Nebraska Volleyball Preview: Michigan State and Ohio State

The No. 2 Huskers look to remain unbeaten on the road with a pair of teams who have stumbled so far in Big Ten play.

Nebraska volleyball middle blocker Leyla Blackwell (11) celebrates a point with setter Bergen Reilly (2) against Rutgers. / Nebraska Athletics

Vindication was the theme of the weekend for the No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team after coming away with two more Big Ten victories to stay unbeaten in conference play. Plus, No. 1 Pittsburgh dropped its first match of the season to No. 12 SMU in Dallas, backing up the notion that the Huskers’ lone defeat to the Mustangs wasn’t as bad as it first seemed.

Friday’s battle against No. 10 Purdue was reminiscent of NU’s four-set loss to No. 9 Stanford in 2022. The Cardinal pulled out a pair of two-point set wins despite a startling 23 services errors. It didn’t reach those numbers with Purdue, but they coughed up 19 service errors including four in the decisive fifth set. All-American hitters Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine each had over 20 kills and hit over .300, but yet it was not enough for Purdue to take down NU in Lincoln for the first time since 2013. 

Rutgers didn’t put up much of a fight in a straight-set win for Nebraska who extended its home winning streak to 36, which is the NCAA’s longest active streak. Setter Bergen Reilly was awarded for her play over the weekend on Monday being named the Big Ten Setter of the Week for the third time this season after averaging 11.88 assists and 3.75 digs per set along with two blocks and one ace. 

Next up on the docket is a pair of teams in the midst of down years compared to the program’s history with road visits to Michigan State and Ohio State. 

Here’s all you need to know for the NU’s weekend road trip.

How to Follow Along 

Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (16-1, 6-0 B1G) vs. Michigan State (7-10, 0-6 B1G)  

Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich.  

Time: 5 p.m. CDT 

Watch: Big Ten Network 

Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Michigan State's head coach Leah Johnson talks with the team during the first set in the volleyball game against Loyola on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan State Scout

Head Coach: Leah Johnson | 3rd Season at MSU, 14th Overall | 37-42 (.468) at MSU, 231-193 Career Record (.545) | 2021 AVCA North Region Coach OTY, 2019 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Coach OTY.

2023 Record: 17-14 (9-11 B1G, T-8th) | Two Second Team All-Big Ten selections, One All-Freshman Team member | Did not qualify for the postseason. 

All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 27-2-2 (2023 last matchup, Nebraska won 3-1) 

Series Fun Fact: Nebraska has won 16-straight matches against Michigan State dating back to 2013. The only two victories by the Spartans over NU came in back-to-back seasons with a five-set win on Nov. 4, 2012 and a four-set win on Oct. 12, 2013. Both wins came on MSU’s home court. However, both of last year’s victories for NU over MSU were in four sets. 

Key Returners: Taylah Holdem, OH, Soph. | Nalani Iosia, L, Sr. | Aliyah Moore, OH, Sr. | Grace Kelly, OH, Sr. | Julia Bishop, S, Sr. | Cameron Berger, S, Soph. | Rachel Muisenga, S, Sr. | Zuzanna Kulig, MB, Soph. | Evie Doezema, MB, Jr.

Key Additions: Taylor Preston, OH, Jr. (Oklahoma) | Akasha Anderson, OH, Jr. (Auburn). 

Key Departures: Amani McArthur, MB (Eligibility).

Outlook: Earning its first season above .500 (17-14) for the first time since 2018, Michigan State head coach Leah Johnson appeared to have the Spartans on the rise with an influx of transfer from her previous school, Illinoi State, while utilizing the transfer portal to fill certain holes on the roster. That momentum has been halted more than three weeks into conference play and it has the chance to get worse. 

Entering Big Ten play at 7-4, MSU had an up-and-down non-conference schedule, but still plenty of opportunity to finish around .500 once again. Unfortunately, the Spartans sit in mid-October winless in the conference with an 0-6 showing. Losses to No. 3 Penn State (twice) and No. 10 Purdue are understandable, but winnable matches against Illinois, Indiana and Michigan have gone on the wayside. The trek doesn’t get easier with Nebraska up next followed by Washington, USC, UCLA and Minnesota. A winnable stretch follows with Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan and Iowa, but the wins need to start coming. 

What’s bizarre is that this Spartan team returns nearly all starters, plus two impactful additions by the way of the transfer portal. A Second Team All-Big Ten selection last season, middle blocker Amani McArthur, but Polish sophomore Zuzanna has stepped up in that role as a sophomore with 87 total blocks which is second in the Big Ten. Fifth-year libero Nalani Iosia is one of the best in the conference and has shown that a league-leading 4.37 digs per set with 13 aces. 

Taylah Holden made the all-conference second team last season with 3.34 kills per set but she’s had a hard time in her second year with 2.00 kills per set on a .134 hitting percentage. Illinois State transfer Aliyah Moore followed Johnson and contributed 2.20 kills per set in her first season in the Big Ten, but has stepped back offensively this season with 1.40 kills per set, but has 41 blocks which is third on the team. 

That’s because Johnson grabbed a pair of SEC arms for the outside in Auburn transfer Akasha Anderson (2.98 K/S) and former Oklahoma hitter Taylor Preston (2.61 K/S). Setting woes is also a factor in the struggles. After seeing three setters get major playing time in 2023, MSU has relied on a 6-2 system in 2024. Senior Julia Bishop (5.37 A/S) and Rachel Muisenga (5.23 A/S) form the duo, but their combined 11.17 assists per set is fourth-fewest in the Big Ten. 

The Spartans have played the Huskers tough over the past couple years including two four-set contests last season. NU’s struggles have all come on the road this season and traveling to the state of Michigan has proved to be difficult in the past. Expect Nebraska to come out on top, but a dropped set wouldn’t be surprising. 

How to Follow Along 

Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (16-1, 6-0 B1G) vs. Ohio State (8-8, 1-5 B1G)  

Where: Covelli Center, Columbus, Ohio 

Time: 2:30 p.m. CDT 

Watch: NBC 

Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, United States; Ohio State University s Emily Londot (22) dives for the ball at Covelli Center during the NCAA division I women s volleyball game between Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch Ncaa Volleyball Ohio State Vs Wisconsin Volleyball / Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State Scout

Head Coach: Jen Flynn Oldenburg | 5th Season | 83-46 (.643) at OSU & Career Record | 2020 Big Ten Coach OTY | Starting Setter for the USA National Team earning a Silver Medal at the 2002 World Championships. 

2023 Record: 11-18 (8-12 B1G, 10th) | One First Team All-Big Ten member, One Second Team All-Big Ten selection | Did not qualify for the postseason. 

All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 19-10 (2023 last matchup, Nebraska won 3-0) 

Series Fun Fact: Ohio State is one of only seven schools to have double-digit program wins over the Huskers. That list includes the Buckeyes, Minnesota, Missouri State, Penn State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin. Since 2021 the Huskers are 3-3 against OSU. Prior to that, NU had won six straight. 

Key Returners: Emily Londot, OPP, Gr. | Rylee Rader, MB, Gr. | Mia Turman, S, Soph. | Eloise Brandewie, MB, Soph. | Grace Egan, OH, R-Fr.

Key Additions: Olivia Hasbrook, L, Fr. (Recruit) | Ella Wrobel, OH, Jr. (Wisconsin).

Key Departures: Chelsea Thorpe, OH (North Carolina).

Outlook: Two years after a mass exodus that included multiple All-Americans and All-Big Ten performers, the Ohio State volleyball program has yet to reach heights that the likes of B1G Setter of the Year Mac Podraza, Kylie Murr, Gabby Gonzales, Adria Powell and Jenaisya Moore achieved. That included back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances followed by a run to the program’s fourth Elite Eight in 2022. 

With players granted an extra season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all five wanted to come back for a fifth season, but with head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg already promising scholarships to four incoming freshmen, it was time to say goodbye to a historic senior class. 

What followed was an 11-18 record and a 10th-place finish in the Big Ten for OSU’s worst campaign since going 15-17 in 2019 - one season before Oldenburg arrived. The Buckeyes are slowly building back up to being a perennial conference contender, but bumps have come along. Entering conference play with a 7-3 record, Ohio State is 1-5 in the Big Ten with losses to No. 11 Oregon, No. 20 USC, UCLA, Indiana and Michigan while its lone win is a sweep over Northwestern. 

Fifth-year opposite Emily Londot is her usual self after leading the B1G with 5.06 kills per set in 2023. She’s averaging a conference-leading 4.65 kills per set with 63 blocks (1.02 B/S) and 158 digs (2.55 D/S). Returning All-Big Ten middle blocker Rylee Rader creates havoc at the net with a team-high 70 blocks and 1.87 kills per set on a .346 hitting percentage. 

A part of that 2022 recruiting class, sophomore Grace Egan has evolved into a second option behind Londot with 2.52 kills per set and 14 aces. Taking over for Podraza as a freshman, Mia Turman is on pace to match her 2023 numbers with 9.58 assists per set. True freshman Olivia Hasbrook grabbed the starting libero spot for OSU and is sixth in the Big Ten in digs per set (3.97) during her debut season. 

It’s a brutal weekend for the Buckeyes who face No. 3 Penn State late Friday night before taking on the No. 2 Huskers for a Saturday matinee. With NU-OSU getting the honor of NBC’s first-ever college volleyball telecast, both teams will be revving to go on a national stage. Nebraska is more comfortable in that environment, so expect the Huskers to pull one out over the Buckeyes, but don’t rule out OSU making a run at a set or two.

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