Huskers Sweep Jayhawks in Sold-Out Spring Scrimmage

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Nebraska volleyball team took the court for the first time under head coach Dani Busboom Kelly and impressed with a sweep of Kansas in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,592 in John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday night.

 

The teams agreed to play four sets no matter the outcome, and the Huskers showed out with a 25-20, 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 win while experimenting with different lineup combinations throughout the match.

 

Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick each had 11 kills and four blocks while hitting .556 and .524, respectively. Hunter tallied 11 kills and hit .563 in her first action as a Husker. Harper Murray chipped in 10 kills, and Teraya Sigler had six kills and Taylor Landfair posted four. 

 

Bergen Reilly and Campbell Flynn split time at setter. Reilly had 19 assists and eight digs, while Flynn had 23 assists and three digs. 

 

Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch both wore the libero jersey for two sets. Choboy had 18 digs and Mauch had 12. 

 

For the match, NU hit .285 and Kansas hit .214. The Huskers had eight blocks and served six aces. Kansas had four blocks and served four aces.

 

Set 1: Nebraska used a 4-0 run to take a 7-4 lead, keyed by Murray's jump serve. She had an ace, and Landfair and Jackson each had kills. Allick pounded two kills to help NU to an 11-6 lead, and kills by Murray and Jackson made it 15-11 at the media timeout. After Kansas cut it to 15-13, Jackson had a kill and Allick had a solo block to help NU back to an 18-13 lead. But the Jayhawks answered to get within 19-18 after a 5-1 spurt. Allick terminated to keep the Huskers in front, 20-18. Allick and Jackson posted back-to-back kills to make it 23-19, and Pierce and Jackson combined for a block for set point. The Huskers won 25-20. 

 

Set 2: NU got off to a hot start with kills by Allick and Murray. Freshman Ryan Hunter then had a kill and a block with Allick in her first collegiate action to make it 4-1. Murray and Jackson recorded kills to keep NU on top, 8-6, and Hunter tacked on two more kills for a 12-8 Husker advantage. Murray and Jackson put NU up 15-10 at the media break. Jackson smashed back-to-back kills for an 18-13 advantage, and Reilly served an ace before a kill by Allick made it 21-15. The Huskers closed out a 25-18 win to go up 2-0. 

 

Set 3: The Huskers fought to a 9-6 lead with Hunter posting three kills, Sigler two, and Choboy serving an ace. Landfair's second kill of the set and another by Sigler made it 11-7. Sigler tacked on another before Ryan followed suit for a 13-10 lead. But the Jayhawks answered with a 5-1 run to go ahead 15-14. Kansas then served long and Landfair tipped a kill to NU back in front. With the score tied 16-16, Allick posted a kill, and Hunter and Sigler stepped up once again for the Big Red to make it 19-17. Allick terminated again, and a block by Sigler and Jackson put the Huskers up 22-18. Hunter notched her ninth kill, and Jackson's 10th earned set point. NU won 25-21.

 

Set 4: Kansas came out strong, taking a 12-8 lead. Murray stepped up with two kills and a block with Jackson to help NU rally to tie the score at 12-12 with Choboy serving the 4-0 run. Grace Nelson answered with two kills for KU to put the Jayhawks back up 14-12, but Jackson combined with Flynn for a block and tallied a kill before a Mauch ace sparked the Huskers to a 19-15 lead. Kansas stormed back to tie the score at 20-20, but the Huskers were up to the task, scoring a 4-0 run with an ace by Keri Leimbach, a block by Allick and Hunter, and a kill by Murray. Another Murray kill ended the match, 25-22.

 

Up Next: The Huskers will head to Ord next Saturday for a match against South Dakota State at 2 p.m. It will be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media and the Huskers Radio Network.