The ninth-ranked Nebraska volleyball team made quick work of a midweek match with Indiana Wednesday night, sweeping the Hoosiers 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-15) at the Devaney Center. Winners of seven straight, the Huskers improved to 13-3 (7-0 Big Ten), while the Hoosiers dropped to 8-11 (2-5).
Madi Kubik continued her streak of seven consecutive matches leading Nebraska in kills, finishing with a match-high 16 kills on .308 hitting. She added five digs and three blocks.
Lindsay Krause joined her in double figures with 10 kills on .400 hitting with two blocks. Ally Batenhorst hit .714 with five kills and no attack errors, and Lauren Stivrins had five more kills with three blocks.
Nicklin Hames achieved her team-leading ninth double-double on 26 assists, 13 digs, three kills, two blocks and a service ace.
Kenzie Knuckles had a team-high 14 digs with two kills and an ace, and Keonilei Akana had another 10 scoops. Lexi Rodriguez finished with nine digs and a season-high-tying nine assists with an ace.
Nebraska hit .367 — its second-best efficiency of the season — and held Indiana to .057. The Huskers had the advantage in kills (46-23), assists (40-21), aces (4-3), digs (58-36) and blocks (7.5-7.0).
Indiana got a team-leading six kills from Breana Edwards, while Mady Saris, Kaley Rammelsburg and Kari Zumach each had five more.
Set 1
The duo of Kubik and Krause combined for 13 of Nebraska’s 18 kills and together terminated at .458. Kubik was Hames’ main target in the opening set, as the junior collected eight kills on .375 hitting — one more kill than Indiana’s team total. Krause added five more while swinging at a .625 clip with no errors.
Three straight kills between Krause and Kubik and a Hoosier attack error made it 5-1 early. Up 11-8, the Huskers added to their lead with a 3-0 run on an IU service error, a Kubik/Schwarzenbach block and a Schwarzenbach kill to claim a six-point advantage. Kubik added another kill at 15-9 ahead of a media timeout. Krause and Kubik then combined for four straight kills, which ratcheted up the lead to 19-10. The Huskers closed on a 6-1 run, and Stivrins’ final swing put it away at 25-13.
For the set, NU hit .405 with just three attack errors and held IU to .054.
Set 2
The Huskers maintained their momentum with a short 3-0 run to start the second set, thanks to a Krause/Schwarzenbach block and a Knuckles ace. Indiana locked it at 4-4 before NU rallied with three straight kills, and a ball handling error plus another kill from Hames made it 9-4. Three kills and an Anni Evans ace later brought on a 4-0 Husker run for a 14-7 advantage, and a Batenhorst kill coupled with a Hames ace prompted a Hoosier timeout at 16-9. After a 4-0 spurt spotted NU a 10-point advantage, a Stivrins/Hames stuff block brought it to set point at 24-15. A four-hit violation by IU ended it at 25-15.
NU hit .414 as a team and had three aces in the set.
Set 3
Indiana held its only lead of the night after winning the opening two points, but Nebraska quickly regained control with a 6-0 run. Another 7-0 stretch punctuated with a Rodriguez ace boosted it to 13-3. NU held a lead of at least seven the rest of the way.
Leading 19-12, the Huskers put together a 5-1 run to hit set point at 24-13. After IU took the next two points, Kubik swatted her 16th and final kill to finish it off at 25-15.
NU kept Indiana to a negative attack percentage at -.049. Kubik accounted for six kills and two blocks in the set.
Noting Tonight’s Match
-Nebraska is the only remaining unbeaten team in conference play at 7-0.
-The Huskers’ seven-match win streak is their longest since Nov. 1-22, 2019.
-Nebraska’s sweep was its eighth of the season and its third straight in the series with Indiana.
-NU leads the all-time series with IU 20-1, including 19-0 in the John Cook era. The Huskers have triumphed in 20 straight in the series dating back to 1988.
-The Huskers have a 10-0 advantage over Indiana at home, including 7-0 at the Devaney Center.
-NU has held back-to-back opponents (Rutgers and Indiana) under .060 hitting.
-Tonight was Nebraska’s fourth match of the year hitting .300 or better as a team.
Up Next
Nebraska faces Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 16, with first serve at 6 p.m. from the Devaney Center. The match will be televised on Nebraska Public Media — formerly known as NET — and streamed on Big Ten Network+. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.
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