No. 1 Nebraska volleyball defeats No. 22 Utah
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (7-0) took on No. 22 Utah (5-2) in the Husker Invitational on Friday night. The Huskers picked up their fourth ranked win of the season, defeating the Utes in four sets (21-25, 25-8, 25-18, 25-13).
After a sluggish start in set one, Nebraska flipped the switch and dominated from there on out. The Huskers finished with a .303 hitting percentage and held Utah to a .063 clip.
Five Nebraska players finished with at least six kills, with Rebekah Allick leading the way with 13, along with a team-high seven blocks. Andi Jackson and Harper Murray each recorded nine kills while Taylor Landfair ended the match with eight on a .467 hitting percentage.
The Huskers kept All-Big 12 outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo in check throughout the match. While the sophomore led Utah with 11 kills, she was held scoreless in the second and fourth sets.
Set 1: Nebraska starts off slow
The Huskers looked sluggish at the start of the match, dropping the first set 25-21. Nebraska hit just .133 in the set to Utah’s .278 clip and finished with six attacking errors and three service errors.
Utah jumped out to a 4-1 lead out of the gate and did a great job defending it. Nebraska made it close at times, but five early kills by Gibadlo gave the Utes a 13-9 advantage and forced Dani Busboom Kelly to call a timeout.
The Huskers looked sloppy with a plethora of errors resulting in Utah points. A service ace by Leah LaBoy-Wilton made Nebraska use its final timeout of the set down 18-12. The Utes had three aces in the first set and didn’t serve another in the final three.
Down 21-14, the Huskers found some much-needed momentum off a huge Murray swing out of system. However, the Utes fought off a 6-1 Nebraska run late to take the first set 25-21.
Set 2: Huskers wake up
Nebraska reverted back to its No. 1 team in the country form and dominated the second set 25-8. The Huskers converted at an elite .750 hitting percentage the whole set while shutting down Utah to a -.080 clip.
Nebraska looked rejuvenated at the start of the set. Allie Sczech, who took over at opposite for Virginia Adriano late in set one, took over with three kills to set the tone. The Huskers were hitting at an absurd .750 clip compared to the Utes’ -.143 mark when Utah called its first timeout at 9-3 Nebraska.
No one could stop Nebraska as it went on a 7-0 run with Jackson serving to move its lead to 17-6. Murray and Allick moved their kill totals up to four while Bergen Reilly won a joust at the net for her second kill of the set.
The Huskers slammed the door shut with another 7-0 run, served by Landfair, to close the set. Murray capped it off with her fifth kill of the night. After tallying seven kills in the first set, Gibadlo failed to register one in the second.
Set 3: Nebraska keeps rolling despite offense coming back to earth
The Huskers took care of business in the third set, 25-18, despite their hitting percentage falling back down to .212. Utah continued to struggle, recording a .050 hitting percentage in the set.
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The Huskers made a change at libero as Olivia Mauch took over for the second time of the season. Allick put Nebraska up early with two kills and a solo block.
Laney Choboy embraced her switch to defensive specialist, hitting the deck multiple times in a rally before a Landfair kill gave the Huskers a 9-6 lead. The Nebraska attack was on a different level as Jackson picked up her fourth and fifth kills of the match.
The Utes rattled off a 6-0 run to cut the Husker lead to 20-16, but Nebraska had an answer. Murray forced a Utah timeout after an emphatic back row kill. Nebraska finished the set on a 6-2 run and won off a Ute service error.
Set 4: Huskers close things out
Nebraska ended the match in the fourth set decisively, 25-13. The Huskers hit .269 in the final set and once again held the Utes to a negative hitting percentage at -.077.
Like the third set, Allick laid the groundwork early with a block assist and kill on an overpass. She wasn’t done yet, adding two more kills to her name on a 3-0 Husker run.
The middle blocker duo of Allick and Jackson took over as Nebraska extended its 13-8 lead off a Jackson swing. The Huskers moved their advantage to 20-11 with Allick’s team-leading sixth block of the night.
A service ace by Choboy closed things out, giving Nebraska its seventh win of the year and fourth over a ranked team. NU posted three aces, led by Landfair’s two.
Nebraska is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 13, taking on Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. CT. The Antelopes (6-1) defeated Drake (3-4) on Friday in five sets in the first match of the Husker Invitational.
