VB Preview: Players Era Volleyball Showcase

PLAYERS ERA VOLLEYBALL SHOWCASE
Aug. 29-30, 2026
T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas

No. 1 Nebraska vs. UNLV - Aug. 29
Time: 7 PM CT
TV/Stream: FS1/FoxSports
Audio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Official Huskers App

No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Texas - Aug. 30
Time: 2:30 PM CT
TV/Stream: FOX/FoxSports
Audio: Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Official Huskers App

Follow the Match
• Saturday’s season opener against UNLV can be seen on FS1, while Sunday’s showdown with Texas will be televised on FOX. Jack Kizer, Camryn Irwin and Kelsie Kasper will be on the call for both matches this weekend.
• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App. 

Nebraska vs. UNLV
• Saturday’s season opener marks the first all-time meeting between the Huskers and Rebels.

Nebraska vs. Texas
• Through 58 all-time meetings, Nebraska leads the series with a 33-25 advantage over Texas. 
• The two teams last met in the 2023 national championship, where the Longhorns swept the Big Red in Tampa. 

Huskers Capture Spike Under the Lights Title
• Nebraska was crowned the inaugural Spikes Under the Lights champions after sweeping a pair of exhibitions against No. 17 Florida and No. 11 SMU on Thursday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
• The Huskers picked up the 2-0 sweep (21-19, 21-18) of the Gators behind Teraya Sigler’s six kills, followed by Virginia Adriano and Andi Jackson with five kills each.
• The Big Red clinched the championship in dominant fashion, hitting .339 as a team and limiting the Mustangs to an .068 hitting percentage.
• Sigler recorded seven kills and five digs, and Harper Murray totaled six kills and five digs.
• Manaia Ogbechie, Andi Jackson and Skyler Pierce added three kills apiece.

Huskers in Season Openers
• Nebraska is 44-7 all-time in season openers in program history.
• The Huskers come into Saturday’s season opener against UNLV having won seven consecutive season openers since a four-set loss to No. 7 Florida in 2018.

Huskers Begin Season at No. 1 in AVCA Poll 
• The Nebraska volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll released on Aug. 10. 
• The Huskers collected 1,568 points in the poll and came in ahead of No. 2 Texas (1,427), No. 3 Kentucky (1,398), No. 4 Pitt (1,383) and No. 5 Stanford (1,312). Nebraska got 57 first-place votes, followed Kentucky with four first-place votes and Texas and Texas A&M with one each.
• It marks Nebraska’s 124th week all-time at No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the most of any program in the nation. The Huskers have been ranked No. 1 to start a season in three of the last five years, including 2025 and 2022.
• Nebraska will be tested right out of the gate with a matchup against No. 2 Texas at the Players Era Showcase in Las Vegas on Aug. 30. 

What’s Returning
Kills    1,126/1,630 (69.1%)
Assists    1,474/1,500 (98.3%)
Service Aces    137/146 (93.8%)
Digs    1,396/1,507 (92.6%)
Solo Blocks    30/51 (58.8%)
Block Assists    325/494 (65.8%)

About the Huskers
• Nebraska is coming off a 33-1 season, reaching the NCAA Regional Finals before falling to eventual national champion Texas A&M in a 3-2 thriller in Lincoln. 
• The Huskers return three AVCA All-Americans in seniors Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly. 
• Nebraska finished the 2025 regular season unbeaten for the third time in school history (1994 and 2000), dropping only seven sets overall and one in Big Ten play. 
• Nebraska’s 33 straight wins was the second-longest win streak in school history in the NCAA era. The Huskers have won 33 matches in three straight seasons. 
• The Huskers’ 99 wins from 2023-25 are the most in a three-year stretch in program history in the NCAA era. 
• The Huskers won their third straight Big Ten title in 2025 with a perfect 20-0 record in conference play. It was the Huskers’ first unbeaten conference season since 2004 in the Big 12.
• Nebraska has won 37 conference titles all-time, including six in the Big Ten (2011, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025). 
• Dani Busboom Kelly became the first volleyball coach in Big Ten history to win the conference title in their first year as head coach at the school. John Cook won a Big Ten title at Nebraska in his first year in the conference in 2011, but it was his 12th season as head coach at Nebraska at the time.
• Nebraska swept 15 matches in a row and won 48 sets in a row from late September through mid-November in 2025. Both were the longest such streaks since the 2007 team swept 17 matches in a row and won 53 sets in a row.

No. 1 vs No. 2 History
• Sunday is believed to be the 43rd time No. 1 has played No. 2, including the 34th time in the regular season. It’s the first 1-2 matchup since Nebraska-Wisconsin in 2023.
• The No. 1 team is 28-14 all-time in 1 vs. 2 matchups.
• The last five 1 vs 2 matchups have all involved Nebraska, including this Sunday’s match.
• The 1 vs. 2 matchup has resulted in a sweep (15 times) more times than it has gone five sets (10 times).
• Including Sunday’s match, current Big Ten teams have been involved in 34 of the 43 all-time 1 vs. 2 matchups (including each of the last 10 times and 23 of the last 24 times).
• This will be the seventh time Nebraska has been involved in a 1 vs. 2 matchup. The Huskers are 3-3 all-time in 1-2 matches.

NU’s Two-Way Dominance
• After leading the country in hitting percentage and opposing hitting percentage last season, Nebraska became the first team to finish first nationally in both categories since at least 2014, the NCAA’s first season tracking opposing hitting percentages.
• The Husker offense hit at a school-record pace of .351 and hit over .400 in nine matches last season, which is a school record in the rally-scoring era.
• The NU defense has led the nation in opponent hitting percentage three times in the last four seasons (2022, 2023 and 2025) after limiting opponents to a pace of .129 in 2025.

NU’s Race to the Red Zone
• Nebraska is 96-0 in sets under head coach Dani Busboom Kelly when reaching the red zone (20 points) first.
• In October alone last season, the Huskers played 27 sets and went 27-0, with an opponent reaching 20 points just three times.

Big Red Road Show Takes on Professional Venues
• The biggest brand in college volleyball begins the 2026 campaign with a unique slate, as Nebraska is set to play in venues of four different professional sports leagues before playing their first match at the newly renovated John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
• The road show begins at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys at the inaugural Spikes Under the Lights at AT&T Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 27. Joining the Huskers in the three-hour exhibition event are No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 SMU and No. 17 Florida.
• Nebraska officially opens the season  in the first-ever Players Era Volleyball Showcase in Las Vegas on Aug. 29-30. The Big Red will face UNLV on Aug. 29 and No. 2 Texas on Aug. 30 at T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
• Following a midweek matchup at South Dakota State, the Huskers head to Chicago for back-to-back matches at two more pro venues. The Big Red take on DePaul on Sept. 4 at Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, before facing Missouri in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge on Sept. 6 at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, home of the MLB’s Chicago Cubs. 

13 Matches Against Postseason Foes in 2026
• Nebraska is scheduled to play against 13 teams that qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament this season, including four regional finalists and one semifinalist. 
• Along with the 13 regular-season matchups, the Huskers take on Florida and could face SMU as well in a pair of exhibition matches at Spikes Under the Lights in Arlington, Texas. 

2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll
• Nebraska was voted the league favorite in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Poll after a vote by the league’s 18 head coaches in July.
• Behind the Huskers, Wisconsin and Penn State were picked second and third, while Purdue and Minnesota were selected fourth and fifth, respectively.