NEB VB: Spikes Under the Lights Preview & Notes
SPIKES UNDER THE LIGHTS
August 27, 2026 | 7 PM
AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
7 PM - No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 17 Florida
8 PM - No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
9 PM - Championship Match
BROADCAST INFO
TV – TNT Sports (Anne Marie Anderson, Holly McPeak)
RADIO NETWORK – John Baylor, Lauren (Cook) West
INTERNET AUDIO – Huskers.com
APP AUDIO – Official Huskers App
Follow the Match
• All three Spikes Under the Lights matches on Thursday night will be broadcast nationally on TNT Sports, with Anne Marie Anderson and Holly McPeak on the call.
• 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.
Spikes Under the Lights Match Format
• The inaugural Spikes Under the Lights features a three-match tournament format optimized for a three-hour television window.
• All three matches will be played in a best-of-three sets format, with the first two sets played to 21 points and a deciding third set (if needed) played to 15 points.
Nebraska vs. Florida
• Through 13 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a 9-4 advantage over Florida in the all-time series.
• The two teams last met in the season opener of the 2018 campaign, where the seventh-ranked Gators upset the No. 2 Huskers in four sets in Lincoln.
Nebraska vs. Penn State
• The Big Red and Nittany Lions have met 43 times on the volleyball court, with the Huskers holding a 30-13 lead over Penn State in the all-time series.
• Nebraska recorded a season sweep of the Nittany Lions in 2025 after falling twice to Penn State on the road and in the NCAA Tournament in 2024.
Nebraska vs. SMU
• Nebraska and SMU have split a pair of all-time meetings after facing off in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024.
• The Huskers swept the Mustangs in three sets in 2023, while SMU picked up a sweep over the Big Red in 2024.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 results 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.
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.