Huskers Complete 3-2 Comeback Win vs. No. 11 Oregon

Austin, Texas - The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat No. 11 Oregon, 3-2, on Saturday night at the VERT Challenge at Texas' Gregory Gym.

It marked the first time since 2008 that the Huskers (4-1) rallied from 2-0 down away from home to defeat a top-15 team, when they did so at Washington in the NCAA regional final. Oregon fell to 5-2. 

Kelsey Fien matched her career high with 19 kills, and Olivia Boender boosted the Huskers off the bench with a career-best 15 kills and eight digs to lead the comeback. Setter Kelly Hunter had a career-high 57 assists to go with nine kills and seven digs. Justine Wong-Orantes had 22 digs.

The Huskers hit .352 on the night to .294 for Oregon. Nebraska also had a season-best 11 blocks with Meghan Haggerty producing five along with eight kills, Mikaela Foecke adding four with 10 kills and Cecilia Hall adding four with six kills.

The Ducks led most of set one and established a 22-14 lead. The Huskers went on a 5-0 run to pull within 22-19 and a Brooke Smith ace cut it to 23-21. But the Ducks won the final two points to take a 1-0 lead. 

The Huskers struggled with their serve receive in the second set as Oregon jumped to a 10-5 lead. Nebraska cut it to three, 13-10, on back-to-back blocks, and later got within 17-15, but Oregon answered with a Kacey Nady kill and a service ace of its own to pull ahead 19-15 and pave the way to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Nebraska turned it around in the third set with Boender leading the charge with five kills. Tied 5-5, NU went on a key 5-1 run to go up 10-6 with three kills by Haggerty. Oregon came back to tie the set, but a kill by Hall and back-to-back blocks by Foecke and Haggerty made it 15-12. Oregon got within one, 22-21, but Boender smashed back-to-back kills and then finished off the set for good measure.

NU carried its momentum into the fourth and led 15-11 before Oregon chipped away and tied it 18-18. But back-to-back kills by Boender, including a cross-court tip, put NU up 20-18. NU scored the final three point of the set on two Fien kills and one from Hunter to force a fifth set.

In the fifth, NU rallied from a 4-2 deficit with a kill by Annika Albrecht and two by Foecke. Hunter came up huge with a kill on a swing and a solo block to put NU up 8-5. NU continued to lead 11-9 until Oregon's Lauren Page got a kill and a block to tie it 11-11. But Boender produced two kills for a 14-12 lead and Foecke smashed a kill to end it.

The Huskers are back in action next Friday and Saturday in the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska hosts UC Davis on Friday at 6 p.m.