Huskers Shut Down Hawkeyes in 3-0 Win

CORALVILLE, Iowa – For the second week in a row, the Nebraska volleyball team picked up a sweep over Iowa, defeating the Hawkeyes 25-14, 25-17, 25-14 at XTream Arena on Friday night. 

The sixth-ranked Huskers (23-3, 15-2 Big Ten) posted their sixth straight sweep of the Hawkeyes (8-20, 2-15 Big Ten) by hitting .330 and holding their foes to a .093 hitting percentage. 

Combined with Ohio State’s 3-1 loss at Maryland on Friday night, the Huskers now control their own destiny to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title by winning their remaining three matches. 

Madi Kubik had 14 kills and nine digs while hitting .407, and Ally Batenhorst chipped in 11 kills. Lindsay Krause also hit double-figures with 10 kills and a .471 hitting percentage. 

Nicklin Hames had 15 set assists, while Kennedi Orr had 11 assists to go with eight digs. Lexi Rodriguez had a match-high 19 digs, as the Huskers had a dominant advantage in that stat, 55-34. 

The Huskers also had more kills (44-27), aces (5-2) and blocks (6-5). Whitney Lauenstein served two aces, while Hames, Rodriguez and Kenzie Knuckles each had one. Kaitlyn Hord led the Big Red with four blocks. 

Amiya Jones had eight kills for Iowa. 

Set 1: Nebraska used a 7-0 run to separate from a 6-5 lead to a 13-5 lead. Kubik had two kills, while Bekka Allick and Batenhorst each had one. And Allick and Krause had a block as well. The Huskers pushed the lead to double digits at 18-8 with Krause adding two more kills, and Batenhorst and Hord each one. Iowa scored the next four points to get within 18-12, but the Huskers closed out the set on a 7-2 run to win 25-14 with Kubik providing three more kills. Nebraska hit .387 and held Iowa to .118.

Set 2: The Huskers and Hawkeyes played an even second game as the teams were tied 14-14 with neither holding a lead bigger than three points. But the Huskers turned it on with kills by Kubik and Allick, an ace by Lauenstein and a block by Hames and Allick to take a 19-14 lead after a 5-0 spurt. Krause pounded three more kills, and a block by Lauenstein and Hord and a kill by Batenhorst ended the set in Nebraska’s favor, 25-17. NU hit .235 in game two, while Iowa hit .088. 

Set 3: The Huskers opened the third set with a 6-1 lead and never looked back. Batenhorst and Kubik had early kills, and Knuckles served an ace and had a kill to spark the Big Red. Kubik and Lauenstein tallied kills to pad the lead, 9-3. After Iowa put together three points for its best stretch of the set to get within 9-6, Krause had two more kills, and Lauenstein had a kill and block with Hord before two Kubik kills put the Huskers up 17-10. The match ended with back-to-back kills by Batenhorst for a 25-14 win. Nebraska hit a blistering .444 in the final frame and limited Iowa to .111. 

Up Next: Nebraska welcomes No. 19 Purdue to the Bob Devaney Sports Center for a Noon match on Sunday.