VB Preview: Illinois and Michigan
MATCH PREVIEW
• The second-ranked Nebraska volleyball team will close out October with a pair of home matches this weekend. The Huskers host Illinois at 7 p.m. on Friday and Michigan at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Both matches will only 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.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska has won 15 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Twelve of the 15 wins have been sweeps.
• The Huskers rank ninth nationally and third in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .301.
• Nebraska ranks ninth nationally in kills per set (14.28).
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.32 kills per set and 18 service aces. Murray also adds 2.13 digs per set.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 3.03 kills per set for the Big Red and is hitting .243 with 1.28 digs per set and 13 aces.
• Lindsay Krause and Taylor Landfair have split time at NU’s other outside hitter position and have averaged 2.33 and 2.41 kills per set, respectively.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.70 kills with a .480 hitting percentage, which leads the Big Ten.
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.77 kills per set on .382 hitting with 1.29 blocks per set.
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.20 assists per set, which ranks fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten. She also adds 3.02 digs per set and has 14 aces. Reilly has 11 double-doubles and has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this season.
• Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.73 digs per set and is coming off a season-high 22 digs in a sweep at Ohio State last Saturday.
SCOUTING REPORT: ILLINOIS
• Illinois (13-5, 5-3 Big Ten) has won five matches in a row since an Oct. 3 loss to Nebraska in Champaign. The Fighting Illini swept Indiana and Maryland last weekend.
• Raina Terry averages 4.28 kills per set.
• Brooke Mosher ranks 13th nationally with 40 service aces.
• Former Nebraska assistant coach Chris Tamas is in his eighth year as head coach at Illinois and is 144-90 overall. Tamas was an assistant at Nebraska from 2015-16 and was on the staff of the Huskers’ 2015 NCAA Championship team.
SCOUTING REPORT: MICHIGAN
• Michigan (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) has already surpassed its overall win total from last season (7) and equaled its Big Ten win total (5) with 12 matches remaining. The Wolverines play at Iowa on Friday night before coming to Lincoln.
• Allison Jacobs leads the Wolverines with 4.12 kills per set.
• Valentina Vaulet ranks fifth nationally with 49 service aces on the season.
SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 35-8-1 all-time against Illinois and has won 10 in a row in the series, including a 25-18, 25-22, 25-17 sweep in Champaign on Oct. 3.
• Illinois is one of Nebraska’s three Big Ten double-play opponents this season.
• Nebraska Head Coach John Cook is 12-1 all-time against Illinois Head Coach Chris Tamas, his former assistant. Cook is 26-2 all-time coaching against his former assistant coaches.
• Nebraska is 23-3 against Michigan and has won 15 straight in the series. The last five matches have been Husker sweeps.
SERVE AND PASS
• Nebraska has allowed just 35 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest team is Pittsburgh with 43.
• Nebraska’s opponents have served 14 aces and committed 120 service errors over the last 12 matches.
BALANCED ATTACK
• Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.77 and 3.32 kills per set.
• Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match this season.
• Setter Bergen Reilly ranks fifth nationally averaging 11.20 assists per set.
• Nebraska’s attack has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank ninth in hitting percentage (.301) and kills per set (14.28).
HOME SWEET HOME
• Nebraska has won 36 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
• The Huskers’ home win streak is its longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013.
• Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 88 matches from 2004-09. Since then, NU also has a home win streak of 38 matches in a row from 2009-11.
RODRIGUEZ AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT NU LIBEROS
• Lexi Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball history.
• Rodriguez has 1,663 career digs, which ranks third in school history. In the home wins over UCLA and USC, she passed Jennifer Saleaumua and Nicklin Hames to move to No. 3 on NU’s all-time digs list. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in digs at NU with 1,890. Kayla Banwarth is second with 1,706 career digs.
• On Sept. 30, Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the sixth time in her career. She averaged 4.71 digs per set in the first weekend of conference play, helping the Huskers hold UCLA and USC to season-low hitting percentages at the time.
• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.
• Rodriguez made her mark instantly as a freshman in 2021, earning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Over the last two seasons, Rodriguez has guided the Huskers to the No. 1 defense in the country, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year again in 2023 to become the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive the honor twice in a career.
BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is providing 3.03 kills per set this season and hitting .243, along with 1.28 digs per set and 13 aces.
• Beason put together a sensational season in 2023 - her first as a Husker after transferring from Florida - earning AVCA first-team All-America honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year, becoming just the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that honor.
• In 2023, Beason averaged a team-leading 3.76 kills per set on .282 hitting with 2.05 digs per set. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 23 after averaging 4.25 kills per set and 1.75 digs per set in wins against Northwestern and top-ranked Wisconsin.
• Beason was the MVP of the NCAA Lincoln Regional after 19 kills, 11 digs and a career-high eight blocks in a regional final win over Arkansas.
VERSATILE MURRAY HIGHLIGHTS SOPHOMORE CLASS
• Sophomore outside hitter Harper Murray is the team leader in kills with 3.32 per set and adds 2.13 digs per set and 18 aces, the most on the team.
• Along with Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, Murray made an instant impact at Nebraska in 2023, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-America Third Team honors.
• Murray finished her freshman campaign with 3.23 kills per set, the highest kills per set average by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. One of the Big Ten’s best six-rotation players, Murray also added 2.07 digs per set with a team-high 36 aces. She was a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
REILLY SETS THE TONE
• Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly ranks fifth nationally with 11.20 assists per set this season, and she has 11 double-doubles.
• Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, becoming the first freshman to win the award since it originated in 2012. Reilly was also an AVCA second-team All-American and an All-Big Ten first-team selection.
• Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set in 2023, and she has received seven career Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, including on Sept. 2, Sept. 16 and Oct. 14 this season.
• Reilly was named Best Setter at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., as she guided the Huskers to a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky with 39 assists and 11 digs.
JACKSON IN ACTION
• Sophomore middle blocker Andi Jackson has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.70 kills per set with a .480 hitting percentage, which leads the nation.
• Jackson showed enormous athleticism and potential the first time she stepped on the floor as a Husker, and she followed through with a strong debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
• Jackson averaged 2.01 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set with a .399 hitting percentage in 2023, which ranked third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation. Her hitting percentage was the best ever by a Husker freshman and ranked seventh all-time in the rally scoring era.
• Along with Reilly, Jackson helped the U.S. U21 National Team win the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto this summer, hitting .654 throughout the tournament with 39 kills and 10 blocks.
ALLICK BRINGS THE BLOCK
• Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick leads the Huskers with 1.35 blocks per set so far this season. Offensively, she has provided 1.77 kills per set on .382 hitting.
• Allick’s career 1.27 blocks per set ranks No. 3 in school history in the rally scoring era.
• In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 while tying her career high with 12 blocks. Her performance earned her Best Middle Blocker and Most Valuable Player honors at the AVCA First Serve Showcase. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set in the first three matches of the season, which earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
• Allick was again named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after 2.00 blocks per set in sweeps at Illinois and vs. Iowa.
• Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten second-team selection. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second among Big Ten players and seven in the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was also the No. 2 mark in school history in the rally scoring era.
• Allick was at her best at the end of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas and 10 blocks in the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh.
KRAUSE PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
• Senior outside hitter Lindsay Krause has been one of NU’s best threats at the service line with 15 aces, and she is the only Husker with more aces than errors this season. Krause is also averaging 2.33 kills per set.
• Krause was having the best year of her Husker career in 2023 before it ended in mid-October with an ankle injury. At the time of her injury, Krause was averaging 2.50 kills per set and was hitting .285 for the season.
• Not only that, Krause was putting up 2.82 kills per set on .366 hitting through six Big Ten matches, which led all Big Ten outside hitters in conference action at the time.
• Krause was named Big Ten Player of the Week last year on Oct. 9 following a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting at Michigan and nine kills on .381 hitting at Michigan State.
FRONT ROW DEPTH
• Front row depth is one of the strengths for the 2024 Nebraska volleyball team.
• While middle blockers Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick, as well as outside hitter Lindsay Krause, have started most of the matches at their positions, the Huskers have relied heavily on their depth at times this season.
• Middle blocker Leyla Blackwell, a transfer from San Diego, has played in eight matches and made four starts and is putting up 2.35 kills per set on a .529 hitting percentage with 1.35 blocks per set.
• Blackwell had nine kills and seven blocks and hit .600 earning the start on Oct. 12 vs. Rutgers. She also had seven kills and three blocks and hit .429 while stepping in for a sidelined Andi Jackson at Illinois on Oct. 3.
• Outside hitter Taylor Landfair, a senior transfer from Minnesota, has played in 16 matches and made seven starts for the Big Red, averaging 2.41 kills per set on .284 hitting.
• Landfair’s best match came against UCLA on Sept. 27 when she had 13 kills and four blocks and hit .414. On Oct. 18, she started the match and tallied 12 kills and hit .417 at Michigan State.
HALL OF FAME COACH COOK IN YEAR 25 AT NU
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 25th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2024. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 13 conference championships and 22 top-10 final rankings since 2000.
• Cook has 868 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .875 win percentage (707-101).
• On Sept. 10, 2024, the Huskers defeated No. 9 Creighton 3-2 for Cook’s 695th win at Nebraska, which moved him past Terry Pettit for most wins all-time as the Nebraska volleyball head coach.
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 68 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.
• In 2023, Cook was voted AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA regional finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s time at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.