No. 1 Nebraska dominates No. 6 Stanford in AVCA First Serve
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (2-0) faced off against No. 6 Stanford (1-1) in the final Pinnacle Bank Arena match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. The Huskers defeated No. 3 Pitt in their first game of the season and the Dani Busboom Kelly era in four sets (25-22, 25-11, 20-25, 25-23).
Nebraska kept the momentum from Friday rolling, sweeping the Cardinal in dominant fashion (25-13, 25-19, 25-14).
The Huskers controlled the match from start to finish with a .385 hitting percentage. Stanford struggled against the Nebraska defense, hitting .094.
The star of the match was senior opposite hitter Allie Sczech, who recorded 12 kills in her first start as a Husker. Senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick earned AVCA Player of the Match honors with 11 kills on .600 hitting. She added five blocks.
After containing reigning AVCA Player of the Year Olivia Babcock in match one, the Huskers shut down another All-American in Elia Rubin. The outside hitter led the Cardinal with eight kills, but hit just .167.
Set 1: Nebraska comes out swinging
The Cardinal were no match for Nebraska’s attack in the first set. The Huskers hit at an elite .520 clip with 15 kills, taking it 25-13.
Nebraska connected on its first five attempts and didn’t look back. Four players had multiple kills before the first media timeout, including two swing kills from Bergen Reilly off of overpasses.
Allick kept the momentum rolling with three straight points (two kills and a block assist) out of the timeout. Allick and Harper Murray each had four kills in the set with plus-.600 hitting percentages.
The Huskers had an answer for almost every Stanford swing, with the Cardinal having just six kills on a .031 hitting percentage. Sczech capped off the set with a kill, giving Nebraska the early 1-0 lead.
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Set 2: Sczech takes over
The second set was more of the same, with the Huskers converting at a high rate while stopping the Cardinal in their tracks. Sczech led the charge with seven kills in the set on a .700 hitting percentage with no errors.
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Nebraska jumped out to an early 12-6 lead, forcing Stanford to use its timeout. While the Cardinal cut the lead to three, Sczech ended the run with her fifth kill of the contest into the donut of the court.
Sczech didn’t stop there, adding three more kills. Murray ended the set with a kill of her own. Nebraska as a whole hit .474 in the second set while holding Stanford to a .209 clip. The Huskers took set two 25-19.
Set 3: Huskers complete the sweep
Nebraska kept its foot on the gas and earned its first sweep of the season, winning the third set convincingly.
Sczech picked up right where she left off in the third set, capping off a long rally with a kill for Nebraska’s first point. The Baylor transfer’s energy was contagious. The Huskers eventually went on a 6-0 run with freshman outside hitter Teraya Sigler serving, taking a 16-7 lead.
Nebraska pulled away from there, capturing its second win of the season, both coming against top-10 teams.
The Huskers travel to Nashville to take on Lipscomb on Friday, Aug. 29. They stay in town to face No. 7 Kentucky in the Broadway Block Party on Sunday, Aug. 31.
