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Nebraska Volleyball No. 2 in Preseason AVCA Poll; Set to Face Ten Top 25 Opponents

The Huskers begin their season as the highest-rated Big Ten team but will face a tough stretch of key matchups from August to November. No. 2 Nebraska volleyball opens against No. 9 Kentucky next week.

Austin Jacobsen

Aug 30, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Merritt Beason (13) serves against the Omaha Mavericks during the second set at Memorial Stadium.
Aug 30, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Merritt Beason (13) serves against the Omaha Mavericks during the second set at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
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Nebraska volleyball begins its 2024 campaign the same way it finished its previous season - one spot behind the Longhorns.

The Huskers received 15 first-place votes in the preseason edition of the AVCA Top 25 rankings published Monday morning, with Texas garnering 46 to take the top overall spot. Nebraska's No. 2 rating is the highest in the Big Ten and just ahead of No. 3 Wisconsin.

No other program tallied a first-place vote outside of Texas and the Big Red.

The Huskers' season will have plenty of battles, including 10 matchups with preseason Top 25 teams. Nebraska opens the season in Louisville battling No. 9 Kentucky on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m. CDT on ESPN2.

Following several nonconference matchups at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, NU welcomes No. 12 Creighton to Lincoln on Sep. 10. It is the highest preseason rating for the Jays since 2017, when Creighton began the year at No. 9.

Louisville's head coach Dani Busboom Kelly talks with Anna DeBeer during a time out during their NCAA Regional Final
Louisville's head coach Dani Busboom Kelly talks with Anna DeBeer during a time out during their NCAA Regional Final game against Oregon, Saturday, Dec. 10 2022 in Louisville Ky. Louisville defeated Oregon and will advance to the Final Four. Voboregonlouisvilletde016 / Timothy D. Easley/Special to the Courier-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Big Red continue their non-conference gauntlet with a home tilt against No. 17 Arizona State on Sep. 13, followed by a match in Lincoln against No. 5 Stanford on Sep. 18. NU then faces off against Nebraska native and former Husker Dani Busboom-Kelly's No. 6 Louisville Cardinals for a Sep. 22 matchup on ABC.

The Huskers open conference play five days later against UCLA, who received votes in the preseason poll. Two days following the first matchup with one of the newest members of the Big Ten, Nebraska welcomes No. 21 USC and former Husker Ally Batenhorst to the Devaney Center on Sep. 29.

Nebraska faces off against No. 8 Purdue at home on Oct. 11. The following weekend, the Big Red will travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State, who received votes in the poll. That matchup will be broadcast on NBC.

Nebraska volleyball celebrates a point in the National Semifinal against Pitt.
Nebraska volleyball celebrates a point in the National Semifinal against Pitt. / Nebraska Athletics photo

The final month of the regular season will prove challenging for the Huskers, beginning Nov. 1 with a trip to No. 3 Wisconsin before heading west to take on No. 10 Oregon on Nov. 6. After facing Washington, Nebraska returns home to battle No. 18 Minnesota.

Prior to Thanksgiving, Nebraska will welcome No. 3 Wisconsin back to Lincoln on Nov. 23 before facing No. 7 Penn State on Black Friday.

The Huskers' tough schedule can be eased by their loaded roster, including five preseason All-Big Ten players. Nebraska finishes preparations for the season with the Red-White scrimmage on Saturday.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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