Tag: nebraska volleyball

Four Nebraska Women’s Volleyball standouts named to AVCA Wwatch List

Four Huskers are included on the initial AVCA Player of the Year Award watchlist

The Nebraska Women’s Volleyball team is off to a fantastic start this fall with a 9-1 record, including an 8-0 record at home. On Friday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognized four Huskers. 

The AVCA released their watch list for the 2024 Division I Player of the Year, which included 36 players nationwide, including Nebraska standouts Merritt Beason, Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly, and Lexi Rodriguez. 

Nebraska led the way nationally with four players included, while Pittsburgh, the nation’s top-ranked program, and Wisconsin both had three selections. 

Being in the spotlight is nothing new for the Huskers quartet of selections, as each has earned All-Conference and All-American honors. 

Just a sophomore, Murray was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season, earning All-Big Ten First Team and third-team All-American honors.

Fellow sophomore Bergen Reilly was the Big Ten’s Setter of the Year, the first freshman to earn the award. She was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection and a second-team All-American. 

Seniors Merrit Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were both first-team All-Americans as well. 

The winner of the AVCA Player of the Year Award will be announced on Friday, December 20. Last year, Sarah Franklin of the University of Wisconsin earned the honor.

The Huskers will look for their first AVCA Player of the Year Award winner since 2006 when Sarah Pavan took home the honor. Allison Weston (1995), Greichaly Cepero (2000), and Christina Houghtelling (2005) are the only other former Huskers to win the award. 

Nebraska returns to action on Saturday as they take on the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. 

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Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly named Big Ten Setter of the Week

This is the second time she’s won the award this season and the sixth of her career. 

Nebraska sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week earlier this week. This is the second time she’s won the award this season and the sixth of her career.

Reilly averaged 12.18 assists per set, 3.45 digs per set, and helped her team to a .315 team-hitting percentage. The Huskers finished the week with a record of 3-0 and a pair of top-15 wins.

She is averaging 11.48 assists per set on the season, good enough for third in the country. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native had a career-high 58 assists with 13 digs in a 3-2 win over No. 9 Creighton. She also had double-doubles of 41 assists and 15 digs against No. 14 Arizona State and 35 assists and 10 digs against Wichita State.

Nebraska is 8-1 on the season and will play again on Wednesday night when it hosts No. 2 Stanford at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. CT and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

https://twitter.com/HuskerVB/status/1835762921676157003

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ESPN’s Nebraska volleyball documentary to air Sunday night

The film will premiere on ESPN on Sunday, August 25, at 4:00 p.m. CT.

Tonight is the night for ESPN to release its documentary, No Place Like Nebraska. The documentary will chronicle the 2023 Cornhusker volleyball season.

The film will premiere on ESPN on Sunday, August 25, at 4:00 p.m. CT. The worldwide leader in sports has said that the documentary will celebrate Nebraska volleyball.

A school once known only for its football program has become a mecca for women’s volleyball. John Cook’s Cornhuskers have built a new standard – one where anything less than winning a national championship is a shortcoming.

Last season, the Cornhuskers finished with a 33-2 record and reached the NCAA Championship match. They won their fourth Big Ten title in the conference with a 19-1 record.

ESPN also announced that several high-profile individuals connected with the program will speak on camera for the first time since the end of the season.

After the 2023 season concludes, the story continues, as star outside hitter Harper Murray spoke exclusively with E60 about navigating her mental health journey following an onslaught of social media hate after the national championship. And after turning down rampant offseason questions regarding Murray following a public array of off-the-court incidents, (head coach John) Cook sits down with E60 for a frank discussion.

John Cook broke the news following the Huskers spring volleyball game earlier this month that crews from ESPN had been following the Huskers leading up to the annual exhibition game.

They’ve been with us all year. They’re doing a documentary, so they’ve been in and out. They’ve been to a lot of hometowns. They were here in March for three days and then they wanted to come out here (spring game) and see this because until you see it, you don’t believe it.

Nebraska faced Denver on May 4 in front of a sold-out crowd on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The Huskers swept the Pioneers 25-13, 25-12, 25-15.

The Nebraska Volleyball team has been named the Big Ten favorites heading into the 2024 season. The Big Ten coaches named five Huskers to the preseason All-Big Ten team.

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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 to play in first volleyball game on ABC

The Nebraska Volleyball team will play in the first nationally televised regular season game on ABC.

The Nebraska Volleyball team will play in the first nationally televised regular season game on ABC. The Huskers will face the Louisville Cardinals on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 22.

ESPN will broadcast more than 2,600 women’s college volleyball matches on various ESPN platforms, the most games in a season in the network’s history. The network’s coverage of Nebraska volleyball will begin with the season-opening match on August 27.

The season kickstarts with the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky. on Aug. 27, with four perennial powerhouses taking the court. 2023 National Runner-Up Nebraska takes on Kentucky at 6:00 p.m. CT, followed by Wisconsin vs. host Louisville – with both matches airing on ESPN2.

Nebraska has been named the Big Ten favorite heading into the 2024 season. The league’s 18 head coaches picked the Huskers as the top team in the conference preseason poll.

Last season, the Cornhuskers finished with a 33-2 record and reached the NCAA Championship. They also won their fourth Big Ten title with a 19-1 record.

Nebraska and Louisville will face off on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 11:30 a.m. CT.

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ESPN releases details on upcoming Nebraska volleyball documentary

The documentary will chronicle the 2023 Cornhusker volleyball season.

ESPN has released more details on their upcoming documentary, No Place Like Nebraska. The documentary will chronicle the 2023 Cornhusker volleyball season.

The film will premiere on Sunday, August 25, at 4:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. The worldwide leader in sports has said that the documentary will celebrate Nebraska volleyball.

A school once known only for its football program has become a mecca for women’s volleyball. John Cook’s Cornhuskers have built a new standard – one where anything less than winning a national championship is a shortcoming.

Last season, the Cornhuskers finished with a 33-2 record and reached the NCAA Championship match. In the conference, they won their fourth Big Ten title with a 19-1 record.

ESPN also announced that several high profile individuals connected with the program will speak on camera for the first time since the end of the season.

After the 2023 season concludes, the story continues, as star outside hitter Harper Murray spoke exclusively with E60 about navigating her mental health journey following an onslaught of social media hate after the national championship. And after turning down rampant offseason questions regarding Murray following a public array of off-the-court incidents, (head coach John) Cook sits down with E60 for a frank discussion.

John Cook broke the news following the Huskers spring volleyball game earlier this month that crews from ESPN had been following the Huskers leading up to the annual exhibition game.

They’ve been with us all year. They’re doing a documentary, so they’ve been in and out. They’ve been to a lot of hometowns. They were here in March for three days and then they wanted to come out here (spring game) and see this because until you see it, you don’t believe it.

Nebraska faced Denver on May 4 in front of a sold-out crowd on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The Huskers swept the Pioneers 25-13, 25-12, 25-15.

The Nebraska Volleyball team has been named the Big Ten favorites heading into the 2024 season. The Big Ten coaches also named five Huskers to the preseason All-Big Ten team.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Former Huskers help USA Volleyball defeat Serbia in intense five-set match

Team USA Women’s Volleyball competed in its second match of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Team USA Women’s Volleyball competed in its second match of the 2024 Paris Olympics. USA clashed with back-to-back Volleyball World Champion Serbia on Wednesday, and the match came as advertised, going down to the wire.

Team USA walked away with the victory, earning itself two points to move up to three in Pool A. Serbia forced a fifth set after Team USA took a 2-0 lead. Both teams traded blows throughout the final set, but the US pulled away in the end to take the win.

Husker alumni Justine Wong-Orantes, Kelsey Robinson Cook, and Jordan Larson returned to the court for Team USA. Wong-Orantes led the way for the Husker alumni, continuing to serve Team USA as its libero. She finished the match with 11 digs.

Robinson Cook entered the match in the second set and remained present for the majority of the final three sets. She finished the match with five digs. Larson played in the fourth set and earned two digs.

Team USA will finish the preliminary rounds with a showdown against host country France on Sunday. The first serve is set for 6 a.m. (CT).

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Husker alumni apart of five-set volleyball battle in Olympic preliminary against China

The team faced off against China in its first of three preliminary matches with three former Huskers in the starting lineup.

Team USA’s Women’s Volleyball began its 2024 Paris Olympic journey on Monday. The team faced off against China in its first of three preliminary matches with three former Huskers in the starting lineup.

Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson-Cook and Justine Wong-Orantes returned to the Olympic stage to represent Team USA. The trio combined have made nine total Olympic appearances.

Team USA lost to China in five sets but will receive a point in the preliminary pool for going a full match. China took the first two sets, putting Team USA in comeback mode. It battled back, forcing a fifth set, before falling in the end.

Larson, in her fourth Olympics, played in almost four complete sets, finishing with four kills and two digs. Robinson-Cook, in her third Olympics, played in three complete sets and racked up three kills and six digs. Justine Wong-Orantes led Team USA as libero in her second Olympics. She played the entire match, finishing with 17 digs.

Team USA will continue the preliminary rounds on Wednesday when it faces off against Serbia. The first serve is set for 10:00 a.m. (CT). Team USA will then face France on Sunday morning.

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Nebraska volleyball announces Huskers headed to Big Ten Media Days

Players Lindsay Krause and Kennedi Orr will join head coach John Cook in Chicago, IL, on August 6.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have announced their 2024 Big Ten Volleyball Days attendees. Players Lindsay Krause and Kennedi Orr will join head coach John Cook in Chicago, IL, on August 6.

This will be the first time that Krause and Orr have attended the media days. Last year, Coach Cook was joined by Merritt Beason and Lexi Rodriguez.

The two-day event will run from August 5 & 6 at the Big Ten Network Studios. Nine schools will be featured on each day of the annual gathering.

Nebraska is coming off a 2023 season that saw the Huskers finish with a 33-2 record and a trip to the NCAA Championship Game. They will start the 2024 season on Tuesday, August 27, against Kentucky at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

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Husker volleyball earns AVCA Team Academic Awards

The Husker volleyball team had a GPA of 3.45, while the beach squad had a GPA of 3.54. 

Nebraska’s volleyball and beach volleyball programs received the AVCA Team Academic award for the 2023-24 academic year. The Husker volleyball team had a GPA of 3.45, while the beach squad had a GPA of 3.54.

The University of Nebraska has earned 20 AVCA Team Academic Awards all-time, while the beach squad has recorded five awards. The honor, which was first awarded for the 1992-92 academic year, recognizes volleyball teams that can maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

The Nebraska volleyball team finished with a record of 33-2, a Big Ten Championship, and a trip to the NCAA finals. The beach volleyball team finished with an overall mark of 16-11.

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