VB Match Previews: Red-hot Huskers host No. 10 Purdue and unranked Rutgers
Nebraska volleyball, slotted as the No. 2 team in the nation behind unanimous top-ranked Pittsburgh (61 of 61 first-place votes on the back of a 14-0 start), has certainly found its groove of late.
The red-hot Huskers (14-1 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) have won 11 matches in a row ever since a September 3 upset loss on the road against SMU – a Mustangs squad that sits at 12-4, has risen up to No. 15 in the AVCA Top 25, owns two ranked road wins (at No. 18 Baylor and at No. 13 Georgia Tech), suffered a loss to No. 10 Kentucky and had won seven straight before a road loss at No. 1 Pitt on Wednesday.
In other words, the Huskers’ lone loss of the season thus far came at the hands of a high-quality opponent that is continuing on an upward trajectory.
So, too, are the Huskers, who have won nine of those 11 matches via sweep. They have taken 33 of the last 36 sets during that 11-match win streak including ranked home wins over No. 9 Creighton, No. 14 Arizona State (sweep), No. 2 Stanford (sweep) and No. 20 USC (sweep), plus a ranked road win at No. 4 Louisville (sweep).
Now, the next test is on the desk: No. 10 Purdue (12-3, 3-1) will enter the Devaney Center tonight for a 7:30 p.m. match as the Huskers look to win their sixth straight over the Boilers. Then, struggling Rutgers (5-10, 0-4) will follow at 7 p.m. on Saturday inside the Devaney Center for the Huskers’ annual “Pink Match” for breast cancer awareness.
Let’s take a look at the stats to know and players to watch on both sides, plus how to watch and listen to the two B1G matchups.
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>> Nebraska is 24-8 all-time against Purdue and has won five in a row in the series. The teams went five sets in the only meeting last season on Sept. 29 in West Lafayette, with Nebraska squeaking out a 15-12 victory in the fifth set.
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NEBRASKA-RUTGERS:
>> Nebraska is 14-1 all-time against Rutgers and has won 14 in a row since Rutgers’ lone win in 1978. All but one of the Huskers’ 14 wins have been sweeps.
SCOUTING REPORT: NEBRASKA
All stats and info provided courtesy of Nebraska Athletics Communications
>> Nebraska has won 11 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Nine of the 11 wins have been sweeps.
>> The Huskers rank seventh nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .298.
>> NU ranks 13th nationally in kills per set (14.02).
>> In Sunday’s 3-0 win over Iowa, the Huskers had seven aces and just one service error. The last time the Huskers had at least seven aces with one or fewer service errors was Nov. 12, 2017 against Rutgers (nine aces, one error).
>> Outside hitter HarperMurray is leading the Huskers with 3.12 kills per set and 15 service aces. Murray also adds 2.14 digs per set.
>> Opposite hitter MerrittBeason is averaging 2.90 kills per set for the Big Red. Over her last nine matches, Beason is averaging 3.20 kills per set with a .312 hitting percentage.
>> Outside hitter LindsayKrause adds 2.37 kills per set and has served a team-high 15 aces.
>> Middle blocker AndiJackson is averaging 2.66 kills with a team-best .475 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth nationally.
>> Middle blocker RebekahAllick adds 1.81 kills per set on .381 hitting with 1.49 blocks per set, which ranks 10th nationally.
>> Setter BergenReilly is averaging 10.98 assists per set, which ranks ninth in the nation. She also adds 2.86 digs per set and has 12 aces.
>> Three-time All-American LexiRodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.82 digs per set.
SCOUTING REPORT: PURDUE
>> No. 10 Purdue beat Northwestern and Michigan State last week to move to 12-3 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play.
>> The Boilermakers rank 11th in the nation in blocks per set (2.89) and 16th in kills per set (13.91).
>> Eva Hudson (4.09 kills per set) and Chloe Chicoine (3.28 kills per set) lead the Purdue attack.
>> Raven Colvin ranks first in the Big Ten and second in the nation in blocks per set (1.74). She also adds 2.68 kills per set and is hitting .439.
SCOUTING REPORT: RUTGERS
>> Rutgers enters a Friday match at Iowa 5-10 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten matches.
>> Alissa Kinkela leads the Scarlet Knights with 3.62 kills per set. Kinkela became Rutgers’ first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after 29 kills on .456 hitting against Iowa and 24 kills on .432 hitting at Michigan.
STATS TO KNOW: NEBRASKA
DOMINANT DEFENSE
>> Nebraska led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in both 2022 (.128) and 2023 (.137).
>> This year, the Huskers are holding all opponents to a .163 hitting percentage, which ranks 29th nationally.
>> The Huskers rank 15th in the nation in blocks per set at 2.77.
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SERVE AND PASS
>> Nebraska has allowed just 28 service aces this season, which ranks second in the nation behind Pittsburgh (27). Over the last eight matches, the Huskers have yielded just seven aces and have not allowed more than two in a single match in that stretch.
>> Nebraska’s opponents have served seven aces and committed 80 service errors over the last eight matches.
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BALANCED ATTACK
>> Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.81 and 3.12 kills per set.
>> Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match in the first 14 matches of the season.
>> Nebraska has won 34 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is tied with Stephen F. Austin for the longest 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 winning 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.
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