How to Watch Nebraska Volleyball in NCAA Regionals: Regional Breakdowns, Previews, TV Channels

The No. 2 Huskers may have to go through their biggest rival for the third time to punch their ticket to the Final Four for the second straight season.

Andi Jackson (15) and Merritt Beason celebrate a double-stuff block against Wisconsin. / Amarillo Mullen

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team enters its last weekend at the Devaney Center for the 2024 season with a chance to earn a spot in the Final Four for the second-straight year and third in the last four seasons. 

The Huskers took care of business in dominant fashion, sweeping Florida A&M and Miami in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament last weekend in Lincoln to reach its 13th consecutive regional. Unlike other top seeds in the tournament, there were no scares for Nebraska, who recorded its most lopsided set win in program history with a 25-3 first set victory over Florida A&M. 

With the tournament field narrowed down to 16 teams, the pressure ramps up in the pursuit of a national championship. Three more teams venture to the Devaney Center in hopes of pulling the upset of the hometown favorite, including Nebraska’s biggest rival. 

Here’s all you need to know for this weekend’s regional semifinals and final. 

How to Follow Along 

Regional Semifinal

• When: Friday, December 13
• Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE
• Matchups: Wisconsin vs. Texas A&M - 6:00 p.m. CST | Nebraska vs. Dayton - 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first match.
• Watch: ESPN2 (Both matches) 
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Regional Final

• When: Sunday, December 15
• Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE
• Matchup: Regional Semifinal Winners - 2 p.m. CST
• Watch: ABC
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Dayton Scout

Head Coach: Tim Horsmon | 16th Season at Dayton; 26th as Head Coach | 406-109 (.788) at Dayton; 582-273 (.681) as Head Coach | Program’s all-time winningest coach | First stint at Dayton from 2003-2007 | Previous head coaching stops at Maryland and Robert Morris. 

2024 Record: 31-2 (18-0 A10, 1st) | A10 Regular Season Champions | A10 Player and Coach of the Year, 3x All-A10 First Team, 1x All-A10 Second Team.

All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 4-0 (Sept. 5, 2014 last meeting, 3-0 NU) 

Fun Fact: Both teams have played once in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers swept the Flyers on Dec. 6, 2003 in the second round in East Lansing, Mich. 

Stat Leaders: Points: Lexie Almodovar, 627 | Kills Per Set: Almodovar, 5.02 | Attacking %: Liana Sarkissian, .385 | Assists Per Set: Alyssa Miller, 10.79 | Aces: Almodovar, 39 | Blocks: Sarkissian, 115 | Digs Per Set: Karissa Kaminski, 4.23. 

Other Key Contributors: Brooke Smith, R-Sr. (2.43 K/S, 69 blocks) | Alayna Yates, MB, R-Sr. (91 blocks, 1.73 K/S) | Gaby Arroyo, L/OH, Soph. (2.21 D/S, 32 Aces) | Taylor Russell, OH, R-Jr. (1.76 K/S, 24 Aces, 36 blocks). 

Outlook: Head coach Tim Horsmon has the Dayton program rolling in his second stint with the Flyers. Dayton went 18-0 in the A10 for the second-straight season, and has the team competing in its first regional in program appearance after topping No. 16 Baylor last weekend 3-2 in Waco, Texas.  

The Flyers are led by its offense, which ranks sixth nationally with a .301 hitting percentage, while also fielding a strong defense with a .140 opponent hitting percentage which is fifth in the country. Lexie Almodovar won her second Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honor in her career. She’s sixth in the country with 5.02 kills per set and is Dayton’s all-time career leader in kills with more than 2,000. She earned a career-high 34 in the Flyer’s second-round win over Baylor. 

All-Atlantic 10 First Team pick setter Alyssa Miller runs the offense with 10.79 assists per set. Junior middle blocker Liana Sarkissian is a quality star alongside Almodovar with a team-leading .385 hitting percentage with 2.54 kills per set. She has also posted a team-high 115 blocks for 348.5 points – which is second on the team. Libero Karissa Kaminski averaged 4.23 digs per set to provide nice floor defense. Redshirt senior Brooke Smith is a quality arm with 2.43 kills per set, but elite depth clearly lies with the Huskers. 

Wisconsin opposite Anna Smrek (left) and outside hitter Sarah Franklin walk off the court after the Badgers' victory against Georgia Tech on Dec. 6 in Madison, Wis. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wisconsin Scout

Head Coach: Kelly Sheffield | 12th Season | 317-67 (.826) at Wisconsin | 589-179 Career HC Record (.767) | Three-Time B1G Coach OTY (‘22, ‘19, ‘14) | One National Championship (2021) and Five B1G Championships (‘14,’19,’20,’21,’22). 

2024 Record: 25-6 (17-3 B1G, 3rd) | B1G Player of the Year, 2x First Team All-Big Ten, 3x Second Team All-Big Ten, 2x All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

All-Time Series: Wisconsin Leads 7-3 (Sept. 21, 2024 last matchup, 3-0 UW) 

Fun Fact: Nebraska coach John Cook led the Wisconsin program from 1992 through 1998 before going back to Nebraska. He achieved a 161-73 overall record, including back-to-back 30-win seasons and trips to the Elite Eight in his final two years in Madison. His .688 winning percentage was the highest in school history for coaches with more than one season until Kelly Sheffield arrived to revitalize the program. 

Stat Leaders: Points: Sarah Franklin, 559 | Kills Per Set: Franklin, 4.48 | Attacking %: Devyn Robinson, .343 | Assists Per Set: Charlie Fuerbringer, 10.94 | Aces: Julia Orzol, 40 | Blocks: Carter Booth & Anna Smrek, 132 | Digs Per Set: Lola Schumacher, 3.61. 

Other Key Contributors: Anna Smrek, OPP/MB, Sr. (2.88 K/S) | CC Crawford, MB, Gr. (117 blocks, 0.93 K/S, .318%) | Julia Orzol, OH/L, Sr. (2.08 K/S, 2.31 D/S) | Carter Booth, MB, Jr. (132 blocks, 1.64 K/S) } Gulce Guctekin, L, Jr. (2.05 D/S, 26 Aces). 

Outlook: One of the most veteran-laden rosters in the country, Wisconsin enters the weekend hoping to avenge its second losses to Nebraska this season with a regional win on NU’s home court. 

The Badgers dispatched Fairfield quite easily in the first round. Georgia Tech put up some resistance in the second round with a 27-25 first set win before Wisconsin won three-straight sets to take a 3-1 victory over the Yellow Jackets – who Nebraska beat in the regional semifinal in Lincoln last season. UW earned its 12th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance with the win as Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Franklin earned 20 kills. She’ll need to be the workhorse she’s been all season if the Badgers come out of Lincoln with its ticket punched to Louisville. 

The Badgers block is the most scary aspect of this team as four players have triple-digit blocks including Carter Booth (132), Anna Smrek (132), CC Crawford (117) and Devyn Robinson (100). Wisconsin was second in the Big Ten in blocks with 347 – right behind USC with 353.5. The Badgers hold the top spot at blocks per set (3.10), but also led the conference with a .293 hitting percentage thanks to the services of true freshman Charlie Fuerbringer. 

UW is the favorite to face Nebraska in the regional final, but all of a sudden it’s Wisconsin who has the losing streak in its rivalry with Nebraska. The Huskers have a feeling on inevitability, but if there’s a team to ruin that feeling, it would be the Badgers. 

Texas A&M Scout

Head Coach: Jamie Morrison | 2nd Season at Texas A&M | 37-20 (.649) School record | Assistant on three U.S. Olympic medal winning squads, as he won gold with the men’s team in Beijing, then silver and bronze with the women’s team in London and Rio; three years with the Netherlands National Team | Previous college coaching stops at Texas, UC Irvine, Concordia (Calif.), USC and UC Santa Barbara. 

2024 Record: 21-7 (10-6 SEC, 5th) | 2x All-SEC First Team. 

Fun Fact: Nebraska native and Omaha Central graduate Ital Lopuyo returns to her home state this weekend. She’s a redshirt sophomore who plays as an opposite for the Aggies. She’s appeared in 48 sets this season with 30 kills. 

Stat Leaders: Points: Logan Lednicky, 530.5 | Kills Per Set: Lednicky, 4.47 | Attacking %: Morgan Perkins, .396 | Assists Per Set: Maddie Waak, 10.45 | Aces: Ellee Stinson, 28 | Blocks: Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, 151 | Digs Per Set: Ava Underwood, 3.23. 

Other Key Contributors: Emily Hellmuth, OH, Jr. (3.01 K/S, 51 Blocks) | Taylor Humphrey, OH, Jr. (1.65 K/S). 

Outlook: Jamie Morrison may only be in his second year season in charge of the Aggies, but he has the program back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. 

Logan Lednicky is the team leader, and was selected to the All-SEC First Team alongside teammate and middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Lednicky was an offensive force for A&M with 469 kills for 4.47 kills per set – which led the team and was fifth in the conference. She also posted 98 blocks and 1.95 blocks per set. Cos-Okpalla was one of the best middle blockers in the country for another season with 2.10 kills per set on a .374 hitting percentage (7th in SEC) and 151 total blocks which leads the team and second in the league. 

For as much of a great player Cos-Okpalla is, Morgan Perkins has been a quality running mate as the second middle blocker with 1.78 kills per set with a team-leading .396 clip which was also fourth in the SEC. She also put up 87 blocks. Junior setter Maddie Waak runs the offense with 10.45 assists per set (third in SEC), 2.07 digs per set, 29 blocks and 22 aces. Emily Hellmuth provides more offense with 3.01 kills per set, but she struggles with efficiency with a .163 hitting percentage. 

It’s going to be intriguing to see how the Aggies hold up against the Wisconsin block. A&M may be able to push the Badgers with their strong play at the net and a star player in Lednicky. Libero Ava Underwood (3.23 D/S) will be tested by the UW attackers, but it will be up to Cos-Okpalla and Perkins to clog up the attacking lanes and get tips. Serving will be key. The Aggies are well balanced ace-wise across the roster, but they were 12th in the SEC during the season with 1.26 aces per set. While the total number of aces may not decide the match, getting the Badgers out of system with aggressive serves is paramount.

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