No. 1 Nebraska volleyball sweeps No. 11 Wisconsin in Halloween battle
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (21-0, 11-0) swept No. 11 Wisconsin (15-4, 8-3) on Halloween (25-22, 25-19, 25-13). The Huskers continued their dominance over their Big Ten rival, sweeping the Badgers for the fourth match in a row.
Harper Murray led the game with 15 kills. Not far behind her was Andi Jackson, who finished with 12 kills on .600 hitting. Nebraska hit .349 as a whole.
Despite being fifth nationally in hitting percentage, Wisconsin was held to a .175 clip against the Huskers. The mark is the Badgers’ lowest since hitting .151 in a three-set loss to Penn State on Oct. 10.
The Huskers are now the only undefeated team in the country after No. 2 Texas fell to No. 9 Texas A&M in five sets earlier in the night.
Set 1: Nebraska wins back-and-forth set
The Huskers took the first set 25-22 behind seven kills from Murray and three from Rebekah Allick. Nebraska held Wisconsin to a .190 hitting percentage and hit at a .343 clip.
Murray got out of the gate hot with three kills, putting the Huskers up 6-4. Nebraska’s defense slowed down the Badgers and held them to a -.071 hitting percentage early in the set.
The Huskers kept the pressure on with a Murray kill and block assist, extending their advantage to 15-11. Wisconsin battled back, however, tying the set at 18 thanks to a pair of aces from Lincoln, Neb. native Natalie Wardlow.
The Huskers regained the lead after a Wardlow service error. After missing the previous match, Taylor Landfair made her presence felt with consecutive points, giving Nebraska a 22-19 lead. A late Wisconsin effort wasn’t enough, with a long rally capped off by a Murray kill for set point.
Set 2: Nebraska defense continues to shine
The Huskers had no problem in the second set, taking it 25-19. While its offense slowed down, only hitting .270, the Nebraska defense remained strong and held the Badgers to a .143 clip.
After trading points early, the Huskers went on a 3-0 run aided by two Wisconsin attack errors. Landfair helped Nebraska build a 12-6 lead with a pair of kills. The Huskers forced a Badger timeout shortly after, with the Badgers hitting .000 in the set.
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Wisconsin found some success on offense and cut the lead to 17-13 off of another Wardlow ace. However, a service error followed, the Badgers’ sixth of the match. The Huskers kept their foot on the gas and forced a Badger timeout at 20-15.
The timeout could not save Wisconsin as Nebraska continued to pour it on. Virginia Adriano added her fourth kill of the set after having none in set one. Jackson slammed the door shut on a slide for set point.
Set 3: Husker offense comes alive
Nebraska closed out its 12th consecutive sweep in the third, 25-13. The Husker offense showed no mercy with a .432 hitting percentage compared to the Badgers’ .189 mark. Wisconsin’s 13 points were its lowest scoring set of the season.
The Huskers jumped out to an early 5-2 lead as Murray and Jackson traded kills. Jackson wasn’t done yet with her back-to-back kills being the catalyst for a 6-0 run.
Nebraska’s offense could not be stopped as it reached a .647 hitting percentage in the set. A 6-0 run with libero Laney Choboy at the service line gave the Huskers a 21-9 lead. Nebraska put the finishing touches on the sweep with a 5-1 run and a Bergen Reilly kill.
The Huskers will be back home on Sunday, Nov. 2, against Oregon. The match is set for 1 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
