Nebraska Volleyball Preview: No. 12 Oregon and Washington

The No. 2 Huskers venture to the West Coast to take on two new conference foes.

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

Demons were slayed for the Nebraska volleyball team over the weekend as the No. 2 Huskers put down a seismic sweep over No. 7 Wisconsin to earn their first win at the UW Fieldhouse since 2013 and hand the Badgers their first home sweep since 2016. 

Wisconsin hit under .100 as a team for the first time in eight years as Nebraska silenced a wild crowd of over 7,200. What followed was another commanding sweep of Northwestern on Sunday to keep NU unblemished in conference play at 12–0. And that’s what matters most in the grand scheme of things. The loser of the NU-UW clash was going to become the third-wheel in the Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State affair at the top of the conference with the Badgers now becoming the awkward onlooker at 10-2 in league play. 

There’s a likely chance that the conference crown will go down when the Huskers visit the Nittany Lions on Nov. 29 for the second-to-last match of the regular season. However, Nebraska has a much tougher path to keep those stakes, and that starts this weekend with NU’s first conference trip out west. 

Here’s all you need to know as Nebraska faces off against two new conference foes. 

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (22-1, 12-0 B1G) at No. 12 Oregon (17-4, 9-3 B1G)
• When: Thursday, Nov. 7
• Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Ore.
• Time: 9 p.m. CST
• Watch: BTN
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Oregon Scout

Head Coach: Matt Ulmer | 8th Season | 159-46 (.776) at Oregon | Three Elite Eights (2023, 2022, 2018) and one Sweet 16 (2021 Spring) in eight seasons. 

2023 Record: 29-6 (16-4 PAC-12, 2nd) | One First-Team All-American, One Second-Team All-American, One Third-Team All-American, Three Honorable Mention All-Americans | Four All-Pac-12 selections, One All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention | 3-1 loss to No. 3 Wisconsin in Round of 32. 

All-Time Series: Nebraska Leads 6-3 (2022 Sweet 16 last matchup, Oregon 3-2) 

Fun Fact: Nebraska has only played at Oregon once out of the previous nine matchups, which occurred in 1986 as part of a five-set win. The Huskers lost the most recent showdown between the two programs, dropping a five-set thriller to the Ducks in the 2022 Sweet 16 in Louisville. 

Key Returners: Mimi Colyer, OH, Jr. | Daley McClellan, DS, Sr. | Christin Cline, S, R-Fr. | Noemie Glover, OPP, Soph. | Colby Neal, MB, R-Jr. | Onye Ofoegbu, MB, R-Sr. 

Key Additions: Michelle Ohwobete, OH, Sr. (UC Santa Barbara) | Mackenzie Morris, L, Sr. (Kansas State).

Key Departures: Hannah Pukis, S (Eligibility) | Kara McGhee, MB (Eligibility) | Morgan Lewis, OPP (Eligibility) | Gabby Gonzales, OH (Eligibility) | Georgia Murphy, L (Eligibility) | Karson Bacon, MB (Eligibility).

Oregon’s Mimi Colyer, left, goes up for a shot against Oregon State during the first set. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Outlook: Head coach Matt Ulmer said goodbye to a historic senior class following the 2023 season which ended with a disappointing finish in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Wisconsin. 

The 2023 Ducks racked up six All-American awards, but all but one of those players will be returning in 2024. Setter Hannah Pukis left the program as a two-time All-American setter under Ulmer with Kara McGhee, Morgan Lewis, Gabby Gonzales, Georgia Murphy and Karson Bacon all graduating after All-American seasons. 

One would think a massive rebuild was necessary, but the recruitment, development and transfer portal additions have Oregon once again near the top of its conference at 17-5 entering the second weekend of November. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer is the lone returning All-American for the Ducks and she’s pumping in numbers similar to her past season with a team-high 3.93 kills per set along with 2.21 digs per set, 48 blocks and 23 aces. 

Beside Colyer is 5-10 UC Santa Barbara transfer Michelle Ohwobete. She was the 2023 Big West Player of the Year and has slotted in as the second option with 2.52 kills per set on a .240 hitting percentage with a team-high 27 aces and 2.43 digs per set. Opposite Noemie Glover has developed well as a sophomore with 2.09 kills per set with 65 blocks for 192 points on the year.  

Cristin Cline utilized her redshirt to sit behind Pukis for a season, and has used that knowledge to good use in her first season running the offense. The North Carolina native is part of the Big Ten’s youth movement at setter, ranking fifth in the conference with 10.35 assists per set. The league’s top-five setters are all in their second year of college or younger. 

An All-American Honorable Mention and two-time Big West First Team performer at UC Irvine, Onye Ofoegbu redshirted her first season in Eugene and has excelled in 2024. She’s tied for second on the squad with 2.52 kills per set, which is the second highest among middle blockers in the conference. She’s hitting .398 while adding a team-leading 89 blocks. She’s joined by 6-3 redshirt junior Colby Neal in the middle. Neal is more limited offensive, but she’s not far behind with 77 blocks of her own. 

Kansas State transfer libero MacKenzie Morris leads the team with 3.00 digs per set, but defensive specialist Daley McClellan is also a factor with 2.65 digs per set and 20 aces on the year. 

This will be a test for Nebraska who embarks on their first real road trip of the new Big Ten landscape. Ulmer knows how to beat the Huskers, but it’s hard to see NU not playing up to a top-15 matchup. But with the brutal time change (9 p.m. CST start) on a weeknight, the Ducks could put a scare in Nebraska. The Huskers should still be the favorites, but a four- or five-set match would not be surprising.  

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (22-1, 12-0 B1G) at (RV) Washington (17-5, 7-5 B1G)
• When: Saturday, Nov. 9
• Where: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Wash.
• Time: 9:30 p.m. CST
• Watch: BTN
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Washington Scout

Head Coach: Leslie Gabriel  | 2nd Season | 33-20 (.623) Career HC Record | 2020 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year | Spent 22 seasons as an assistant on the Washington staff | Played for the Huskies from 1995-1998. 

2023 Record: 15-15 (9-11 B1G, T-8th) | Oen First Team All-Big Ten member | Did not qualify for the postseason. 

All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 6-2 (2016 last matchup, Nebraska won 3–0) 

Fun Fact: This will be the first time since 2016 that these two teams have played and only the second time they haven’t played in December. The two schools began their series on Sept. 11, 1993 in what was a sweep for Nebraska. 

Key Returners: Madi Endsley, OH, Sr. | Kierstyn Barton, OH, Soph. | Audra Wilmes, OH, Jr. | Emoji Bush, OH, Jr. | Molly Wilson, S, Jr. | Katy Wessels, MB, Soph. | Lauren Bays, L, Sr.

Key Additions: Alexis Haury, S, Fr. (Recruit) | Julia Hunt, MB, Fr. (Recruit) | Kiune Fletcher, OH, Gr. (South Carolina) | Zoria Heard, L, Jr. (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). 

Key Departures: May Pertofsky, OH / MB (Eligibility) | Grace Zilbert, L / DS (Eligibility). 

Apr 22, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; The Washington Huskies congratulate the Kentucky Wildcats after the match at CHI Health Center Arena and Convention Center. / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Outlook: The Huskies are on the rise with second-year head coach Leslie Gabriel. Following the departure of Keegan Cook to Minnesota, Washington handed the keys over to long-time assistant Gabriel, who has seen the team make a huge jump in year two after a 16-15 debut season in 2023. 

Michigan transfer May Pertofsky was the only big loss over the offseason for UW, as well as serving substantiate Grace Zilbert. Otherwise, every big contributor from last season is back and making an impact.

Sophomore outside hitter Kirstyn Barton leads the offense with a career-high 3.59 kills per set on a .277 clip with 23 blocks and 12 aces. She’s nearly a point per set higher than last season with 4.11 compared to 3.12 in 2023. Junior attacker Emoni Bush missed last season due to a shoulder surgery near the end of summer, but has come back to be that second option behind Barton with 2.42 kills per set and second on the team with 231.5 points. Audra Wilmes is the third primary hitter for the Huskies as the junior has a 2.30 kills and 1.87 digs per set marks with 11 aces. Let’s not forget about graduate student Kiune Fletcher who transferred from South Carolina with 1.95 kills per set and 44 blocks. 

Molly Wilson ran the offense last season, but now shares the load with freshman distributor Alexis Haury as part of a 6-2 system. Not surprisingly, Wilson has been the better of the two with 5.80 assists and 2.06 digs per set compared to Haury’s 4.91 and 1.74. Plus, Wilson has a team-high 24 aces this season. 

Julia Hunt will be up for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors with the display she’s put on in her debut season. Ranked as the No. 11 overall recruit out of high school, she’s fourth in the league in blocks (100.0) while hitting .390 with a 1.94 kills per set average. She’s also one of eight Huskies with double-digit aces at 11. Sophomore Katy Wessels as been a worthy partner in the middle with 84 blocks, 12 aces and 1.04 kills per set. 

Lauren Bays returns for another season as the starting libero and leads UW with 3.25 digs per set. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer Zoria Heard has stepped in for the departed Zilbert as a DS with 1.54 digs per set, but she hasn’t come close to the serving prowess Zilbert contributed. 

This is another intriguing matchup for the Huskers, who will need to adjust quickly on defense with the Huskies 6-2 system. Another late start (9:30 p.m. CST) on the west coast could spell trouble, but it shouldn’t be as much of a worry as Thursday against Oregon will be. Call it a four-set win for Nebraska, but Washignton looks like a team who could make some noise in the postseason as they battle to finish inside the top half of the Big Ten.

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