Huskers and Bluejays Set for Top 10 Matchup
MATCH PREVIEW
• The Nebraska volleyball team hosts in-state foe Creighton in a top-10 matchup on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
• Tuesday’s match will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed on FoxSportsGo. Larry Punteney and Emily Ehman will call the match.
• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) rebounded from its first loss of the season last Tuesday at SMU with sweeps of The Citadel and Montana State on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
• Nebraska has won 27 home matches in a row dating back to Nov. 26, 2022.
• The Huskers rank 14th nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .295.
• NU ranks 17th in the nation in blocks with 2.95 per set.
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.11 kills per set.
• Outside hitter Lindsay Krause adds 2.39 kills per set and has served a team-high nine aces.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 2.45 kills per set for the Big Red.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.35 kills with a team-best .554 hitting percentage, which ranks second nationally.
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 2.25 kills per set on .373 hitting and has put up 26 blocks for an average of 1.63 blocks per set, which ranks 11th nationally.
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.10 assists per set and 3.05 digs per set and is tied for the team lead in aces with nine.
• Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.80 digs per set .
SCOUTING REPORT: CREIGHTON
• Creighton is 5-0 and was ranked No. 9 in Monday’s AVCA Coaches Poll, its highest ranking since 2019. The Bluejays beat No. 20 USC last Thursday in Omaha, 3-1, and also swept Kansas State on Saturday.
• Creighton is coming off a 29-5 season that included the BIG EAST title and an NCAA Regional Semifinals appearance. The Bluejays returned four starters from that squad, including 2022 BIG EAST Player of the Year Norah Sis. She leads the Bluejays with 3.69 kills per set and is hitting .328 on the season. Two-time All-BIG EAST outside hitter Ava Martin adds 3.19 kills per set.
• As a team, Creighton ranks fourth nationally in kills per set (14.69) and eighth in hitting percentage (.308). Setter Kendra Wait ranks 14th nationally with 11.00 assists per set.
SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 22-0 all-time against Creighton, though two of the matches were in 1980 and the other 20 wins have come since Creighton restarted its program in 1994.
• Nebraska beat Creighton 3-1 last year at the Devaney Center, 25-9, 25-13, 23-25, 25-20. Merritt Beason had 17 kills in that match.
• John Cook is 19-0 against Creighton all-time as head coach at Nebraska.
• This will be the first matchup between the two schools when both are ranked in the top 10.
RODRIGUEZ AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT NU LIBEROS
• Lexi Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball history.
• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.
• Rodriguez made her mark instantly as a freshman in 2021, earning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Over the last two seasons, Rodriguez has guided the Huskers to the No. 1 defense in the country, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year again in 2023 to become the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive the honor twice in a career.
• Rodriguez has 1,500 career digs, which ranks fifth in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in assists at NU with 1,890.
BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason made an instant impact on the Nebraska volleyball program after transferring from Florida in 2023, and she will look to take the next step in her senior season as a second-year captain.
• Last year, Beason put together a sensational season, earning AVCA first-team All-America honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year, becoming just the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that honor.
• Beason averaged a team-leading 3.76 kills per set on .282 hitting with 2.05 digs per set. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 23 after averaging 4.25 kills per set and 1.75 digs per set in wins against Northwestern and top-ranked Wisconsin.
• Beason was the MVP of the NCAA Lincoln Regional after 19 kills, 11 digs and a career-high eight blocks in a regional final win over Arkansas.
VERSATILE MURRAY HIGHLIGHTS SOPHOMORE CLASS
• Along with Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, sophomore outside hitter Harper Murray made an instant impact at Nebraska in 2023, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-America Third Team honors.
• Murray finished her freshman campaign with 3.23 kills per set, the highest kills per set average by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. One of the Big Ten’s best six-rotation players, Murray also added 2.07 digs per set with a team-high 36 aces. She was a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Murray is off to a solid start to her sophomore season, leading the Huskers in kills with 3.11 per set while hitting .256 with 1.95 digs and 0.58 blocks per set. Murray has a perfect reception percentage on 52 serves this season.
KRAUSE LOOKING TO PICK UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
• Senior outside hitter Lindsay Krause was having the best year of her Husker career in 2023 before it ended in mid-October with an ankle injury. At the time of her injury, Krause was averaging 2.50 kills per set and was hitting .285 for the season.
• Not only that, Krause was putting up 2.82 kills per set on .366 hitting through six Big Ten matches, which led all Big Ten outside hitters in conference action at the time.
• Krause was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 9 following a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting at Michigan and nine kills on .381 hitting at Michigan State.
REILLY SETS THE TONE
• Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, becoming the first freshman to win the award since it originated in 2012. Reilly was also an AVCA second-team All-American and an All-Big Ten first-team selection.
• Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set in 2023, and she has received five career Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, including on Sept. 2 after leading the Huskers to three wins to begin the season with 10.73 assists per set and 3.18 digs per set.
• Reilly was named Best Setter at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., as she guided the Huskers to a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky with 39 assists and 11 digs.
• Reilly ranks 10th nationally with 11.10 assists per set this season.
ACTION JACKSON
• Sophomore middle blocker Andi Jackson showed enormous athleticism and potential the first time she stepped on the floor as a Husker, and she followed through with a strong debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
• Jackson averaged 2.01 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set with a .399 hitting percentage in 2023, which ranked third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation. Her hitting percentage was the best ever by a Husker freshman and ranked seventh all-time in the rally scoring era.
• Jackson has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.35 kills per set with a .554 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the nation.
• Along with Reilly, Jackson helped the U.S. U21 National Team win the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto this summer, hitting .654 throughout the tournament with 39 kills and 10 blocks.
ALLICK ON A BLOCKING TEAR
• Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten second-team selection. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second among Big Ten players and seven in the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was also the No. 2 mark in school history in the rally scoring era.
• Allick was at her best at the end of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas and 10 blocks in the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh.
• In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 while tying her career high with 12 blocks. Her performance earned her Best Middle Blocker and Most Valuable Player honors at the AVCA First Serve Showcase. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set in the first three matches of the season, which earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
• Allick leads the Huskers with 1.63 blocks per set so far this season, which ranks 11th nationally. Offensively, she has provided 2.25 kills per set on .373 hitting.
HALL OF FAME COACH COOK IN YEAR 25 AT NU
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 25th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2024. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 13 conference championships and 22 top-10 final rankings since 2000.
• Cook has 855 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .873 win percentage (694-101).
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 68 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.
• In 2023, Cook was voted AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA regional finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s time at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.
REILLY, JACKSON LEAD U.S. U21 TEAM TO GOLD
• Nebraska sophomores Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson led the U.S. U21 National Team to the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto, Canada in June. Nebraska assistant coach Jaylen Reyes served as an assistant coach for the U21 National Team.
• The U.S. swept Puerto Rico 25-12, 25-16, 25-16 in the final to finish the tournament without dropping a set in five matches. Jackson finished with nine kills, three blocks and one ace, while Reilly set the U.S. to a .464 hitting percentage.
• In other international competition, Nebraska seniors Merritt Beason, Taylor Landfair and Lexi Rodriguez took the silver medal at the NORCECA Final Six as the U.S. National Team fell to Dominican Republic in five sets. The U.S. National Team - comprising only college players for this tournament - went toe-to-toe with the senior national team of the Dominican Republic. Beason had a team-high 14 kills in the final, while Rodriguez had 10 digs.
THREE HUSKERS EARN SILVER AT PARIS OLYMPICS
• The U.S. Women’s Volleyball National Team earned the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in August as they fell to Italy, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) in the final.
• Three players on the U.S. National Team - Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson Cook and Justine Wong-Orantes - represented Nebraska throughout the competition. In the final, Wong-Orantes put up 15 digs for Team USA, and Larson had five kills.
• Larson earned her fourth career Olympic medal, tied for the most all-time by a women’s volleyball player. Robinson Cook collected her third Olympics medal, and Wong-Orantes now has a gold and a silver medal.
• The U.S. women have won one Olympic gold medal (2020), four silver medals (1984, 2008, 2012, 2024) and two bronze medals (1992 and 2016).
• Larson, who was a three-time All-American at Nebraska while lettering from 2005-08, competed in her fourth straight Olympics. She is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Huskers in 2024.
• Robinson Cook, an All-American at NU in 2013, was also a member of the bronze-medal winning team in 2016 and gold-medal winning team in 2020, while two-time All-American Wong-Orantes (2013-16) made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020.
HUSKERS ADD TWO TALENTED FRESHMEN
• Nebraska signed two freshmen in its 2024 class, libero Olivia Mauch and outside hitter Skyler Pierce.
• Mauch, a 5-6 libero from Bennington, Neb., was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey. Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals twice. She was the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. Mauch also trained with the U.S. U21 National Team in June 2024 in Anaheim, Calif.
• Pierce, a 6-2 outside hitter from Lenexa, Kan., also has major international experience with the U.S. National Team program, having competed at the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championships. Pierce starred at Olathe Northwest, where she averaged 4.6 kills per set with a .402 hitting percentage to go along with 230 digs, 67 aces and 43 blocks in her senior season in which the Ravens finished third at the Kansas 6A state tournament. Pierce was an AVCA first-team High School All-American and th MetroKC Volleyball Player of the Year.
BLACKWELL, LANDFAIR JOIN HUSKERS
• Nebraska brought in two new additions via the transfer portal in the offseason in Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair and San Diego middle blocker Leyla Blackwell.
• Landfair, a 6-5 outside hitter from Plainfield, Ill., is a senior for the Huskers but has two years of eligibility remaining after receiving a medical hardship for the 2021 season. Landfair was the Big Ten Player of the Year and an AVCA first-team All-American in 2022 at Minnesota after 4.36 kills per set on .257 hitting with 1.63 digs per set. She had a career-high 28 kills in a win over Oregon and was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week, as well as the AVCA North Region Player of the Year. Last season, Landfair earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the third time and averaged 3.19 kills and 2.03 digs per set.
• Blackwell, a 6-4 middle blocker from San Diego, Calif., was a three-time All-WCC selection at San Diego and averaged 2.25 kills and 1.24 blocks per set with a .329 hitting percentage last season. Blackwell guided 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. Blackwell has Big Ten experience as she began her career at Indiana in 2020-21 and led the team in blocking and hitting percentage.
FIVE HUSKERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• Five student-athletes from the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
• Merritt Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were unanimous selections to the 18-player Preseason All-Big Ten Team. They were joined by Taylor Landfair, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly on the team. All five players were All-Big Ten selections in 2023. Seventeen of the 18 players on the team were either All-Big Ten or All-Pac 12 First Team selections last season. NU’s five selections were the most for any team in the conference; no one else had more than three.
• The coaches picked Nebraska as the top team in the preseason poll. The Huskers won their fourth Big Ten title in 2023 with a 19-1 conference record. Nebraska finished the season at 33-2 and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas in Tampa, Fla. Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota rounded out the top five, followed by three of the conference’s newcomers in Oregon, USC and UCLA.
HUSKERS SELECTED FOR 23 TV MATCHES IN 2024
• Nebraska will appear on TV a total of 23 times during the season, including 15 of 20 conference matches. Additionally, Nebraska Public Media was granted permission to televise the Red-White Scrimmage on Aug. 24.
• The Huskers’ first match of the season against Kentucky at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., will air on ESPN2 on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. (CT).
• Nebraska will appear on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Louisville at 11:30 a.m. (CT), and on NBC on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. (CT). NU has one match on FS1, which will be Thursday, Oct. 3 at Illinois at 6 p.m.
• Big Ten Network will broadcast 15 Nebraska matches this season, with the first coming against Creighton on Sept. 10. Eight of Nebraska’s 10 matches in November will be televised on BTN.
• NPM will have four TV broadcasts: the Red-White Scrimmage (Aug. 24), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Aug. 30), Montana State (Sept. 7) and Iowa (Oct. 6).
2023 SEASON RECAP
• Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas in Tampa, Fla.
• The Huskers won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2017, and head coach John Cook was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.
• With four freshmen in the lineup, the Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season.
• The Huskers, who had no seniors on their roster in 2023, return 10 letterwinners, including every starter.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason (first team), libero Lexi Rodriguez (first team), setter Bergen Reilly (second team) and outside hitter Harper Murray (third team) were AVCA All-America selections in 2023.
• Beason was the AVCA North Region Player of the Year, and Murray was both the AVCA North Region and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year, and Rodriguez was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time.
• The Huskers bring back 86.5 percent of their kills from 2023, 99.7 percent of their assists, 100 percent of their service aces, 96.2 percent of their digs and 79.4 percent of their blocks.