Nebraska volleyball bests Arkansas 3-1, moves on to program's 17th Final Four

Nebraska volleyball bested No. 3-seeded Arkansas 26-24, 25-14, 21-25, 25-23 on Saturday night to advance to the 17th Final Four in program history.

Head coach John Cook’s squad got all it could handle from a Razorback team making its first ever Elite Eight appearance. The Huskers were led by Lincoln Regional MVP Merritt Beason who totaled 19 kills on 46 swings for a .239 hitting percentage in the match. Fellow Nebraska stars Bergen Reilly and Lexi Rodriguez were also named to the Lincoln Regional All-Tournament Team.

Nebraska held Arkansas to a .100 hitting percentage and posted 17 blocks as a team. Saturday’s match marked the third consecutive opponent the Huskers have held at or below .100 and Nebraska’s highest single-match block total of the NCAA Tournament.

The Final Four begins next Thursday in Tampa, Florida, and the Huskers are set to face No. 1-seeded Pitt in a rematch of the 2021 national semifinal. The match will be televised on ESPN.

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Nebraska completes comeback victory to start 1-0

Unlike in its previous three NCAA Tournament matches, Nebraska struggled to find its footing in the first. The Huskers tallied three attack errors in the game’s first 14 rallies while Arkansas killed six balls on twelve swings to build a 9-5 lead. Nebraska fell behind by as many as six before a 4-0 Husker run cut into the Razorback advantage, reigniting the Devaney Center and forcing an Arkansas timeout leading 12-10.

The stoppage helped the Razorbacks regain momentum and a five points of separation. Jillian Gillen and Sania Petties powered the Arkansas attack to the tune of six and four kills respectively. Down 21-16, Nebraska pulled itself back from the brink by winning seven of the last nine rallies to tie it at 23-23 and then clinched the opening game 26-24 on an Andi Jackson and Beason block.

Five Husker blocks highlighted the set along with four kills each from Beason and Harper Murray.

Beason-Jackson help the Huskers dominate the second

Nebraska came out hot in the second using 3-0 and 5-0 runs to claim a Arkansas timeout and pull in front 9-2. The Huskers continued to make their presence felt at the net with four blocks in the set including one from Beason and Jackson that gave Nebraska a 17-10 advantage and drew the second Razorback timeout.

The Beason-Jackson duo proved to be the difference for the Huskers. Beason tallied six kills and a pair of blocks in the second while Jackson added five kills (three on the slide) and a block. The freshman middle hit .667 while Nebraska brought its team mark to .253.

Meanwhile, the Razorbacks hit .094 through the first two sets with 16 attack errors. Rodriguez once again played a key role in the Huskers’ defensive success picking up 10 digs in the same stretch while helping to facilitate Nebraska’s out-of-system offense with seven assists.

Nebraska drops first set of NCAA tournament

Arkansas fought back with a vengeance in a must-win third set. The service line was a Jekyll and Hyde ally for the Razorbacks who posted three service aces but surpassed that mark with four service errors. After ten ties and four lead changes, a Harper Murray kill that just clipped the end-line gave Nebraska a 15-14 lead at the midway point of the set.

The 4-0 scoring run that followed gave Arkansas its largest lead since the first set and forced a Husker timeout as Cooks squad faced a 18-15 deficit.

Nebraska worked its way back in within one at 21-20 but unlike in the first set, the Razorbacks were able to slam the door. Arkansas won four of the final five rallies en route to a 25-21 victory in the third. Senior outside hitter Taylor Head paced the Razorbacks in the set with eight kills, no errors and a .500 hitting percentage.

Punching a Final Four ticket in the fourth

A back and forth fourth saw the Husker gain some early separation on a 4-0 run to make it 6-3. Nebraska maintained its cushion and used a second 4-0 run, featuring a block and kill from setter Reilly, to take a 13-8 lead. Arkansas quickly erased the Huskers’ buffer by winning 11 of the next 15 rallies to build a 19-17 edge.

Following Nebraska’s second timeout, the Huskers battled back with consecutive kills from Batenhorst and Beason. The Razorbacks’ ninth service error of the match evened the ledger at 20-20 and an attack error on the ensuing rally put Nebraska ahead 21-20. The Huskers did not surrender the lead for the rest of the match claiming four of the last six rallies for a 25-23 victory.

Nebraska overcame its worst set hitting percentage of the match (.119) led by Murray’s six kills on 16 swings.