No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball (27-0, 16-0) dominated Iowa (13-17, 2-14), sweeping the Hawkeyes in straight sets at the Bob Devaney Sports Center (25-12, 25-15, 25-17).
The Huskers improved to 42-0 against Iowa all-time. Middle blocker Andi Jackson finished with nine kills, totaling all of those kills in the first two sets. Jackson hit .750 on the night and added two blocks.
Harper Murray had four kills in the first set and finished with nine. The Huskers rested outside hitter Teraya Siglerbut Skyler Pierce filled in on the outside and had six kills and four blocks.
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Setter Bergen Reilly had 35 assists. As a team, the Big Red hit .457 in the game. Libero Olivia Mauch led the Scarlet and Cream with two of their four aces.
Iowa struggled from the first serve. The Hawkeyes hit .050 in the first set, which fell to a season-low .026 by the end of the match. Carmel Vares And Ksenija Tomic led them with six kills.
The game was Senior Night for the Huskers. Nebraska honored Murray, Jackson, Reilly and a defensive specialist Laney Choboy after the match. All four players have one year of eligibility remaining, but none have announced their intentions for next season.
Set 1: Seniors start hot as Nebraska takes early lead
For Nebraska volleyball, it would have been difficult to get off to a much better start than in the first set. After Choboy got the first serve, the offense rightly revolved around Murray and Jackson. The two seniors were responsible for the Huskers’ first four points.
Jackson continued to be a focal point in the Big Red’s offense early on. The senior had three kills on three swings in the first half of the set. One of those moves included a powerful slide that sent the ball into the crowd and gave Nebraska a 15-8 lead before the media timeout.
The race did not stop at the break. Murray reemerged, earning a kill that quickly forced the Hawkeyes into another timeout as the Huskers went on a 5-0 run midway through the set. The outside hitter was effective in the first set, hitting .667.
Murray and the middle blocker Manaïa Ogbechie finished the set with a block, earning a 25-12 victory. Nebraska hit .682 in the set while holding Iowa to a .050 clip.
Set 2: Fast start allows Huskers to empty the bench and close in for a sweep
The second set looked like much of the same success the Huskers had in the first. A fast start set the tone, aided by powerful swings from Jackson and Murray. Nebraska made it 6-0 and forced an Iowa timeout before getting within 10 points, taking a 9-4 lead.
Their dominance paved the way for head coach Dani Busboom Kelly to involve his bench. Defensive Specialist Keri Leimbach started the second set, while opposite Ryan Hunter and ferryman Campbell Flynn each appeared before the media timeout.
Hunter had two kills in the frame on four swings. His second kill pushed the Huskers into the red zone with a 20-12 lead and brought a freshman to the outside. Gabby Divita in the game. She totaled two recoveries in the set.
Ogbechie closed out the set with back-to-back blocks before an Iowa attack error gave the Big Red a 25-15 victory.
Set 3: Nebraska youth shows promise in the third
Being Senior Night, there were obvious questions about what the future holds for Nebraska. Middle blockers Keoni Williams And Kenna Cogill gave a glimpse of what it might look like in the third set.
Both players came on and made a significant impact in the frame. Williams started the show, landing two kills early in the match. She added a block, helping the Huskers take a 15-9 lead going into the break. The freshman finished the set with three kills.
Cogill, who started several games for Nebraska this season, had three kills on three swings. She had an ace and a block in the third.
Freshman outside hitter Jayden Robinson also entered the set and earned a kill. Murray added three kills in the third, while Choboy totaled five digs as the Huskers completed the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
Next, Nebraska volleyball hosts No. 19 Minnesota (16-7, 10-5) on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and Huskers Radio Network.
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