Nebraska volleyball earns six AVCA North Region team picks, individual awards
The awards and honors keep rolling in for No. 1 Nebraska volleyball. They earned six AVCA All-Region team selections and three individual awards. The Huskers also received six All-Big Ten team selections and four individual awards.
Head Coach John Cook is the AVCA North Region Coach of the Year and the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is the program’s second-ever Region Player of the Year. Outside hitter Harper Murray adds Region Freshman of the Year to her list of accolades.
The six players to receive All-Region team selections were Beason, Murray, libero Lexi Rodriguez, setter Bergen Reilly and middle blockers Bekka Allick and Andi Jackson.
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Cook earned Coach of the Year after leading NU to a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. He is also the Big Ten Coach of the Year after winning the conference outright. The Huskers started the season 27-0 and finished the regular season 28-1 to earn the seed. His and Nebraska’s accomplishments came with no seniors on their team and four freshmen playing significant roles.
The veteran honorees
Beason joins setter Kelly Hunter as Nebraska volleyball’s second-ever Regional Player of the Year. Hunter won the award in 2017 and went on to win two National Player of the Year awards and a national title.
The junior captain leads the team with 3.82 kills per set, 2.05 digs per set and is hitting .293. She is second on the team with 28 service aces as well. The 6-foot-3 opposite hitter was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection and earned four Big Ten Player of the Week awards.
Her kills per set rank eighth in the Big Ten and her 4.51 points per set is sixth. Beason was an All-Region selection while at Florida in 2022. She was not an All-American, but it seems she’ll earn that award for the first time this season.
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Rodriguez is no stranger to awards. She earned her third All-Region team selection in as many years. The 5-foot-5 junior is the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after winning the award in 2021 as a freshman. The captain is a two-time All-American with a first-team selection in 2021. She was also a unanimous All-Big Ten First-Team selection, landing on the team all three seasons.
The libero averages 3.56 digs per set and 1.26 assists per set. She is statistically the best passer in the country and has been for the majority of her career at Nebraska. The Huskers rank third in the country with a .140 opponent hitting percentage and led it for the majority of the season.
The last of the Huskers veterans is middle blocker Bekka Allick. Allick is a sophomore but has started for two seasons for NU. She was an All-Regional team selection in 2022 but was not an All-American. The 6-foot-5 middle is a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team honoree. The Lincoln, Neb. native averages 1.82 kills per set and 1.39 blocks per set. Allick is hitting .324 with 167 total kills.
The freshmen honorees
Nebraska volleyball had three freshmen receive All-Region awards and Big Ten awards as well. This class has been huge for the Huskers’ success this season.
Murray is the North Region Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She also received an All-Big Ten First Team award and an All-Freshman team as well. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter averages 3.25 kills per set and 2.08 digs per set. Both stats are ranked 10th in the Big Ten. She has a .247 hitting percentage on her 351 kills this season. The Ann Arbor, Michigan native leads NU with 33 service aces and adds 55 total blocks.
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Reilly was Nebraska’s third player to receive an individual Big Ten award. She is the first-ever freshman Big Ten Setter of the Year. The 6-foot-1 setter earned a North All-Region pick in addition to All-Big Ten First Team and All-Freshman team.
The setter averages 10.69 assists per set, which leads the Big Ten. She records 2.63 digs per set and 0.51 blocks per set. The Huskers are hitting .281 as a team, thanks to Reilly’s masterful way of running their offense.
Last by not least is middle blocker Andi Jackson. The 6-foot-3 freshman is an All-Region team, Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman team selection. Jackson leads the team with a .398 hitting percentage, which ranks third in the Big Ten. The Brighton, Co. native averages 2.07 kills per set and 1.08 blocks per set. She ranks behind Allick with 113 total blocks. Jackson’s slide attack is one of the most lethal in the conference.
