Huskers Sweep Indiana, Win Seventh Straight

LINCOLN, Neb. - The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team swept Indiana, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19, to win its seventh straight match on Wednesday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Huskers improved to 23-4 overall and 14-3 in the Big Ten, putting them alone in second place after Penn State's loss at home to Michigan on Wednesday night. The Huskers play at Michigan on Saturday. Indiana fell to 15-14 overall and 5-12 in Big Ten play. 

Nebraska hit .375 and held the Hoosiers to .156. The Huskers committed only seven attacking errors in 96 attacks. Nebraska outblocked Indiana 8-4 and had a 44-39 digs advantage.

Mikaela Foecke had 13 kills and hit .455, along with three blocks. Kadie Rolfzen had 11 kills and 14 digs while hitting .360. Kelsey Fien added six kills, while Amber Rolfzen had five. Cecilia Hall had four blocks and a match-high seven blocks. Kelly Hunter guided NU with 37 assists and five digs. Annika Albrecht had 10 digs.

Indiana got 12 kills from Elizabeth Asdell.  

Set 1: The Huskers started slowly as Indiana built a 7-4 lead. But three kills by Fien helped the Huskers respond with a 7-2 run to go up 11-9, with Albrecht serving an ace for the two-point lead, which the Huskers would not relinquish. Two kills by Kadie Rolfzen and one by Foecke made it 14-10, and the Huskers pulled away down the stretch with a 7-1 run to finish the 25-16 win. NU outhit Indiana .364 to .029. 

Set 2: Nebraska held the early lead before Indiana came back to tie it at 12-12. But a net serve on the Hoosiers and kill by Amber Rolfzen made it 14-12 Huskers. Fien and Hall combined for a block for an 18-16 Husker lead and Foecke smashed a kill to make it 19-16. An ace by Kadie Rolfzen and a Foecke kill pushed the lead to 23-18. A Hunter kill and Kadie Rolfzen kill capped it at 25-19. Both teams hit well in the second set, with Nebraska claiming a .469 to .314 advantage. The Huskers had 15 kills with no errors in the set. 

Set 3: The Huskers went on a 4-0 run to go up 5-2, and then two kills by Foecke made it 8-4. Two straight kills by Hall - with Kadie Rolfzen and Foecke - extended the lead to 14-8. Indiana pulled within 16-14 with a 3-0 run. At 17-15, Nebraska went on a 5-0 run to take control and go up 22-15. Hall had a kill and a block, and Fien posted a kill for the Big Red. The Huskers finished out the sweep, 25-19, with kills by Meghan Haggerty and Kadie Rolfzen.

Up Next: Nebraska will now prepare for its final road contest of the regular season, as the Huskers visit Michigan for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) match on Saturday. The match will be played at the Crisler Center, the only time this year the Wolverines play there.