NU Hosts No. 10 Purdue, Rutgers
MATCH PREVIEW
• The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team will play two matches at home this weekend as Big Ten play rolls along. The Cornhuskers will host No. 10 Purdue on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Rutgers on Saturday at 7 p.m., which will be Nebraska’s annual “Pink Match” for breast cancer awareness.
• Friday’s match against Purdue will be televised on BTN with Larry Punteney and Lauren Stivrins on the call. Saturday’s match will only be streamed on B1G+.
• 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
• Nebraska has won 11 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Nine of the 11 wins have been sweeps.
• The Huskers rank seventh nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .298.
• NU ranks 13th nationally in kills per set (14.02).
• In Sunday’s 3-0 win over Iowa, the Huskers had seven aces and just one service error. The last time the Huskers had at least seven aces with one or fewer service errors was Nov. 12, 2017 against Rutgers (nine aces, one error).
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.12 kills per set and 15 service aces. Murray also adds 2.14 digs per set.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 2.90 kills per set for the Big Red. Over her last nine matches, Beason is averaging 3.20 kills per set with a .312 hitting percentage.
• Outside hitter Lindsay Krause adds 2.37 kills per set and has served a team-high 15 aces.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.66 kills with a team-best .475 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth nationally.
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.81 kills per set on .381 hitting with 1.49 blocks per set, which ranks 10th nationally.
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 10.98 assists per set, which ranks ninth in the nation. She also adds 2.86 digs per set and has 12 aces.
• Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.82 digs per set.
SCOUTING REPORT: PURDUE
• No. 10 Purdue beat Northwestern and Michigan State last week to move to 12-3 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play.
• The Boilermakers rank 11th in the nation in blocks per set (2.89) and 16th in kills per set (13.91).
• Eva Hudson (4.09 kills per set) and Chloe Chicoine (3.28 kills per set) lead the Purdue attack.
• Raven Colvin ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the nation in blocks per set (1.74). She also adds 2.68 kills per set and is hitting .439.
SCOUTING REPORT: RUTGERS
• Rutgers enters a Friday match at Iowa 5-10 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten matches.
• Alissa Kinkela leads the Scarlet Knights with 3.62 kills per set. Kinkela became Rutgers’ first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after 29 kills on .456 hitting against Iowa and 24 kills on .432 hitting at Michigan.
SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 24-8 all-time against Purdue and has won five in a row in the series. The teams went five sets in the only meeting last season on Sept. 29 in West Lafayette, with Nebraska squeaking out a 15-12 victory in the fifth set.
• Nebraska is 14-1 all-time against Rutgers and has won 14 in a row since Rutgers’ lone win in 1978. All but one of the Huskers’ 14 wins have been sweeps.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
• Nebraska led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in both 2022 (.128) and 2023 (.137).
• This year, the Huskers are holding all opponents to a .163 hitting percentage, which ranks 29th nationally.
• The Huskers rank 15th in the nation in blocks per set at 2.77.
SERVE AND PASS
• Nebraska has allowed just 28 service aces this season, which ranks second in the nation behind Pittsburgh (27). Over the last eight matches, the Huskers have yielded just seven aces and have not allowed more than two in a single match in that stretch.
• Nebraska’s opponents have served seven aces and committed 80 service errors over the last eight matches.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.81 and 3.12 kills per set.
• Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match in the first 14 matches of the season.
• Setter Bergen Reilly ranks ninth nationally averaging 10.98 assists per set.
HOME SWEET HOME
• Nebraska has won 34 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is tied with Stephen F. Austin for the longest in the nation.
• The Huskers’ home win streak is its longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013.
• Nebraska’s longest all-time home winning streak was 88 matches from 2004-09. Since then, NU also has a home win streak of 38 matches in a row from 2009-11.
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 has 1,615 career digs, which ranks third in school history. In the home wins over UCLA and USC, she passed Jennifer Saleaumua and Nicklin Hames to move to No. 3 on NU’s all-time digs list. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in digs at NU with 1,890. Kayla Banwarth is second with 1,706 career digs.
• On Sept. 30, Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the sixth time in her career. She averaged 4.71 digs per set in the first weekend of conference play, helping the Huskers hold UCLA and USC to season-low hitting percentages at the time.
• 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.
BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason has found her groove over the last four weeks. In her last nine matches, Beason is averaging 3.20 kills per set with a .312 hitting percentage.
• Beason put together a sensational season in 2023 - her first as a Husker after transferring from Florida - 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.
• In 2023, 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
• Sophomore outside hitter Harper Murray is the team leader in kills with 3.12 per set and adds 2.14 digs per set and 15 aces, which is tied for the team lead.
• Along with Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, 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.
KRAUSE PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
• Senior outside hitter Lindsay Krause has been NU’s best threat at the service line with a team-high 15 aces, and she is one of only two Huskers with more aces than errors this season. Krause is also averaging 2.37 kills per set.
• 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 last year 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 ranks ninth nationally with 10.98 assists per set this season, and she has eight double-doubles.
• 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 six career Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, including on Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 this season.
• 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.
JACKSON IN ACTION
• Sophomore middle blocker Andi Jackson has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.66 kills per set with a .475 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth in the nation and second among Big Ten players.
• 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.
• 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 BRINGS THE BLOCK
• Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick leads the Huskers with 1.49 blocks per set so far this season, which ranks 10th in the nation. Offensively, she has provided 1.81 kills per set on .381 hitting.
• Allick’s career 1.21 blocks per set ranks No. 4 in school history in the rally scoring era.
• 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 was again named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after 2.00 blocks per set in sweeps at Illinois and vs. Iowa.
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 864 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 .874 win percentage (703-101).
• On Sept. 10, 2024, the Huskers defeated No. 9 Creighton 3-2 for Cook’s 695th win at Nebraska, which moved him past Terry Pettit for most wins all-time as the Nebraska volleyball head coach.
• 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.