Nebraska Volleyball Caps Pacific Northwest Swing with Washington Sweep

Husker volleyball finishes a perfect 4-0 against the Big Ten newcomers as they sweep the Huskies in front of another record crowd.

Enrique Alvarez-Clary | Nov 10, 2024

Nebraska volleyball players celebrate a point at Washington. / Nebraska Athletics

A perfect trip to the Pacific Northwest.

No. 2 Nebraska (24-1, 14-0 B1G) swept Washington (18-6, 8-6 B1G) 25-17, 25-11, 25-21 in front of an Alaska Airlines Arena record crowd of 9,768 Saturday night. This comes just a couple days after the Big Red swept No. 12 Oregon.

The Huskers finish undefeated against the four new members of the Big Ten Conference, with only UCLA taking set.

Nebraska played an extremely efficient match as they hit .375 with 44 kills on only 88 swings. Washington had more than enough chances with 101 swings, but they couldn't keep it in the court as they committed 19 attacking errors and seven service errors.

Bergen Reilly piloted the offense with 34 assists and made her mark offensively with 5 kills.

Reilly had an automatic assist through one and a half sets when she set it up for Harper Murray, as the super sophomore started the match a perfect seven kills on seven swings before a back row attack was dug up. Murray finished the match with 12 kills on 25 swings and only three errors.

Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Harper Murray (27) attacks against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third set

Oct 25, 2024; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Harper Murray (27) attacks against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third set at Bob Devaney Sports Center. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The service line was a strength, once again, for Nebraska, collecting five aces and holding a strong serving Washington team to only one ace. Lexi Rodriguez and Merritt Beason each served two.

It was an all-around performance as the defense came up big as well, out-digging (38-29) and blocking (7-1) Washington. Rodriguez was being challenged by the Huskies and answered the call with 11 digs, inching closer to that number one spot in Husker History in career digs.

Taylor Landfair, Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick all shut down the net with three blocks each.

With a Penn State loss earlier in the day, Nebraska became the only team in the conference with an undefeated record.

Nebraska returns home for their next match in a battle for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy in a matchup with the No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday. That match is set for 8 p.m. CST first serve on the Big Ten Network.

Box score

Nebraska Athletics Set Synopses

Set 1: Washington separated from a 7-7 tie with a 3-0 run to go up 10-7. Beason had a kill, and Washington hit long before a Murray kill tied the score at 10-10. Murray then teamed up with Allick for a stuff block to make it 11-10 after Mauch's 4-0 service run. With the score tied 12-12, Jackson notched a kill, Washington hit wide, and Reilly hammered an overpass for a 15-12 Husker lead at the media timeout. Jackson and Landfair combined for a block, and Landfair added four kills as NU went ahead 22-16. Back-to-back kills by Murray earned set point for the Big Red, and the Huskers won 25-17 on a block by Beason. Nebraska hit .480 in set one and held Washington to .176. Landfair and Murray each had five kills.

Set 2: Allick opened the set with two kills, and Murray posted one for a 3-0 start. After a service error put Washington on the board, Allick recorded another kill and Rodriguez served back-to-back aces to make it 6-1. NU led 10-3 after kills by Jackson and Murray. Landfair and Reilly tacked on kills before an ace by Reilly increased Nebraska's lead to 15-6. After a 3-0 UW run, Landfair tipped a kill for a sideout, and Murray capped a long rally with a kill before a block by Beason and Jackson made it 19-10 Big Red. Jackson and Murray put down three kills in a row, Beason served an ace, and Murray smashed her 11th kill as the Huskers closed out a 25-11 win.

Set 3: Nebraska took an 8-3 lead after a 6-0 run served by Beason, which included an ace. Jackson had a kill and a block with Murray in that stretch, and Reilly recorded a kill. Washington pulled within 15-13, but Jackson terminated two kills in a row and Landfair dropped one to the floor for an 18-13 advantage. Reilly put down a kill before a Landfair/Allick block and a Landfair kill made it a seven-point lead, 21-14. Beason notched two kills and Allick finished off the sweep, 25-21.

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Published Nov 10, 2024

ENRIQUE ALVAREZ-CLARY

Enrique Alvarez-Clary, better known as Rico, is the Assistant Program Director at 93.7 The Ticket in Lincoln, Nebraska as well as the Executive Producer for the Supernovas Radio Network which broadcasts every Omaha Supernovas match during the inaugural season of the Professional Volleyball Federation. A native of Nebraska, Rico first graduated from the prestigious Bellevue West High School and went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Kearney where he also competed in Track & Field. Being behind the scenes for so long, Enrique has shifted into a more on-air role co-hosting the "Happy Hour" and lending his voice to many other shows on 93.7. Enrique focuses his coverage of Nebraska on football, volleyball, mens & womens basketball, softball, and track and field. When Enrique isn't covering Huskers Athletics you can find him hanging out with his wife Rachael and their two children Elliot (daughter) and Kade (son). Rico can be reached at rique2688@gmail.com or on Twitter/X @RadioRicoAC