The No. 9 Nebraska volleyball team (17-5, 11-2 Big Ten) brings a challenging road week to a close this Saturday, Nov. 6, visiting No. 7 Ohio State (18-5, 8-5) at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the match will be streamed on Big Ten Network+. The match caps a three-match road swing for the Huskers and is their fifth of five straight top-25 contests.
This week’s action will be carried on Huskers Radio Network with the NU radio team of John Baylor and Lauren Cook West. Baylor is in his 28th season handling play-by-play duties for the Husker volleyball program, and West, a former All-America setter at NU, will provide color commentary for the sixth straight year.
Huskers Radio Network will carry the matches on HRN radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be available at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
Quick Hits
• Nebraska sits atop the Big Ten standings at 11-2.
• Saturday night at No. 7 Ohio State is NU’s fifth straight ranked opponent in 15 days. Nebraska last faced five consecutive ranked opponents Dec. 1-15, 2018 in the NCAA Tournament (No. 24 Missouri, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 14 Oregon, No. 3 Illinois, No. 1 Stanford).
• Saturday is another reunion between Kenzie Knuckles and Ohio State’s Kylie Murr. The duo were longtime teammates, having won two state championships together at Yorktown High School. They also played together for multiple Munciana teams and won two club national championships together.
• With her first assist Thursday at Illinois, Nicklin Hames took sole ownership of the Huskers’ rally-scoring era record for career assists, as well as No. 2 on NU’s all-time list.
• The 3-0 win at Illinois Thursday was Nebraska’s 11th of the season and fourth road sweep of the fall.
• NU has averaged 16.7 digs per set this season — the best mark since the 2006 squad (16.9 d/s). In conference play, The Huskers average a Big Ten-leading 18.2 d/s.
• The Huskers moved down three spots to No. 9 in the AVCA national poll this week.
• Nebraska was the last unbeaten team in Big Ten play. Its 10-0 start was their second-best since joining the conference in 2011.
• Nebraska held a streak of 60 straight weeks in the top 10 of the AVCA poll before briefly dropping to 12th in the Sept. 20 and Sept. 27 releases. It was the only time the Huskers had ranked outside the top 10 since Sept. 18, 2017, when they were 14th.
• Five of NU’s six freshmen have seen the court this year.
Scouting the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is 18-5 (8-5 Big Ten) after falling 3-1 to No. 11 Minnesota Thursday night, which snapped a two-match win streak. Gabby Gonzalez finished with a team-leading 11 kills, and Mac Podraza had a double-double with 37 assists and 13 digs. Kylie Murr had 30 digs in the match.
Rylee Rader ranks second in the Big Ten with a .437 hitting percentage in conference play, while Podraza is second at 11.54 assists per set. As a team, Ohio State (16.30 d/s) is third for digs per set, behind Nebraska (18.18 d/s) and Minnesota (17.54 d/s).
Jen Flynn Oldenburg is in her second year at Ohio State with a career record of 34-9.
Noting the Series: vs. Ohio State
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Ohio State 17-8, including 11-5 in the John Cook era. The Huskers have won six of the last seven in the series.
NU and OSU split a series last spring in Lincoln, March 12-13, with both matches going five sets. The Huskers won 3-2 on the first night, followed by a 3-2 loss on the second night.
The Huskers have an 8-1 advantage over Ohio State on the road, having won three straight. This weekend is their first trip to Columbus, Ohio, since Oct. 24, 2018, when they picked up a 3-1 win.
Up Next
Nebraska returns home to play host to Maryland on Friday, Nov. 12, with first serve set for 6 p.m. at the Devaney Center. The match will be televised statewide on Nebraska Public Media — formerly known as NET. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will also have the radio call on Huskers Radio Network.
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