Huskers Finish Road Trip With Sweep at Rutgers

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team swept Rutgers 25-10, 25-14, 25-12 on Saturday night at College Avenue Gym. 

With their 10th straight win, the Huskers improved their overall record to 22-1 and their Big Ten-leading record to 13-1. Rutgers fell to 4-23 overall and 0-14 in conference play. The Huskers have won 22 straight matches away from the Devaney Center. 

Nebraska was dominant from start to finish, jumping out to a 9-1 lead in the first set and never looking back. Briana Holman had 12 kills and three blocks and hit .688, and Kadie Rolfzen had 10 kills with six digs and four blocks. Mikaela Foecke had five kills, and Amber Rolfzen had four kills and eight blocks. Kelly Hunter put up 33 assists, and Justine Wong-Orantes led the team in digs with 10. 

Nebraska outhit Rutgers .395 to -.024, the lowest hitting percentage by a Husker foe this season. The Huskers served six aces - two of which came from Sydney Townsend - and had an 11-4 edge in blocks. Nebraska more than doubled Rutgers in kills with a 41-19 advantage. 

Set 1: Nebraska set the tone early with a 9-1 start. An Amber Rolfzen kill made it 15-6 and started a 5-0 run that put the Huskers ahead 19-6. The Huskers took a 25-10 win by hitting .467 and holding Rutgers to .125. Kadie Rolfzen and Holman each had four kills. 

Set 2: The Huskers built a 12-4 lead and went up 22-10 on an ace by Wong-Orantes. A Tiani Reeves kill - the first of her career -made it 23-13, and an Amber Rolfzen solo block finished off the 25-14 win. The Huskers limited the Scarlet Knights to -.133 hitting in the set. 

Set 3: The Huskers broke free from a 5-4 lead with a 7-1 run to go up 12-5. Holman connected on four kills to give the Huskers a 17-7 lead. A kill by Olivia Boender, a dump by Hunter and a pair of blocks by Amber Rolfzen increased the Husker lead to 22-9. Kills by Foecke and Holman sealed the set, 25-12.

Up Next: The Huskers return home to host Iowa next Wednesday at 7 p.m. on NET-2.