Tag: nebraska volleyball

Nebraska’s Volleyball Day drew a record-breaking crowd for women’s sporting event

Volleyball Day at Nebraska had a record-breaking crowd.

A new world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event has been set at Nebraska.

During the university’s Volleyball Day match at its Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night, the Nebraska women’s volleyball team took on Omaha in perhaps the most electric atmosphere ever for a volleyball game.

This was also the biggest crowd ever at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium for any event, including football games.

It’s one thing to hold a volleyball game in a football stadium, but it’s another to host a record-setting crowd. With 92,003 people in attendance to watch the night’s big game, it’s the most-attended women’s sporting event in history.

This has to be one of the coolest moments for women’s sports ever, and it’s sure to be a night that will be remembered for a long time in college athletics.

We send the unlimited amounts of kudos to Nebraska fans, Omaha fans and volleyball fans in Lincoln for packing the stadium with such numbers.

This is a historic crowd that will hopefully inspire sports fans to check out a college or high school volleyball game in their own backyard.

It really is one of the most thrilling sports to take in live, and the crowd at Nebraska got to experience that in the best way possible.

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.

Murray named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

On Monday, A Nebraska volleyball player was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

On Monday, A Nebraska volleyball player was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Outside hitter Harper Murray won the award after helping the Huskers to a 3-0 record at the Ameritas Player Challenge.

Murray averaged 3.67 kills per set with a .343 hitting percentage. She also had 2.33 digs per set, six blocks, five aces, and four set assists. The Husker was named the No. 1 ranked recruit in the class of 2023 by PrepVolleyball.com.

Murray will wear No. 27 this season to honor her father, Vada Murray. Vada played at Michigan from 1988-1990. He tragically passed away in 2011 after a long battle with advanced-stage lung cancer.

 

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Husker volleyball completes the weekend sweep with win over SMU

The Nebraska volleyball team concluded its weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge with a showdown against SMU.

The Nebraska volleyball team concluded its weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge with a showdown against SMU. In a hard-fought match, the Huskers swept the Mustangs (25-16, 25-23, 25-16) to complete the weekend with a 3-0 record.

The Huskers finished the afternoon with a weekend-high 38 kills off 111 attacks but had an attack percentage of .144. Defensively, Nebraska finished with a weekend-high 60 digs and 11 blocks.

Freshman Harper Murray led the charge for the Huskers offensively, finishing with 14 kills off 29 total attacks and a .319 attack percentage. She also produced solid numbers defensively, earning ten digs and one block. Libero Lexi Rodriguez led the team in digs, finishing with 14 in the match. Also, Bergen Reilly once again led the team in set assists, putting up 29 on the afternoon.

The Huskers’ next match will be against Omaha on Wednesday at Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska. The match is set for 7 p.m. and can be viewed on Big Ten Network and Fox Sports Network.

Nebraska volleyball dominates Lipscomb in 3-0 win

The Nebraska volleyball team continued its opening weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge, this time facing off against Lipscomb.

The Nebraska volleyball team continued its opening weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge, this time facing off against Lipscomb. The Huskers completed another sweep to improve to 2-0, taking down the Bisons (25-10, 25-21, 25-16).

Nebraska dominated Lipscomb throughout the match, finishing with 20 more kills than the Bisons. The Huskers finished the night with an attack percentage of .366, landing 42 kills off 82 attacks. The duo of Florida transfer Merritt Beason and freshman Harper Murray once again led Nebraska in the match.

Beason finished the match as Nebraska’s top attacker, delivering 11 kills off 24 attacks. Murray was right behind her, having 10 kills off 18 attacks. Murray also delivered in her serves, landing three service aces in the win.

A notable performance on the night, however, came from freshman middle blocker Andi Jackson. The Brighton, Colorado native earned eight kills off 10 attacks in the match and finished with an attack percentage of .700. She also contributed four blocks on the night.

Other standouts include freshman Bergen Reilly and libero Lexi Rodriguez. Reilly led the team in assists, finishing with 29, while also snatching nine digs. Rodriguez was the top defender for the Huskers, finishing with 10 digs and earning her 1,000th career dig in the process.

Nebraska will conclude the Ameritas Players Challenge on Sunday, where it’ll take on SMU. The match is set for 2 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.

Nebraska volleyball sweeps Utah State to open the 2023 season

The No. 5 ranked Nebraska volleyball team commenced its 2023 regular season on Friday night, hosting Utah State in the first match of the Ameritas Players Challenge.

The No. 5 ranked Nebraska volleyball team commenced its 2023 regular season on Friday night, hosting Utah State in the first match of the Ameritas Players Challenge. The Huskers dominated the match, sweeping the Aggies (25-20, 25-17, 25-17) to win its first match of the season.

Nebraska won nearly every aspect of the match, finishing with 35 kills off 84 attacks, an attack percentage of .274, 31 digs, 11 blocks, and five service aces. Outside hitter Merritt Beason led the way for the Huskers in kills, tallying up nine total off 20 attacks. Freshman Harper Murray was right behind Beason, putting up eight kills off 20 attacks.

Another freshman played a part in Nebraska’s win. Setter Bergen Reilly finished the night with 26 total assists and earned four kills off six attacks. Finally, libero Lexi Rodriguez concluded the match as the leader in digs, snatching a total of nine.

The Huskers will continue the Ameritas Players Challenge on Saturday when they’ll face Lipscomb. The match will begin at 5 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.

Watch: Nebraska’s Harper Murray Wins USA TODAY HSSA National Girls Volleyball POY

A freshman on the Nebraska volleyball team has earned a prestigious award.

A freshman on the Nebraska volleyball team has earned a prestigious award. Harper Murray has been named the 2023 USA TODAY HSSA National Girls Volleyball Player of the Year.

The Husker was named the No. 1 ranked recruit in the class of 2023 by PrepVolleyball.com. As a senior in high school, she had 726 kills, 409 digs, 86 aces, and a .405 hitting percentage.

Murray will wear No. 27 this season to honor her father, Vada Murray. Vada played at Michigan from 1988-1990. He tragically passed away in 2011 after a long battle with advanced-stage lung cancer.

Nebraska volleyball will start the 2023 season this Friday at the Ameritas Players Challenge when the Huskers face Utah State at 6:00 PM. Look below at USA TODAY’s video announcement of Harper Murray, 2023 girls’ volleyball player of the year.

Nebraska volleyball holds annual Red/White scrimmage

With the 2023 Nebraska volleyball season less than a week away, it was time for the team’s annual Red/White scrimmage.

With the 2023 Nebraska volleyball season less than a week away, it was time for the team’s annual Red/White scrimmage. In front of a packed house in the Bob Devaney Sports Center, the Red team triumphed over the White team 3-1.

Outside hitter and Florida transfer Merritt Beason led the Red team at the net, alongside freshman outside hitter Harper Murray. The duo combined for 26 kills, 13 apiece, to keep the Red team ahead for much of the match. Alongside Beason’s and Murray’s offensive aggression, freshman setter Bergen Reilly led the team in assists with 36 on the night. Libero Lexi Rodriguez played her part defensively, finishing the night with 18 digs. 

For the White team, outside hitter Lindsay Krause led the charge offensively, finishing with a match-high 16 kills off 59 attacks. Outside hitter Hayden Kubik was right behind Krause for the White team, finishing with 13 kills off 39 total attacks. Setter Kennedi Orr led the White team in assists, racking up 29 total. On the defensive side, freshman libero Laney Choboy finished the night with 19 total digs for the White team.

The first two sets were nearly identical to each other. Back-and-forth action between the teams caused the scoring margin never to go higher than four. The Red team won both sets, heading into intermission up 2-0. 

The third set started out much the same, but the White team erupted in the latter half of the set, pulling away to win 25-19. The team continued their fight heading into the fourth set. After trailing 19-6, the team mounted a comeback and forced a 24-24 tie. But the Red team managed to put the match away taking the set 27-25.

The Huskers will begin regular season action Friday, Aug. 25 as they host the Ameritas Players Challenge. This year Nebraska is welcoming Utah State, Lipscomb and SMU. The Huskers will play one match a day from Aug. 25-27. Each match will be streamed on B1G+, and their match against Utah State on Aug. 25 will be televised on Nebraska Public Media.

Nebraska Volleyball cracks Top Ten of preseason rankings

The preseason ACVA Division I women’s volleyball coaches’ poll was released earlier in the week.

The preseason ACVA Division I women’s volleyball coaches’ poll was released earlier in the week. The Cornhuskers have earned a spot in the Top Ten.

The defending national champion Texas Longhorns are the runaway No. 1 ranked team. The Longhorns earned 44 of 64 first-place votes heading into the season.

Wisconsin and Stanford were No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The Big Ten had a strong showing, with six teams in the Top 25 and four teams in the Top Ten.

Head coach John Cook has been in charge at Nebraska since 2000. In that time, he has won four National Championships, made seven National Finals, won 13 conference championships, has had 18 Top Ten finishes, and coached 52 All-Americans.

Scroll below to see where Nebraska ranked in the preseason coaches poll.

What John Cook said at Big Ten volleyball media days

Nebraska head volleyball coach John Cook met with the media at the Big Ten volleyball media days on Tuesday.

Nebraska head volleyball coach John Cook met with the media at the Big Ten volleyball media days on Tuesday. The event was hosted by the conference at their head quarters in Chicago.

The availability started with the Husker head coach talking about the unique nature of this event.

Big Ten is stepping it up. This is awesome to have this. It’s exciting to be here. Makes you feel special to be a volleyball coach and a part of this conference. I got to meet the new commissioner.

Anyway, just thank you to the Big Ten for having all this and how we’re treated here, you feel like rock stars. I think these athletes deserve it. It’s been a long time coming. But this is really, really cool.