Huskers Win Back-to-Back Big Ten Titles

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team clinched a share of the Big Ten title on Saturday night with a 3-1 (25-27, 25-14, 25-8, 25-12) win over Maryland in front of a Maryland school-record crowd of 13,071. 

The Huskers (29-2, 19-1 Big Ten) finished tied atop the Big Ten standings with Penn State to earn their second straight conference title. It's the 36th all-time conference title for the Nebraska volleyball program and the fifth since joining the Big Ten in 2011. 

Nebraska rebounded from a shaky start to dominate the final three sets, trailing for just one rally after set one.

One night after posting 16 blocks at No. 4 Penn State, the Huskers totaled a season-high 20 blocks against Maryland (14-17, 5-15 Big Ten), which tied for the most blocks by a Husker team since 2006.

The Big Red hit .259 in the match and held the Terps to -.059, the lowest hitting percentage by a Big Ten opponent since Iowa in 2022.  

Merritt Beason led the way with 19 kills and a career-high 10 blocks while hitting .471. Harper Murray added 12 kills and served two aces, and Rebekah Allick had six kills and 11 blocks. Andi Jackson recorded seven kills and eight blocks, tying her career high. 

Bergen Reilly had a double-double with 43 assists and 14 digs. Lexi Rodriguez also posted 14 digs, and Olivia Mauch led the charge at the service line, recording four of Nebraska's seven aces on the night, a career high for the freshman Maryland, the top serving team in the Big Ten, had just four aces with nine errors against the Huskers. 

Set 1: The Huskers separated from a 6-6 tie with a 4-1 run to go up 10-7. Allick and Beason had back-to-back kills and combined for a block before another Beason kill. Two kills and an ace by Murray made it 13-10, and Taylor Landfair and Murray recorded back-to-back kills for a 15-10 lead. After a Maryland timeout, the Huskers committed a service error and Maryland served an ace before the Huskers hit out to see their lead shrink to 15-13. Another ace by Maryland and a block tied the score at 16-16. Reilly dumped a kill to put the Huskers back in front, and Beason tipped a kill before a Mauch ace made it 19-17 Huskers. The Terps proceeded to hit long for a 20-17 Nebraska lead. Allick stuffed a Maryland attack to make it 21-17, but the Huskers gave up a kill and then hit out twice to let Maryland within 21-20. A kill by Beason put NU up 23-21, but a Maryland kill and back-to-back Husker attacking errors gave Maryland set point, 24-23. Murray rolled a kill to tie the score at 24-24, but Maryland answered with a kill for another set point. Landfair registered a kill for a 25-25 tie,  but a service error gave the Terps set point, and they won 27-25 on Nebraska's ninth attacking error of the set. 

Set 2: The Huskers responded by going up 6-1 thanks in part to two kills and a block by Beason and a kill and two blocks by Jackson. Leading 11-6, Nebraska went on an 8-0 run served by Reilly to take control with a 19-6 lead. Beason got it going with back-to-back kills and a block with Allick, and Landfair and Beason tacked on two more kills to put the Huskers way out in front. Three straight unforced hitting errors allowed Maryland to get within 10 at 21-11, but Beason stepped up once again with back-to-back blocks, one with Allick and one with Jackson, to make it 23-11. The Huskers won 25-14 with Beason terminating the final two points. 

Set 3: Mauch served three aces, and Beason and Allick had kills for a 6-1 start. Murray and Jackson tallied kills to keep NU up by five, 8-3. Jackson and Murray teamed up for two blocks, and Jackson had a solo block before a Beason kill, as the Huskers went up 12-4. Murray posted a kill, and Landfair and Allick stuffed an attack to make it 16-6 Huskers. Maryland committed an error, and Allick terminated a kill for an 18-6 lead after a 5-0 run served by Kennedi Orr. Allick added another kill and a solo block, and Beason followed up with a solo block for a 22-8 advantage. Murray terminated another kill to make it 23-8, and back-to-back blocks by Allick, one with Murray and one with Beason, earned a 25-8 win. The Huskers had nine blocks alone in the third set as Maryland hit -.179. 

Set 4: For the third set in a row, the Huskers jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Allick, Beason and Murray all had kills as the Huskers inched closer to a conference title. Jackson posted two kills and a block with Reilly to lift NU to an 11-4 lead, and Landfair and Beason struck back-to-back kills to make it 13-5. A 5-0 run served by Rodriguez put NU in control at 22-8, and the Huskers finished off the win, 25-12. 

Up Next: The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air on ESPN on Sunday at 5 p.m. (CT).