Nebraska volleyball sweeps Kansas to advance to Elite Eight
Nebraska volleyball (33-0, 20-0) continued its NCAA Tournament run, taking down Kansas (24-11, 13-5) in straight sets (25-12, 25-11, 25-12). The Huskers are one game closer to the summit, just a single win shy of reaching their third straight Final Four and three more wins away from their first national championship since 2017.
Dani Busboom Kelly‘s team set the tone with a dominant first set and rode the wave en route to the sweep. Kansas struggled to find an offensive flow throughout the entire match. Nebraska gave the Jayhawks no room for error with its stalwart defense. Kansas hit .029, a season low for Rock Chalk.
The middle duo of Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson led the way on offense. Both put up nine kills as Allick had a career-best perfect 1.000 hitting percentage. The Huskers hit over .400 for the ninth time this season, a new program record. They only recorded six hitting errors to KU’s 22.
Set 1: Textbook opening set
The Huskers couldn’t have started the game any hotter. Nebraska thumped the Jayhawks 25-12 in set one, propelled by a 10-1 run to open the match.
The Scarlet and Cream’s defense was far too much for Kansas to handle. The Huskers stuffed Rock Chalk six times in the opening set. Jackson led the way with four blocks as Nebraska’s suffocating defense forced the Jayhawks to record a -.024 clip and commit 10 hitting errors.
The Huskers also played a relatively clean set. Nebraska has struggled to keep its serves in bounds at times this season, but recorded zero service errors in set one.
Despite only having two hitting errors, the Huskers did not hit to their usual standard. Nebraska hit .357, but only three players hit above .000 in the set. However, Allick’s impressive 1.000 hitting percentage on six swings helped keep Nebraska’s offense afloat.
Set 2: Huskers maintain momentum
Despite already putting up some absurd numbers in set one, Nebraska maintained its level of play in set two. The Huskers once again dominated Kansas to a 25-11 set win.
The Jayhawks looked like they would be more competitive in the second set. However, an 11-2 Nebraska run midway through the set turned the tide.
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Busboom Kelly’s team forced the Jayhawks to hit in the negatives again in set two. Kansas added 10 more hitting errors and recorded an even worse hitting percentage than set one, as the Jayhawks hit -.057.
Nebraska’s offense was also similar to its set-one totals. The Huskers hit .348, as Allick added three more kills on three swings to maintain her perfect hitting percentage.
Set 3: Nebraska seals the deal
After the first two sets, Nebraska needed little adjustment in the final set. The Huskers continued to stay in the driver’s seat, winning the third set 25-12.
The Huskers’ offense kicked into second gear in set three. After two solid sets, Nebraska stepped it up a notch, recording a .621 hitting percentage, its highest of the match.
The Scarlet and Cream’s defense did give Kansas a bit more room in set three. The Jayhawks recorded their best hitting percentage of the match and only hit two errors, as NU didn’t record a block in the set. However, that still wasn’t nearly enough to challenge the Huskers.
Another former conference foe, Texas A&M, is now all that stands between Nebraska and the Final Four. The Huskers will take on the Aggies on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. CT on ABC.
