No. 1 Nebraska volleyball stunned by Texas A&M in Elite Eight
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball’s (33-1, 20-0) bid for an undefeated season and its sixth national championship fell short before the team even reached Kansas City, Mo. The Huskers dropped their Elite Eight matchup against No. 3 seed Texas A&M (27-4, 14-1) in a five-set thriller (25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13).
The Aggies outplayed Nebraska on all levels, finishing the match with a .275 hitting percentage. The Huskers hit .270, were outblocked 17-8 and gave up nine service aces. Down 2-0, the Huskers fought hard to come back and forced a fifth set after a 37-35 fourth. However, they could not piece together one more set.
In an already high-stakes match, Nebraska had to go without key reserve Allie Sczech. The senior opposite went down with an injury during warmups. Andi Jackson also struggled immensely, with freshman Manaia Ogbechie playing the majority of the fourth and fifth sets.
Harper Murray led the team with a career-high 25 kills on .255 hitting. Rebekah Allick was the other Husker with double-digit kills with 15 on a team-high .480 hitting percentage.
Texas A&M fired on all cylinders with Kyndal Stowers and Logan Lednicky leading the way. The two finished with 25 and 24 kills, respectively.
Set 1: Aggies strike first
Despite it looking to be another dominant Nebraska set, Texas A&M took the first game 25-22. The Huskers hit .355 compared to the Aggies’ .297, but A&M made up for it with four service aces and a 10-0 run.
John Cook Arena made its presence felt early, getting loud after every NU point. The Huskers matched that energy with a diving save by Teraya Sigler into Nebraska’s bench that sent the crowd into a frenzy. NU started the match with an unreal .875 hitting percentage.
Texas A&M responded to the initial punch and erased a five-point deficit to take the lead. A 10-0 Aggie run quieted the NU crowd, with the Huskers’ hitting percentage falling under .300.
Searching for a spark, Dani Busboom Kelly subbed in Ogbechie, who immediately ended the run on her first swing. The Huskers cut the Texas A&M lead to one on multiple occasions, but the Aggies closed out the set with an ace from Maddie Waak.
Set 2: Texas A&M stifles the Huskers
Nebraska failed to show improvement in the second set with the Aggies taking it 25-22. The Huskers had their work cut out for them against Texas A&M’s defense, which stopped them right in their tracks. Nebraska hit just .211 in set two compared to the Aggies’ .286.
The Aggies opened the set on a 5-2 run, but the Huskers kept up with them. After hitting -.200 in set one, Jackson recorded two early kills.
The two sides went back and forth with no team creating separation. Texas A&M’s serve continued to haunt Nebraska with four aces in the second, putting them down 16-12. The Aggies had an answer for almost every Husker attack with six blocks in the second game.
Nebraska fought off two Texas A&M set points, but a kill by Lednicky put the Aggies up 2-0. The Huskers faced their first two-set deficit since Aug. 31 against Kentucky.
Set 3: Nebraska extends season
With their season on the line, the Huskers rallied to force a fourth set. Nebraska took the third set 25-20, thanks in part to Murray, who had six kills on .500 hitting in the game. The Huskers registered an improved .462 hitting and held the Aggies to a .312 clip.
The two teams traded points with the NU faithful making their voice heard after every point. Murray’s 12th and 13th kills of the match gave the Huskers some much-needed momentum as they took a 10-5 lead.
The Aggies responded with a 4-0 run, but a Murray kill and a Sigler ace kept them ahead. However, errors plagued Nebraska while allowing Texas A&M to cut the lead to one.
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Nebraska closed out the set on a 7-3 run with an out-of-system kill by Murray ending the set.
Set 4: Huskers force fifth in remarkable set
Nebraska kept its season alive in its longest set of the season. The marathon fourth set finally ended 37-35 in the Huskers’ favor. NU had 10 set points and the Aggies had three match points. Virginia Adriano finally put it away with a kill. The Scarlet and Cream finished with a .250 hitting percentage to Texas A&M’s .226.
Murray recorded two quick kills, helping tie the set at five apiece. However, Nebraska’s offense struggled as a whole early in the set, hitting -.091 down 10-7.
The Aggies’ offense did not share the same issue with a .429 hitting percentage to take a 15-10 advantage. With five attack errors, the Huskers had no other choice but to burn their second timeout of the set.
Down five, Nebraska stormed back and tied it at 19 off an Allick kill. A hands-in-the-net call halted the 5-0 run and gave Texas A&M the lead, but Allick followed with another kill.
Both teams traded points with each more intense than the last. Ogbechie gave the Huskers a 23-22 lead while Adriano gave them set point. Lednicky responded to both plays with kills.
Every Nebraska set point was met by a Texas A&M answer, with the set reaching the 30s. The Huskers reached their 10th set point, finally capitalizing on an Adriano kill.
Set 5: Nebraska’s season ends in heartbreak
Nebraska’s season came to a close in the fifth set, 15-13. The Huskers fought to force a fifth, but ran out of steam and hit .050. The Aggies booked their ticket to their first Final Four in program history, hitting .286 in the final game.
Allick got things started with a kill, while Adriano gave the Huskers a 3-2 lead with her eighth kill. A pair of Nebraska attack errors gave Texas A&M a 5-3 advantage, but Murray knotted it up with her third ace of the match.
The Aggies extended their lead to 10-6 on a 4-1 run. The Huskers looked fatigued on the court as Allick tried her best to wheel the team. A service ace from libero Laney Choboy gave NU its last push within two at 13-11.
Adriano and Ogbechie made it 13-12 on a block, but the Aggies reached match point with a Lednicky kill. Murray kept the Huskers alive for a point; however, Lednicky ended NU’s season with a kill.
The Huskers’ historic 2025 campaign ends short of a Final Four appearance. Busboom Kelly and company will now have to wait another year for a shot at Nebraska’s first national title since 2017.
