Huskers Sweep Omaha in Front of Record Crowd

Lincoln - The Nebraska volleyball team delighted a crowd of more than 92,000 by never trailing during a 3-0 sweep of Omaha on Wednesday night in an outdoor match at Memorial Stadium.

 

While Nebraska (4-0) was dominant in its fourth straight sweep to start the season, it was Husker Nation who stole the show on Volleyball Day in Nebraska. The announced crowd of 92,003 surpassed the previous world record crowd for a women’s sporting event of 91,648 fans for a 2022 soccer match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg. Nebraska also drew the largest crowd in the 100-year history of Memorial Stadium for Wednesday’s match.

 

In a day of celebration for Nebraska’s affinity for the sport, the Huskers’ dominant performance was yet another reason why There is No Place Like Nebraska when it comes to volleyball.

 

Nebraska won all three sets by double digits in its 25-14, 25-14, 25-13 sweep. The Huskers hit .263 for the match while holding Omaha (0-3) to a -.080 attack percentage. Nebraska’s defense limited the Mavericks to only 18 kills on 88 attacks. The Huskers recorded seven blocks while forcing Omaha into 25 attack errors.

 

Seven Huskers had multiple kills on the historic night. Andi Jackson led the way with eight kills on 12 swings, while Harper Murray put down six kills on 15 swings. Lindsay Krause added five kills on 13 swings. Bergen Reilly had 19 assists, seven digs and three kills while Merritt Beason had eight digs, four blocks and a pair of aces to go along with three kills. Lexi Rodriguez added 15 digs and three service aces.

 

Set One: Nebraska used a 6-0 run to break an early tie and grab a 10-4 lead. Murray and Krause contributed to the lead by combining for six kills on seven swings. The teams traded sideouts until a Murray ace forced Omaha to call its second timeout with the Huskers on top 15-8. Nebraska then went on a 6-1 spurt to take a 23-10 lead en route to a 25-14 win. Nebraska hit .286 in the opening set while limiting Omaha to a .034 mark. Nebraska’s freshmen combined for seven of the Huskers’ 11 kills in set one – on only 15 swings – while Krause added the other four kills on just seven swings. NU also had three service aces and Rodriguez recorded five digs.

 

Set Two: Set two was similar to set one, as it was tied early until Nebraska won six straight rallies to take a 10-4 lead and force an Omaha timeout. The Huskers won four of the six rallies after the timeout before the Mavericks called another timeout at 14-6. Nebraska’s lead quickly grew to double digits, and the Huskers closed out a 25-14 on Jackson’s fourth kill of the set and seventh of the match (on 10 swings). NU hit .229 in the second set but the Husker defense limited Omaha to a -.048 attack percentage, as the Mavericks had only six kills on 42 swings with eight errors, including three Nebraska blocks.

 

Set Three: Nebraska led 5-2 early in set three before Omaha quickly cut the lead to one. But the Huskers answered with a 5-0 run to take a 12-6 lead, as the Mavericks called a timeout. UNO pulled to within four at 15-11 before Nebraska won nine of the final 11 rallies to close out the match with a 25-13 win on a Maggie Mendelson kill.  

 

Up Next: Nebraska plays its first road match of the season on Sunday, when the Huskers travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. First serve is set for 4 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+ with radio coverage provided by the Huskers Radio Network.

 

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— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) August 31, 2023