep Miami to advance to round three of the NCAA Tournament

The Huskers will now face the Dayton Flyers in the third round of the NCAA tournament

The Nebraska volleyball team entered the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night, clashing with No. 8 Miami. The Huskers delivered another sweep, punching their ticket to the team’s 40th NCAA Regional.

Nebraska held the Hurricanes to under 20 points in each set, accompanying the Huskers’ defensive outing. The Huskers held Miami to a .058 attack percentage and 32 kills off 104 attacks. The Huskers finished 41 of 92 in attacks.

Harper Murray finished with a team-high nine kills off 17 attacks, a team-high 12 digs, and a team-high two service aces. Merritt Beason also delivered 17 attacks, earning eight kills.

Rebekah Allick scored seven blocks in the win and hit six kills off nine attacks. Bergen Reilly landed four of seven in attacks and tallied a team-high 33 set assists.

Nebraska will remain home to host the third round and the quarterfinals. In the third round, the Huskers will face the No. 5 Dayton Flyers. Match day and time are to be determined.

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Reilly named Big Ten Setter of the Week

This is the eighth time the Sioux Falls native has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week.

A Nebraska volleyball has won a weekly conference award. Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week on Monday afternoon.

Reilly helped the Huskers defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Indiana Hoosiers last week. She averaged 10.71 assists per set and 3.86 digs per set.

In a 3-1 victory against No. 16 Minnesota, Reilly had 40 assists and a career-high 20 digs. She is the first Husker to record at least 40 assists, 20 digs, and five kills in the rally-scoring era (2001).

This is the eighth time that Reilly has been named the Big Ten Setter of the Week. Other weekly award winners were Sarah Franklin (Wisconsin Badgers) as the Player of the Week, Nalani Iosia (Michigan State Spartans) as Defensive Player of the Week and Charlie Fuerbringer (Wisconsin Badgers) Freshman of the Week.

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