No. 1 Nebraska volleyball wins outright Big Ten title in Indiana sweep
No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (28-0, 18-0) defeated No. 17 Indiana (22-6, 13-5) in straight sets (25-19, 25-16, 25-22). After clinching a share of the Big Ten championship against Iowa on Thursday, the Huskers’ win on Saturday gives them the title outright with two matches left in the regular season.
Harper Murray led Nebraska with 11 kills on .296 hitting. Not far behind were Virginia Adriano and Andi Jackson, who each finished with nine kills. The Huskers hit .340 as a whole.
Despite slowing down in the third set, NU’s defense was on point against the ranked Hoosiers. The Huskers finished with eight blocks and 38 digs while holding Indiana to a .147 hitting percentage. Candela Alonso-Corcelles led the Hoosisers with 10 kills, but hit just .083.
Set 1: Huskers overcome sluggish start
Nebraska took the first set 25-19, but had to go through some early adversity. The Huskers started the set hitting in the negatives, ultimately finishing with a .306 clip. Indiana had little success against NU’s defense and recorded a .143 hitting percentage.
The Huskers struggled out of the gate, hitting -.250 while Indiana took a 9-5 lead. Nebraska connected on just two of its first 12 swings and added four attack errors. However, a Murray kill jumpstarted a 4-0 Husker run to knot the set up.
The back-and-forth battle turned in Nebraska’s favor with another 4-0 run to make it 15-11. Adriano made her presence felt early with three kills and three blocks, sparking the Huskers.
Nebraska’s defense stifled the Hoosiers while Murray and Jackson took care of things offensively. A pair of back-row kills from Murray helped give the Huskers their largest lead of the game at 22-15. While Indiana showed some fight out of a timeout, it wasn’t enough with Adriano’s sixth kill of the set for set point.
Set 2: Nebraska fires on all cylinders
The Huskers took care of business in the second set, 25-16. NU’s offense played more consistently down the stretch and finished the game with a .385 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, the Husker defense kept its elite play as Indiana hit zero in the set.
Teraya Sigler kicked off the set with a 3-0 run at the service line, adding Nebraska’s first ace of the match. Just as it looked like the Huskers were about to take all the momentum, a 6-0 Hoosier run put them up 9-7.
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Indiana’s time ahead didn’t last long as a 4-0 Nebraska run put them back in front. The Huskers had an answer for almost every Hoosier attack en route to a 17-11 lead, including a pancake dig from libero Olivia Mauch that eventually led to a Taylor Landfair kill on a long rally.
Looking for a change, Indiana subbed out star freshman setter Teodora Krickovic for Sade Ilawole and then Luca Fickell. The Huskers only needed one setter, with Bergen Reilly capping the set off with a kill and a pair of assists.
Set 3: Nebraska wins Big Ten outright
The Huskers clinched the Big Ten title with a close third-set win, 25-22. The Scarlet and Cream had their worst set defensively, with the Hoosiers hitting .321. Still, the Huskers hit .344 to wheel them to victory.
Nebraska’s offense had trouble pulling away from the Hoosiers in the final game. Murray, Adriano and Jackson kept the Huskers afloat with the trio accounting for seven of the team’s first 10 kills of the set.
Indiana’s freshman duo wasn’t going down without a fight. Jaidyn Jager’s fifth kill of the set and consecutive aces from Krickovic tied it at 17-all. However, Nebraska instantly responded with a 3-0 run with Laney Choboy at the service line. The Hoosiers fought off the Huskers’ first match point, but a service error from Krickovic put the nail in the coffin.
Nebraska will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 28, against No. 24 Penn State. The Black Friday matchup will also be a blackout at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The match is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
