Huskers Complete Road Trip With Sweep of Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The second-ranked Nebraska volleyball team completed a successful road trip with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-17 sweep at Maryland Sunday afternoon at the XFINITY Center Pavilion.

With their 13th straight road win, the Huskers improved to 16-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten heading into matches with fellow top-three teams Wisconsin and Minnesota next weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Maryland fell to 9-12 overall and 0-8 in the Big Ten. 

Kadie Rolfzen led the Huskers with nine kills on 14 error-free swings for a .643 hitting percentage. She also added eight digs. Briana Holman had eight kills and five blocks, and Andie Malloy added six kills. Mikaela Foecke had six kills and hit .385, while Amber Rolfzen had six kills on .545 hitting and posted a team-high seven blocks. 

Kelly Hunter provided 33 assists to go with six blocks and four kills. Annika Albrecht had a team-best 10 digs. 

The Huskers hit .429, their best mark in Big Ten play this season. They held Maryland to .081 hitting and had a 12-3 advantage in blocks and 38-28 edge in digs. NU also served four aces to one for the Terrapins. 

Maryland was led by Gia Milana's 11 kills. 

Set 1: The Huskers sprinted to a 9-4 lead before Maryland pulled within 13-12. Kills by Kadie Rolfzen, Malloy and Hunter helped the Huskers restore a four-point lead at 16-12. A pair of blocks by Amber Rolfzen and Hunter around an Albrecht ace made it 20-13, and the Huskers pulled away for the 25-16 win, which ended with a 12-4 run. The Huskers hit .545 in the opening set, while Maryland hit .231.  

Set 2: The Huskers began the set with a block by Holman and Kadie Rolfzen, and two kills by Malloy, one by Amber Rolfzen and a Maryland hitting error put the Huskers ahead 7-2 with a 4-0 run. Later, Malloy and Foecke began another 4-0 run with kills, and Amber Rolfzen had a solo block and assisted Hunter for another to make it 12-5 Huskers. Foecke, Kadie Rolfzen and Holman strung together kills for an 18-8 lead. A kill by Kadie Rolfzen and ace by Justine Wong-Orantes made it 22-12. NU took the 25-14 win after a tip kill by Amber Rolfzen. The Huskers hit .536 in the second set and held Maryland to .129. 

Set 3: A block by Amber Rolfzen and Foecke gave the Huskers their first lead of the set at 7-6. A Kadie Rolfzen kill made it 13-11 and began a three-point spurt. Amber Rolfzen and Hunter followed with a block and Maryland hit into the net for a 15-11 Husker lead. Foecke and Amber Rolfzen later combined for a stuff, and Hunter tacked on a kill to make it 18-12. Nebraska finished the sweep with a 25-17 win in the set while holding Maryland to -.048 hitting in the set. 

Up Next: Nebraska returns home next week for the "Weekend of Champions" celebration. The Huskers will host Wisconsin Friday at 8 p.m. on BTN and Minnesota Sunday at 1 p.m., also on BTN. The Huskers will honor their 1986 (NCAA finalists), 1996 (NCAA semifinalists) and 2006 (NCAA champions) squads.