NEB VB: vs. No. 25 Illinois & Iowa Preview & Notes
Thursday, Nov. 12 - No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 25 Illinois
First Serve: 6 p.m.
TV/Streaming: NPM/B1G+
Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers App, Huskers Radio Network
Saturday, Nov. 14 - No. 1 Nebraska vs. Iowa
First Serve: 6 p.m.
TV/Streaming: None/B1G+
Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers App, Huskers Radio Network
Follow the Match
• Thursday’s match against No. 25 Illinois can be seen on Nebraska Public Media/B1G+, with Larry Punteney and John Cook on the call, while Saturday’s matchup vs. Iowa will be streamed on B1G+.
• 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. Illinois
• Nebraska holds a 37-8-1 advantage through 46 all-time matchups with Illinois.
• Since joining the Big Ten, the Huskers are 22-3 against the Illini, including a pair of victories in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2021.
• The Big Red have won the last 12 matchups since Illinois recorded a 3-1 win over Nebraska in a top-10 battle in 2018.
• Thursday’s match marks the 16th ranked matchup between the two programs, with Nebraska holding a 12-3 record in the previous 15 ranked meetings.
Nebraska vs. Iowa
• Through 41 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds an unbeaten 41-0 record in the series against Iowa.
• The Huskers have dropped just five sets to the Hawkeyes in their 41 all-time meetings, including two when Iowa took the Big Red to five sets in 2019.
Huskers At No. 1 in Latest AVCA Poll
• The Nebraska volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll released on Nov. 9.
• The Huskers collected 1,575 points in the poll and came in ahead of No. 2 Pitt (1,512), No. 3 Louisville (1,437), No. 4 Florida (1,381) and No. 5 SMU (1,308). Nebraska got all of the 63 first-place votes.
• It marks Nebraska’s 135th week all-time at No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the most of any program in the nation.
Reilly Repeats as Big Ten Setter of the Week
• Senior Bergen Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week for the fourth time this season and 17th time in her career on Monday, which is tied for second all-time in the conference.
• The Sioux Falls, S.D., native led the top-ranked Huskers to a pair of road victories at No. 12 Oregon and No. 18 Washington last week.
•Reilly set the Huskers to an NCAA-leading .448 hitting percentage on the week, which was 18 points better than the second-best mark. The Big Red also led the country with 17.00 kills per set last week.
• The senior was fourth nationally with 13.33 assists per set across the two matches.
• In the sweep at No. 12 Oregon, Reilly recorded her 49th career double-double with 43 assists, 11 digs, three kills and a block while setting the Huskers to a .425 hitting percentage, which was the fifth match of the season with a .400-or-better hitting percentage.
• Reilly tallied 37 assists, eight digs, four kills and a pair of blocks in Sunday’s sweep of No. 18 Washington. The senior directed the Husker offense to a .477 hitting percentage, which is NU’s highest in a match against a ranked opponent in the rally-scoring era.
Huskers Clinch Share of Big Ten Title
• Nebraska clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a sweep at No. 18 Washington last weekend. The Huskers have three Big Ten matches remaining and need only one more win to clinch the outright Big Ten title.
• The Huskers clinched their 38th conference title and seventh in the Big Ten. It marks the first time the Huskers have won four consecutive conference titles since 2004-08 in the Big 12.
• Dani Busboom Kelly is the only volleyball coach in Big Ten history to win the conference title in each of the first two years as head coach at the school.
Huskers Off to a 25-0 Start
• With a 25-0 start, the Huskers have posted an undefeated record through the first 25 matches of the season for the eighth time in program history.
•This is the first time the Big Red have recorded consecutive 25-0 starts in program history after beginning last season 33-0.
NU Rides 56-Match Regular-Season Win Streak
• Nebraska is on a 56-match regular-season winning streak that dates back to the 2024 season, which is the longest regular-season winning streak in program history in the NCAA era (since 1981).
• The Huskers finished the 2024 regular season with a win at Maryland before finishing the 2025 regular season a perfect 30-0, the third perfect regular season in program history (1994, 2000). Nebraska has started the 2026 season with 25 straight wins.
• Nebraska’s last regular-season loss came on Nov. 29, 2024 at No. 4 Penn State. The Huskers’ win streak is the third in program history over 40 matches, joining streaks from 1999-2001 and 2004-05.
• In the NCAA era, the Big Red have 15 streaks of at least 20 regular-season wins and four of 35-plus.
• Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly also recorded a 43-match regular-season winning streak at Louisville that spanned the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Four Straight Against Ranked Foes
• With Thursday’s matchup against No. 25 Illinois, Nebraska is set to play their fourth consecutive match against a ranked opponent after defeating No. 25 Michigan State, No. 12 Oregon and No. 18 Washington.
• The four straight games against ranked opponents is the Huskers’ longest stretch against ranked foes since a five-match span in 2023 where the Big Red collected wins vs. No. 5 Stanford, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 12 Minnesota and No. 17 Purdue.
Busboom Kelly vs. Ranked Opponents
• Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly is 66-28 against ranked opponents in her 10 seasons as a head coach at Louisville and Nebraska.
•At Nebraska, Busboom Kelly is 24-1 against ranked foes in two seasons after going 13-1 last season and holding an 11-0 mark vs. ranked teams in 2026.
• Busboom Kelly totaled a 29-13 record vs. ranked opponents in her final three seasons at Louisville before joining Nebraska in 2025.
Home Sweet Home
• Nebraska has won 63 straight regular-season home matches, including 61 matches at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, going back to the start of the 2023 campaign.
•The Huskers had a 63-match home win streak snapped in the Regional Final against No. 6 Texas A&M. It is tied for the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history.
• The Huskers’ recent home court win streak was their longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013, and it’s tied for the second-longest home court win streak in program history.
• Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 90 matches from 2004-09. Nebraska also won 63 straight at home from 1999-2002.
• Penn State holds the all-time record of 94 from 2006-10.
• The Huskers went 22-0 at home in 2024, a school record for home wins in a season.
NU’s Race to the Red Zone
• Nebraska is 171-0 in sets under head coach Dani Busboom Kelly when reaching the red zone (20 points) first.
• The Huskers are 75-0 when reaching the red zone first in 2026 after posting a 96-0 mark last season.