University of Nebraska Huskers to Kick Off Big Ten Play Against UCLA and USC at Home | Sports

MATCH PREVIEW
• The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball crew begins Big Ten motion this week with a pair of residence matches towards convention newcomers. The Huskers will host UCLA on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 20 USC on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Both matches will likely be televised on Big Ten Network with Larry Punteney and Lauren Stivrins calling the matches.  
• 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 seven matches in a row, together with 4 sweeps in a row. 
• The Huskers are 5-0 going through ranked opponents this season.
• Nebraska has gained 31 residence matches in a row courting again to Nov. 26, 2022. 
• The Huskers rank eighth nationally and second within the Big Ten with a crew hitting share of .300.
• NU ranks seventeenth nationally in kills per set (14.08).
• Nebraska has turned up its protection of late, holding its final three opponents to a mixed .110 hitting share. 
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is main the Huskers with 3.22 kills per set. 
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 2.84 kills per set for the Big Red. Over her final 5 matches, Beason is averaging 3.29 kills per set with a .355 hitting share.
• Outside hitter Lindsay Krause provides 2.47 kills per set and has served a team-high 15 aces. 
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.62 kills with a team-best .512 hitting share, which ranks third nationally. 
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick provides 1.83 kills per set on .369 hitting with 1.43 blocks per set. 
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.03 assists per set, which ranks ninth nationally. She additionally provides 3.05 digs per set and has 9 aces. 
• Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker again row with 3.54 digs per set .

SCOUTING REPORT: UCLA
• UCLA enters its first Big Ten Conference match at 6-3 general. 
• The Bruins have a top-25 offense within the nation with a .279 hitting share. 
• Cheridyn Leverette leads UCLA with 4.07 kills per set and is hitting .325. Kiki Horne averages 3.04 kills per set. 
• Middle blocker Anna Dodson acquired AVCA All-America honorable point out final yr and was a three-time All-Pac 12 choice. She is placing down 2.14 kills and 1.11 blocks per set this season.

SCOUTING REPORT: USC
• No. 20 USC is 8-2 general with losses to No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 6 Creighton.
• The Trojans rank third nationally with 3.17 blocks per set. 
• Former Husker Ally Batenhorst leads the Trojans with 3.84 kills per set. 
• Setter Mia Tuaniga was a Preseason All-Big Ten choice after incomes All-Pac 12 honors in 2022 and 2023. Tuaniga averages 10.39 assists per set and has served 18 aces. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 13-5 all-time towards UCLA. The final assembly was Aug. 31, 2019 in Lincoln, a 3-0 Husker sweep. NU has gained 4 in a row within the collection since a five-set loss to the Bruins in 2009. 
• USC is 7-2 all-time towards Nebraska. The final assembly was Aug. 31, 2008, a 3-1 Husker win in Omaha. The groups haven't performed a match in Lincoln since Dec. 14, 1985. 

RODRIGUEZ AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT NU LIBEROS
• Lexi Rodriguez is in her ultimate yr of a stellar profession because the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year crew captain, Rodriguez will go down in historical past as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball historical past. 
• 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 be part of 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 turn into the fifth participant in Big Ten historical past to obtain the dignity twice in a profession. 
• Rodriguez has 1,555 profession digs, which ranks fifth at school historical past. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the profession chief in digs at NU with 1,890. With 13 extra digs, Rodriguez will tie Jennifer Saleaumua for No. 4 all-time.

BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN
• Opposite hitter Merritt 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, turning into simply the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that honor. 
• 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 ultimate win over Arkansas. 

VERSATILE MURRAY HIGHLIGHTS SOPHOMORE CLASS
• Along with Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, sophomore outdoors hitter Harper Murray made an on the spot influence 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. 
• Murray is off to a stable begin to her sophomore season, main the Huskers in kills with 3.22 per set with 2.25 digs per set and 10 service aces. 

KRAUSE LOOKING TO PICK UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
• Senior outdoors hitter Lindsay Krause was having one of the best yr of her Husker profession in 2023 earlier than it led to mid-October with an ankle harm. At the time of her harm, 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 outdoors hitters in convention motion at the time. 
• Krause was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 9 following a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting at Michigan and 9 kills on .381 hitting at Michigan State.  
• This season, Krause is averaging 2.47 kills per set and leads the crew with 15 service aces. 

REILLY SETS THE TONE
• Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, turning 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 acquired six profession Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, together with on Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 this season. 
• Reilly was named Best Setter at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., as she guided the Huskers to a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky with 39 assists and 11 digs. 
• Reilly ranks ninth nationally with 11.03 assists per set this season. 

JACKSON IN ACTION
• Sophomore center blocker Andi Jackson confirmed huge athleticism and potential the primary time she stepped on the ground as a Husker, and she adopted by way of with a robust 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 one of the 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 at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto this summer time, hitting .654 all through the match with 39 kills and 10 blocks. 
• Jackson has elevated her sport to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.62 kills per set with a .512 hitting share, which ranks third within the nation. 

ALLICK ON A BLOCKING TEAR
• Junior center blocker Rebekah 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 at the tip of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks within the NCAA regional ultimate 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 at 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 leads the Huskers with 1.43 blocks per set thus far this season. Offensively, she has supplied 1.83 kills per set on .369 hitting. 

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 ultimate fours, 13 convention championships and 22 top-10 ultimate rankings since 2000. 
• Cook has 860 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 (699-101). 
• 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 distinguished 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 crew with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers completed the common season 28-1 general, their finest common season document 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 tip 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 less than 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 general underneath 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.