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Nebraska volleyball moves up to No. 2 in AVCA Coaches Poll, earn Big Ten Weekly Awards

Abby Barmore HuskerOnlineby: Abby Barmore09/18/23abby_barmore
Nebraska volleyball
Nebraska volleyball (Photo by Nebraska Communications)

After three weeks at No. 4, Nebraska volleyball has moved up to No. 2 in the AVCA Coaches Poll as they remain undefeated at 9-0.

The Huskers had two huge wins, four-set wins over Stanford and Kentucky. The Wildcats dropped one spot to No. 22 and Stanford moved up the fourth after a five-set win over Louisville on the road.

NU hit .333 against Stanford and held them to a .218 hitting percentage. Opposite hitter Merritt Beason led the team with 15 kills and a .273 clip. On the other pin, freshman Harper Murray had 12 kills and hit a season-high .417.

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As for the Kentucky match, the Huskers hit .338 and UK hit .243. Beason and Murray both had 17 kills and 10 digs. Beason completed her first career double-double as a Husker, along with a .438 hitting percentage.

Freshman setter Bergen Reilly averaged 10.375 assists per set. She recorded 37 against Stanford and then a career-high 46 assists vs. the Wildcats. Reilly also had 19 digs in two matches and six blocks.

After a loss at home to NU, the Cardinal bounced back to beat Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Stanford pulled off one of the two reserve sweeps in ranking matchups on Sunday. They are ranked No. 4 this week. Louisville dropped three spots to No. 5.

The other reserve sweep was won by Wisconsin, who stays at No. 1. The Badger prevailed over Florida, who won the first two sets but then suffered a huge loss. All-American setter Alexis Stucky went down with a right knee injury in set two.

Florida stayed at No. 3 after a tough loss at home in front of a record crowd of 10,323 at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

Three takes from Nebraska volleyball’s thrilling four-set win over No. 21 Kentucky

After a huge five-set win over Minnesota, Creighton moved up three spots to No. 11. The Golden Gophers dropped to No. 12 and have a 3-4 record. Nebraska hosts Minnesota on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Oregon pulled off two five-set victories and a sweep this week. They took down Pittsburgh at Pitt and then beat James Madison in five the next day as well. The Ducks went up one spot to No. 6 and the Panthers stayed at No. 8.

Nebraska volleyball’s other week-five opponent and their first Big Ten matchup is against Ohio State on Friday, Sept. 22 at 8:00 p.m. at Devaney. The Buckeyes lost back-to-back matches against Texas (3-1) and Baylor (3-2). They are now ranked 21st.

Nebraska freshman setter Bergen Reilly’s consistency, calmness and instincts set her apart from most

Merritt Beason and Harper Murray earn Big Ten weekly awards

Junior opposite hitter Merritt Beason and freshman outside hitter Harper Murray both earned big-time Big Ten Weekly awards for Nebraska volleyball.

Beason was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, her first Big Ten award. Murray was crowned the Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the second time this season.

Against Stanford and Kentucky, Beason averaged four kills per set. She had 15 vs. the Cardinal and 17 kills against UK. Beason had two aces, 15 digs and three blocks over the two matches. Her hitting percentage was a .354 with a career-high .438 vs. Kentucky.

Beason earned her first double-double at Nebraska on Sunday with 17 kills and 10 digs. She is the first Nebraska Player of the Week since Madi Kubik on Nov. 21, 2022.

Three takes from No. 4 Nebraska volleyball’s first win over No. 5 Stanford since 2008

As for Murray, she averaged 3.63 kills per set with a .349 hitting percentage and had 2.00 digs per set. The Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree had 17 kills and 10 digs vs. Kentucky. She hit .308 vs. the Wildcats following her career-high .417 clip vs. Stanford.

Against the Cardinal, the Ann Arbor, Mich. native had 12 kills, six digs, four blocks and three aces. She had seven total blocks in week four.

Michigan State middle blocker Amani McArthur was named the Defensive Player of the Week after career performances to help MSU go 3-0 in the 2023 Dog Pound Challenge.

Indiana setter Camryn Haworth is the Setter of the Week. The junior had a double-double (33 assists and 11 digs) vs. Jacksonville. She earned her 2,000 career assist, becoming the 4th player in IU history to record 2000 assists, 500 digs and 100 aces. Haworth had a career-high 51 assists vs. Miami.

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