MATCH PREVIEW
• The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball staff will play two matches at dwelling this weekend as Big Ten play rolls alongside. The Cornhuskers will host No. 10 Purdue on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Rutgers on Saturday at 7 p.m., which will likely be Nebraska’s annual “Pink Match” for breast most cancers consciousness.
• Friday’s match towards Purdue will likely be televised on BTN with Larry Punteney and Lauren Stivrins on the decision. Saturday’s match will solely be streamed on B1G+.
• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all of the motion on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska has gained 11 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Nine of the 11 wins have been sweeps.
• The Huskers rank seventh nationally and second within the Big Ten with a staff hitting share of .298.
• NU ranks thirteenth nationally in kills per set (14.02).
• In Sunday’s 3-0 win over Iowa, the Huskers had seven aces and only one service error. The final time the Huskers had at the very least seven aces with one or fewer service errors was Nov. 12, 2017 towards Rutgers (9 aces, one error).
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is main the Huskers with 3.12 kills per set and 15 service aces. Murray additionally provides 2.14 digs per set.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 2.90 kills per set for the Big Red. Over her final 9 matches, Beason is averaging 3.20 kills per set with a .312 hitting share.
• Outside hitter Lindsay Krause provides 2.37 kills per set and has served a team-high 15 aces.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.66 kills with a team-best .475 hitting share, which ranks fifth nationally.
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick provides 1.81 kills per set on .381 hitting with 1.49 blocks per set, which ranks tenth nationally.
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 10.98 assists per set, which ranks ninth within the nation. She additionally provides 2.86 digs per set and has 12 aces.
• Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker again row with 3.82 digs per set.
SCOUTING REPORT: PURDUE
• No. 10 Purdue beat Northwestern and Michigan State final week to maneuver to 12-3 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play.
• The Boilermakers rank eleventh within the nation in blocks per set (2.89) and sixteenth in kills per set (13.91).
• Eva Hudson (4.09 kills per set) and Chloe Chicoine (3.28 kills per set) lead the Purdue assault.
• Raven Colvin ranks first within the Big Ten and second within the nation in blocks per set (1.74). She additionally provides 2.68 kills per set and is hitting .439.
SCOUTING REPORT: RUTGERS
• Rutgers enters a Friday match at Iowa 5-10 total and 0-4 in Big Ten matches.
• Alissa Kinkela leads the Scarlet Knights with 3.62 kills per set. Kinkela grew to become Rutgers’ first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after 29 kills on .456 hitting towards Iowa and 24 kills on .432 hitting at Michigan.
SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 24-8 all-time towards Purdue and has gained 5 in a row within the sequence. The groups went 5 units in the one assembly final season on Sept. 29 in West Lafayette, with Nebraska squeaking out a 15-12 victory within the fifth set.
• Nebraska is 14-1 all-time towards Rutgers and has gained 14 in a row since Rutgers’ lone win in 1978. All however one of the Huskers’ 14 wins have been sweeps.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
• Nebraska led the nation in opponent hitting share in each 2022 (.128) and 2023 (.137).
• This yr, the Huskers are holding all opponents to a .163 hitting share, which ranks twenty ninth nationally.
• The Huskers rank fifteenth within the nation in blocks per set at 2.77.
SERVE AND PASS
• Nebraska has allowed simply 28 service aces this season, which ranks second within the nation behind Pittsburgh (27). Over the final eight matches, the Huskers have yielded simply seven aces and haven't allowed greater than two in a single match in that stretch.
• Nebraska’s opponents have served seven aces and dedicated 80 service errors during the last eight matches.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Nebraska has seven completely different gamers averaging between 1.81 and 3.12 kills per set.
• Six completely different gamers have led the Huskers in kills in a match within the first 14 matches of the season.
• Setter Bergen Reilly ranks ninth nationally averaging 10.98 assists per set.
HOME SWEET HOME
• Nebraska has gained 34 dwelling matches in a row relationship again to Dec. 1, 2022, which is tied with Stephen F. Austin for the longest within the nation.
• The Huskers’ dwelling win streak is its longest since shifting into the Devaney Center in 2013.
• Nebraska’s longest all-time dwelling profitable streak was 88 matches from 2004-09. Since then, NU additionally has a house win streak of 38 matches in a row from 2009-11.
RODRIGUEZ AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT NU LIBEROS
• Lexi Rodriguez is in her remaining yr of a stellar profession because the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year staff captain, Rodriguez will go down in historical past as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball historical past.
• Rodriguez has 1,615 profession digs, which ranks third at school historical past. In the house wins over UCLA and USC, she handed Jennifer Saleaumua and Nicklin Hames to maneuver to No. 3 on NU’s all-time digs checklist. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the profession chief in digs at NU with 1,890. Kayla Banwarth is second with 1,706 profession digs.
• On Sept. 30, Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the sixth time in her profession. She averaged 4.71 digs per set within the first weekend of convention play, serving to the Huskers maintain UCLA and USC to season-low hitting percentages on the time.
• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, incomes first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to affix Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the one four-time All-Americans in program historical past.
• Rodriguez made her mark immediately as a freshman in 2021, incomes AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Over the final two seasons, Rodriguez has guided the Huskers to the No. 1 protection within the nation, incomes Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year once more in 2023 to develop into the fifth participant in Big Ten historical past to obtain the consideration twice in a profession.
BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason has discovered her groove during the last 4 weeks. In her final 9 matches, Beason is averaging 3.20 kills per set with a .312 hitting share.
• Beason put collectively a sensational season in 2023 – her first as a Husker after transferring from Florida – incomes AVCA first-team All-America honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year, changing into simply the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that honor.
• In 2023, Beason averaged a team-leading 3.76 kills per set on .282 hitting with 2.05 digs per set. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week 4 occasions and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 23 after averaging 4.25 kills per set and 1.75 digs per set in wins towards Northwestern and top-ranked Wisconsin.
• Beason was the MVP of the NCAA Lincoln Regional after 19 kills, 11 digs and a career-high eight blocks in a regional remaining win over Arkansas.
VERSATILE MURRAY HIGHLIGHTS SOPHOMORE CLASS
• Sophomore exterior hitter Harper Murray is the staff chief in kills with 3.12 per set and provides 2.14 digs per set and 15 aces, which is tied for the staff lead.
• Along with Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, Murray made an instantaneous impression at Nebraska in 2023, incomes Big Ten Freshman of the Year, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-America Third Team honors.
• Murray completed her freshman marketing campaign with 3.23 kills per set, the best kills per set common by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. One of the Big Ten’s finest six-rotation gamers, Murray additionally added 2.07 digs per set with a team-high 36 aces. She was a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
KRAUSE PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
• Senior exterior hitter Lindsay Krause has been NU’s finest menace on the service line with a team-high 15 aces, and she is one of solely two Huskers with extra aces than errors this season. Krause can be averaging 2.37 kills per set.
• Krause was having the very best yr of her Husker profession in 2023 earlier than it resulted in mid-October with an ankle damage. At the time of her damage, Krause was averaging 2.50 kills per set and was hitting .285 for the season.
• Not solely that, Krause was placing up 2.82 kills per set on .366 hitting by way of six Big Ten matches, which led all Big Ten exterior hitters in convention motion on the time.
• Krause was named Big Ten Player of the Week final yr on Oct. 9 following a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting at Michigan and 9 kills on .381 hitting at Michigan State.
REILLY SETS THE TONE
• Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly ranks ninth nationally with 10.98 assists per set this season, and she has eight double-doubles.
• Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, changing into the primary freshman to win the award because it originated in 2012. Reilly was additionally an AVCA second-team All-American and an All-Big Ten first-team choice.
• Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set in 2023, and she has obtained six profession Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, together with on Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 this season.
• Reilly was named Best Setter on the AVCA First Serve Showcase in (*10*), Ky., as she guided the Huskers to a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky with 39 assists and 11 digs.
JACKSON IN ACTION
• Sophomore center blocker Andi Jackson has elevated her recreation to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.66 kills per set with a .475 hitting share, which ranks fifth within the nation and second amongst Big Ten gamers.
• Jackson confirmed monumental athleticism and potential the primary time she stepped on the ground as a Husker, and she adopted by way of with a powerful debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
• Jackson averaged 2.01 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set with a .399 hitting share in 2023, which ranked third within the Big Ten and nineteenth within the nation. Her hitting share was the very best ever by a Husker freshman and ranked seventh all-time within the rally scoring period.
• Along with Reilly, Jackson helped the U.S. U21 National Team win the gold medal on the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto this summer season, hitting .654 all through the event with 39 kills and 10 blocks.
ALLICK BRINGS THE BLOCK
• Junior center blocker Rebekah Allick leads the Huskers with 1.49 blocks per set up to now this season, which ranks tenth within the nation. Offensively, she has offered 1.81 kills per set on .381 hitting.
• Allick’s profession 1.21 blocks per set ranks No. 4 at school historical past within the rally scoring period.
• Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten second-team choice. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second amongst Big Ten gamers and seven within the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was additionally the No. 2 mark at school historical past within the rally scoring period.
• Allick was at her finest on the finish of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks within the NCAA regional remaining win over Arkansas and 10 blocks within the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh.
• In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 whereas tying her profession excessive with 12 blocks. Her efficiency earned her Best Middle Blocker and Most Valuable Player honors on the AVCA First Serve Showcase. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set within the first three matches of the season, which earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
• Allick was once more named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after 2.00 blocks per set in sweeps at Illinois and vs. Iowa.
HALL OF FAME COACH COOK IN YEAR 25 AT NU
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his twenty fifth season because the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2024. He has led the Huskers to 4 nationwide championships, 11 remaining fours, 13 convention championships and 22 top-10 remaining rankings since 2000.
• Cook has 864 profession wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA historical past. Since taking up this system in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .874 win share (703-101).
• On Sept. 10, 2024, the Huskers defeated No. 9 Creighton 3-2 for Cook’s 695th win at Nebraska, which moved him previous Terry Pettit for most wins all-time because the Nebraska volleyball head coach.
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 68 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, each among the many finest within the nation. He is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, incomes the celebrated honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023, and an eight-time convention coach of the yr, together with Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.
• In 2023, Cook was voted AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after main a younger Nebraska staff with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers completed the common season 28-1 total, their finest common season file since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 final yr and lacking the NCAA regional finals for the primary time since 2011, the Huskers began over with a beginning lineup that includes 4 true freshmen and a junior switch (Beason). Cook’s Huskers gained their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 rating from Oct. 23 by way of the top of the common season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for simply the second time in Cook’s time at Nebraska – in addition to beginning a real freshman at setter for solely the second time in Cook’s tenure – the Huskers earned the general No. 1 seed within the NCAA Tournament for the primary time since 2016 and the sixth time total beneath Cook.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, becoming a member of former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit within the corridor.
