No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball (23-0, 12-0) defeated Michigan State (17-5, 7-5) in four sets Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan (21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-12).
Last night, the Huskers beat Michigan in four sets despite losing the first third. Eighteen hours later, Nebraska returned to action at East Lansing. When does fatigue come into the conversation?
The Big Red hit .340 in the match, despite his rough outing in the first set. Andi Jackson And Harper Murray led the way with 12 kills each in a total of 59 tries. Manaïa Ogbechie had 11 kills, eight blocks and hit .786.
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Set 1: Bankston’s five kills lead the Spartans to victory
The Huskers got off to a slow start for the second night in a row. After nine ties and five lead changes, Nebraska lost its sixth set of the year and its third opening set.
For the second consecutive match, Bergen Reilly won consecutive aces. This time, both aces came in the first set. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native also added 12 assists and propelled NU to a .259 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter Alanna Bankston recorded five kills on 10 attempts, hitting .400. The Omaha, Nebraska native had two of the Spartans’ four service aces. The Spartans hit a game-high .375 in the set. The Huskers entered Michigan allowing their opponents to average a .100 hitting percentage.
Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly noted that she wants her middle blockers to be more involved in the offense on the Huskers Radio Network pregame show. Manaïa Ogbechie added four kills and hit a team-high .800 in the first set.
Set 2: Ogbechie ties the match for Nebraska
Nebraska volleyball got back on track in the second set in East Lansing. After losing first, the Huskers found a promising performance from Ogbechie, who had five kills.
The Big Red hit .304 in the second set and had 13 kills on 23 attacks, despite his six offensive errors. Once again, the Spartans outlasted NU in service aces, adding two to Nebraska’s.
Teraya Sigler set the tone for the Huskers behind the service line with an ace. The sophomore outside hitter had two kills on six swings and batted a poor -.167.
Michigan State made it 4-0 midway through the set, led by Madi Andrews on the service line. The freshman outside hit back-to-back service aces to add to her four victories. The Spartans hit -.195 in the set, showing Nebraska’s true defensive colors.
Set 3: Reilly strengthens the Husker offense
Reilly recorded another ace in the third set and had 12 assists. The Husker distributor guided Nebraska to a career-high .452. The middle blockers continued to lead the pack.
Over the first three sets, Jackson and Murray each had 11 kills. Ogbechie recorded nine kills in 11 swings, still with the best hitting percentage among players with more than five swings, at 0.818.
Ryan Hunter came into the game and sparked Nebraska. The sophomore outside hitter came off the bench and added four kills in four attempts.
The Spartans hit .207 despite six offensive errors. Michigan State entered the third set with six service aces, but recorded none in the frame.
Set 4: Return to self, domination of fashion
It lasted four more sets. For Nebraska fans, this stings, but the Huskers escaped Michigan with back-to-back wins. NU hit .320 in the final set and held the Spartans to a -091 clip.
Defensively, Nebraska continued its dominant play that began the second set. Ogbechie finished with a career-high eight blocks.
Hunter played the best match of his career, finishing with seven kills. The sophomore from Charlotte, North Carolina, had a perfect shooting percentage, tying her career best against Florida Gulf Coast.
Skyler Pierce entered the match in the fourth set and had three kills and had a perfect. Despite remarkable performances from a mix of Husker hitters, the sophomore across the street Virginie Adrien saw a significant drop in his play, finishing 0 for 5 on offense, hitting -0.400.
The Huskers head to the West Coast to next face Oregon. Nebraska will face the Ducks on Saturday, November 7 at 9 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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