Previewing Nebraska Classic and Arizona State, Wichita State matchups

Nebraska volleyball is back in action this weekend when it hosts the Nebraska Classic, its third-and-final nonconference tournament of the season, at the Devaney Center.

Nebraska carries the No. 5 national ranking into the weekend, including two of the 61 first-place votes in the AVCA Top 25 poll, following a thrilling five-set home victory over No. 9 Creighton on Tuesday night. The Huskers (6-1) will square off with No. 14 Arizona State (7-0) at 7 p.m. tonight and Wichita State (3-4) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Long Beach State (3-2) is also a part of the tournament but will not play Nebraska. LBSU will face Wichita State at 3 p.m. today and Arizona State at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Friday’s match between Nebraska and Arizona State will be televised on Big Ten Network, and the Huskers’ match against Wichita State on Saturday will be streamed on B1G+

Huskers Radio Network – with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West on the call – will broadcast both matches, calling all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.

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Thursday:

Arizona State 3, Wichita State 2 (25-19, 25-12, 25-13)

Friday:

3 p.m. – Wichita State vs. Long Beach State

7 p.m. – No. 5 Nebraska vs. No. 14 Arizona State (Big Ten Network)

Saturday:

11 a.m. – No. 14 Arizona State vs. Long Beach State

2 p.m. – No. 5 Nebraska vs. Wichita State (B1G+)

Stats provided courtesy of Nebraska Athletics Communications

>> Nebraska has won 28 home matches in a row dating back to Nov. 26, 2022.

>> The Huskers rank 21st nationally and third in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .282.

>> Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.13 kills per set.

>> Outside hitter Lindsay Krause adds 2.61 kills per set and has served a team-high 10 aces.

>> Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 2.52 kills per set for the Big Red.

>> Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.48 kills with a team-best .505 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth nationally.

>> Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 2.14 kills per set on .366 hitting and has put up 29 blocks for an average of 1.38.

>> Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.20 assists per set, which ranks ninth nationally. She also adds 2.96 digs per set and has nine aces.

>> Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.84 digs per set .

>> No. 14 Arizona State moved its record to 7-0 with a Thursday night sweep of Wichita State (25-19, 25-12, 25-13) to kick off the Nebraska Classic.

>> The Sun Devils reached the NCAA regional semifinals last year, falling to Stanford 3-1.

>> Arizona State rank seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.318) and 13th in aces per set (2.38).

>> Middle blocker Claire Jeter is the nation’s leader in hitting percentage at .625 and averages 2.62 kills per set.

>> Outside hitter Geli Cyr leads the team in kills with 3.14 per set.

>> Setter Argentina Ung transferred from Washington State and was a preseason All-Big 12 selection. She’s averaging 9.86 assists per set.

*All stats and statistical rankings were prior to Thursday night’s match.

>> Wichita State now holds a 3-4 record after a sweep at the hands of the No. 14 Sun Devils (25-19. 25-12, 25-13) on Thursday night.

>> Wichita State finished 26-8 last season and won the National Invitational Volleyball Championship with a sweep of UTEP.

>> Morgan Stout leads the Shockers with 3.04 kills per set and is hitting .346. Brooklyn Leggett adds 2.67 kills per set.

>> Nebraska is 4-1-1 all-time against Arizona State. The last meeting was a 3-0 Husker win on Sept. 4, 2021 in Lincoln.

>> Nebraska is 13-0 all-time against Wichita State, including a 3-0 sweep the last time the teams played on Sept. 21, 2019.

LEXI RODRIGUEZ:

>> 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 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.

>> Rodriguez has 1,520 career digs, which ranks fifth in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in assists at NU with 1,890.

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MERRITT BEASON:

>> Beason made an instant impact on the Nebraska volleyball program after transferring from Florida in 2023, and she will look to take the next step in her senior season as a second-year captain.

>> Last year, Beason put together a sensational season, 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.

>> 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.

HARPER MURRAY:

>> Murray, along with Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, 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.

>> Murray is off to a solid start to her sophomore season, leading the Huskers in kills with 3.13 per set while hitting .229 with 2.13 digs and 0.63 blocks per set.

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LINDSAY KRAUSE:

>> 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 on Oct. 9 following a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting at Michigan and nine kills on .381 hitting at Michigan State.

>> This season, Krause is second on the team with 2.61 kills per set and leads the team with 10 service aces.

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BERGEN REILLY:

>> 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 five career Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, including on Sept. 2 after leading the Huskers to three wins to begin the season with 10.73 assists per set and 3.18 digs per set.

>> 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.

>> Reilly ranks ninth nationally with 11.20 assists per set this season.

ANDI JACKSON:

>> 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.

>> Jackson has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.48 kills per set with a .505 hitting percentage, which ranks fifth in the nation.

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REBEKAH ALLICK:

>> 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.

>> 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 leads the Huskers with 1.38 blocks per set so far this season. Offensively, she has provided 2.14 kills per set on .366 hitting.