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Nebraska volleyball downs Long Island to open NCAA Tournament

by: Ben Beecham14 hours agoBeechamBen

Nebraska volleyball’s (31-0, 20-0) road to the national championship has begun. After falling short of the summit the past two years, the Huskers began the climb back by taking down Long Island (20-9, 15-1) in straight sets (25-11, 25-15, 25-17). The Sharks came into the match having won 18 of their last 19 games, but couldn’t stack up against Nebraska.

The Huskers started off the NCAA Tournament on the right foot, putting together another all-around impressive match. Nebraska posted some of its best numbers of the season with three incredibly solid sets.

The Huskers hit .476 in the match. Nebraska was led by its middle duo of Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick. Both of them posted 10 kills and hit over .750, while only committing a combined one hitting error.

Dani Busboom Kelly‘s squad also put together a great defensive performance. The Huskers posted 10 blocks and limited Long Island to a .094 hitting percentage.

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Set 1: Nebraska makes a statement

The Bob Devaney Sports Center was even more fired up than usual, and Nebraska took advantage of that energy. The Huskers dominated their first set of postseason play, ending it on an 11-2 run and taking down LIU 25-11.

Like many other matches this season, Nebraska opened up the game with an offensive explosion. The Huskers hit an absurd .615 in the set while committing only one attack error.

Nebraska’s middles did a lot of the work on offense. Jackson had five kills in the set on just six swings, while Allick had three kills while hitting a perfect 1.000.

The Huskers gave the Sharks no room to go on any runs. Long Island didn’t score more than two consecutive points as Nebraska posted a 91.7% side-out percentage in the set.

Despite all the good, Nebraska also showcased its inconsistent serving in the opening set. The Huskers had two aces, but also committed four service errors in the set.

Set 2: Huskers keep rolling

Nebraska refused to take its foot off the gas in the second set. Although the Huskers didn’t match their first-set offensive output, they still stifled LIU, winning the set 25-15.

The Scarlet and Cream only hit .321 in the set, a respectable number, but a far cry from its immense first set total. After having only one attack error in set one, Nebraska had four in the second.

However, the Huskers did clean up their serving. Nebraska’s squad had four service aces and only committed one service error, allowing them to build a sizeable lead.

Busboom Kelly used the large lead as an opportunity to work in some of the reserves. Opposite hitter Allie Sczech and setter Campbell Flynn both saw action in the second set.

Set 3: Nebraska slams the door

There wasn’t much concern that the Sharks would find their way back into the match. However, the Huskers made sure to slam the door on Long Island, winning the final set 25-17.

Nebraska’s offense found its rhythm again and had one of its best sets all year. Midway through the set, the Huskers still had a 1.000 hitting percentage. They couldn’t keep up the perfect mark, but ended the set recording a .500 clip.

The Scarlet and Cream defense also had its best set of the match. Nebraska limited the Sharks to a .094 hitting percentage, but had them below .000 for much of the set. Coming into the match, LIU’s season low was .022.

Nebraska will cap off its first weekend of tournament play against Kansas State on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT. Catch the game on ESPN+.

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