Huskers Face No. 23 Dayton in NCAA Regional Semifinal

MATCH PREVIEW
• The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team will host an NCAA Regional in Lincoln for the second straight year when the Huskers welcome No. 23 Dayton to the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday night on ESPN2. 
• The first regional semifinal features No. 7 Wisconsin and Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Nebraska and Dayton will have first serve 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match.  
• Friday’s winners will meet in the regional final on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ABC. 
• Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George and Madison Fitzpatrick will be on the call for the TV broadcasts in Lincoln this weekend. All three matches can be streamed on WatchESPN. 
• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast the Nebraska matches on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App. 

ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska (31-2) won its 36th all-time conference title and fifth Big Ten title with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play this season. The Huskers went back-to-back as Big Ten champions for the second time, also accomplishing that feat in 2016 and 2017. 
• The Huskers advanced to a 13th straight NCAA Regional after sweeping Florida A&M and Miami last weekend. The Huskers hit a combined .341 last weekend and held their two opponents to .010. 
• The Huskers’ 29 regular-season wins tied the 1983 school record for most wins in a regular season in the NCAA era. 
• Nebraska won 25 matches in a row after a Sept. 3 loss at SMU. Of those 25 wins, 20 were sweeps. NU’s win streak ended on Nov. 29 in a 3-1 loss at No. 4 Penn State. 
• Nebraska went 7-1 against top-10 teams in the regular season, which is the most top-10 wins in a regular season in school history. 
• Nebraska is 11-1 against ranked foes this season. 
• After the Sept. 3 loss at SMU, Nebraska won 27 straight sets on the road until the Nov. 29 loss at No. 4 Penn State.
• The Huskers rank ninth nationally with a team hitting percentage of .290.
• The Huskers rank seventh nationally and first in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage at .141. NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in 2022 and 2023. 
• Nebraska ranks 11th nationally in kills per set (14.19).

NEBRASKA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
• Nebraska is making its 40th all-time NCAA Regional appearance and 13th consecutive. The Huskers’ 40 regional appearances are the most in NCAA history.
• Nebraska is 132-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.781).
• Nebraska has won 24 consecutive home NCAA Tournament matches dating back to 2013, a school record. The Huskers are 30-2 in NCAA Tournament matches at the Devaney Center. 
• Overall, Nebraska has won 43 consecutive home matches dating back to Dec. 1, 2022. The Huskers own the nation’s longest home winning streak, and the streak is the longest since Nebraska moved into the Devaney Center in 2013.
• John Cook is 91-20 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach, and he is 99-25 overall in his career. One more NCAA Tournament win would make him the second coach all-time to reach 100 career NCAA Tournament wins. Only Russ Rose (106) has more career postseason wins. 
• The Huskers have reached six of the last nine NCAA Semifinals, including winning NCAA Championships in 2015 and 2017. Nebraska also won national titles in 1995, 2000 and 2006. 
• This year’s NCAA Championship is set for December 19-22 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., where the Huskers already have won two times this season against No. 9 Kentucky on Aug. 27 and No. 4 Louisville on Sept. 22.

ROTATION RUNDOWN
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is the team leader in kills at 3.29 per set, and also in aces with 32. One of the top six-rotation players in the country, Murray adds 2.30 digs per set.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is second on the team in kills at 2.95 per set, and the two-year captain also contributes 1.23 digs per set and 27 aces.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.57 kills per set with a .435 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh in the nation.
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.80 kills per set on .354 hitting with 1.40 blocks per set. Allick has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks at No. 6 with 395.
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.10 assists per set, which ranks 10th in the nation. She also adds 2.90 digs per set and has 20 aces. Reilly has 16 double-doubles and was named Big Ten Setter of the Year for the second straight year. 
• The 2024 Big Ten Libero of the Year, Lexi Rodriguez leads the Husker back row with 3.81 digs per set. Rodriguez ranks No. 2 in school history in career digs with 1,843, needing 47 to tie the school record of 1,890 set by Justine Wong-Orantes (2013-16). 
 
SCOUTING REPORT: DAYTON
• No. 23 Dayton advanced to an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history after beating No. 16 Baylor 3-2 in Waco, Texas last weekend. 
• The Flyers rank sixth nationally in offense (.301) and fifth in defense (.140). 
• Outside hitter Lexie Almodovar is a two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Almodovar ranks sixth nationally averaging 5.02 kills per set and is Dayton’s all-time career leader in kills with more than 2,000. She had a career-high 34 kills in Dayton’s second-round win over Baylor. 
• Setter Alyssa Miller puts up 10.79 assists per set and was an All-Atlantic 10 First Team pick. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 4-0 all-time against Dayton. The last meeting was Sept. 5, 2014, a 3-0 Nebraska win at Dayton. 
• The teams have played once in the NCAA Tournament, a 3-0 Husker win on Dec. 6, 2003 in the second round in East Lansing, Mich. 

SERVE AND PASS
• Nebraska has allowed just 67 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest teams are Creighton with 80 and Pittsburgh with 84.
• NU allowed 77 aces in the 2022 season and 80 aces in 2017. Last season, the Huskers were aced 104 times. 
• The Huskers have served 139 aces and committed 176 errors so far this season. The ace-to-error ratio of 0.79 is NU’s best in a full season since 2010 (0.86). 
• Nebraska is on pace to record its fewest service errors in a full season since 2011 (161). 

BALANCED ATTACK
• Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.80 and 3.29 kills per set.
• Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match this season.
• Setter Bergen Reilly ranks 10th nationally averaging 11.10 assists per set. 
• Nebraska’s attack has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank ninth in hitting percentage (.290) and 11th in kills per set (14.19). 

HOME SWEET HOME
• Nebraska has won 43 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is the longest active streak in the nation. 
• The Huskers’ home win streak is its longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013. 
• Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 88 matches from 2004-09. 

RODRIGUEZ IN RARE COMPANY
• Lexi Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in Nebraska volleyball history as one of the all-time greats. 
• Rodriguez has 1,843 career digs entering Friday’s match, which ranks No. 2 in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in digs at NU with 1,890. 
• Rodriguez was named Big Ten Libero of the Year this season, the third conference defensive player of the year award in her career, making her the second player in Big Ten history to accomplish that feat (Paula Gentil, Minnesota, 2002-04). 
• An All-Big Ten First Team selection each year of her career, Rodriguez is the fifth Husker in school history to be named first-team all-conference four times in a career, joining Greichaly Cepero (1999-2002), Sarah Pavan (2004-07), Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Lauren Stivrins (2018-21).
• Rodriguez earned her fourth AVCA All-Region honor and became the first libero to win a Region Player of the Year honor since the award’s inception in 2017. 
• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history. 
• This season, Rodriguez leads the Huskers with 3.81 digs per set and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice, giving her seven career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

BEASON LEADING HUSKERS ON AND OFF THE COURT
• For the second straight year since coming to Nebraska, Merritt Beason was an All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region selection. The opposite hitter is second on the team in kills at 2.95 per set, and she also contributes 1.23 digs per set and 27 aces.
• Beason posted 22 kills, eight digs and three blocks in a 3-2 win over No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 11. 
• She also had 19 kills and hit .471 with a career-high 10 blocks in a Big Ten title-clinching win at Maryland on Nov. 30. 
• A two-year team captain, Beason put together a sensational season in 2023 - her first as a Husker after transferring from Florida - earning AVCA All-America First Team honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year.

VERSATILE MURRAY LEADS THE ATTACK
• Harper Murray earned All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region accolades for the second straight year. Murray is the team leader in kills with 3.29 per set and adds 2.30 digs per set and 32 aces, the most on the team.
• The sophomore outside hitter had 20 kills and hit .302 with six digs and three blocks in an Aug. 31 win over TCU.
• She was also clutch with 17 kills in a 3-2 win against No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 11, and 16 kills and 14 digs in a 3-2 win against No. 9 Creighton on Sept. 10.
• Murray finished her 2023 freshman campaign with 3.23 kills per set, the highest kills per set average by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. She earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-America Third Team honors.

REILLY SETS THE TONE
• Bergen Reilly is the only player in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year in both her freshman and sophomore seasons after winning the award again this year. She was also on the All-Big Ten First Team both years and was an AVCA second-team All-American in 2023. Reilly received AVCA All-Region honors again this season.  
• The sophomore collected five Big Ten Setter of the Week honors this season, which set a school record, and she was also named Best Setter at the season-opening AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky. 
• Reilly ranks 10th nationally in assists per set with 11.10, and she adds 2.90 digs per set and has 20 aces. She has 16 double-doubles on the season. 
• Reilly set the Huskers to a .290 season hitting percentage, which ranks ninth nationally. 
• She had a career-high 60 assists to go with 17 digs in a 3-2 win against No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 11.

JACKSON IN ACTION
• Andi Jackson was unanimously named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the first time in her career after an outstanding sophomore campaign for the Huskers. She was also an AVCA All-Region selection for the second straight year. 
• The middle blocker has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, averaging 2.57 kills per set with a .435 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh in the nation. Her hitting percentage also ranks third in school history.
• Jackson was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28 after 11 kills and six blocks against Illinois and 10 kills and five blocks against Michigan. 
• In the final two matches of the regular season, Jackson tied her career high with eight blocks in each match.
• Jackson showed enormous athleticism and potential the first time she stepped on the floor as a Husker, and she followed through with a strong debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. 

ALLICK BRINGS THE BLOCK
• Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick is putting up 1.40 blocks per set so far this season. Offensively, she has provided 1.80 kills per set on .354 hitting. 
• Allick’s career 1.31 blocks per set ranks No. 3 in school history in the rally scoring era. 
• Allick has 395 career blocks entering Friday’s match, which ranks sixth in school history in the rally scoring era. 
• In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 while tying her career high with 12 blocks. Her performance earned her Best Middle Blocker and Most Valuable Player honors at the AVCA First Serve Showcase. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set in the first three matches of the season, which earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
• Allick was again named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after 2.00 blocks per set in sweeps at Illinois and vs. Iowa. 
• Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten Second Team pick. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second among Big Ten players and seven in the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was also the No. 2 mark in school history in the rally scoring era. 
• Allick was at her best at the end of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas and 10 blocks in the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh. 

FRONT ROW DEPTH    
• Front row depth is one of the strengths for the 2024 Nebraska volleyball team.
• While middle blockers Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick have started most of the matches at that position, Leyla Blackwell, a transfer from San Diego, has played in 13 matches and made four starts and is putting up 2.35 kills per set on a .417 hitting percentage with 1.26 blocks per set. 
• Blackwell had nine kills and seven blocks and hit .600 earning the start on Oct. 12 vs. Rutgers. She also had seven kills and three blocks and hit .429 while stepping in for a sidelined Andi Jackson at Illinois on Oct. 3. 
• On the pin, Taylor Landfair has started 21 matches and Lindsay Krause has started 12 matches.
• Landfair, a senior transfer from Minnesota, is averaging 2.47 kills per set and had 13 kills in the 3-0 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 1, which tied her season high. She also had 13 kills against UCLA on Sept. 27 and at Oregon on Nov. 7. 
• In her senior season, Krause is averaging 2.40 kills per set and has 15 service aces. 
• Krause was instrumental in Nebraska’s 3-2 win over No. 9 Creighton on Sept. 10 with a team-high 17 kills, five blocks and six digs. She also had 13 kills in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Aug. 30 and nine kills in a sweep of Stanford on Sept. 18. 

HALL OF FAME COACH COOK IN YEAR 25 AT NU    
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 25th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2024. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 14 conference championships and 22 top-10 final rankings since 2000. 
• Cook has 881 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .876 win percentage (720-102). 
• With one more NCAA Tournament win, Cook (99-25) will become the second coach in NCAA Division I history with 100 career  NCAA Tournament victories. Penn State’s Russ Rose finished his career 106-34. 
• On Sept. 10, 2024, the Huskers defeated No. 9 Creighton 3-2 for Cook’s 695th win at Nebraska, which moved him past Terry Pettit for most wins all-time as the Nebraska volleyball head coach. 
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 68 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.
• In 2023, Cook was voted AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA regional finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s time at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall. 

RODRIGUEZ HIGHLIGHTS ALL-REGION HONORS
• Merritt Beason, Andi Jackson, Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly and Lexi Rodriguez were all named to the AVCA West All-Region Team on Dec. 10. 
• Additionally, Rodriguez was named the West Region Player of the Year. Rodriguez is the third Husker ever to be named AVCA Region Player of the Year, joining Kelly Hunter (2017) and Beason (2023).
• The Sterling, Ill., native is the first libero to be named an AVCA Region Player of the Year since the AVCA started recognizing region players of the year in 2017. 
• Rodriguez earned her fourth AVCA All-Region honor and will now look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history. 
• Beason received the third AVCA All-Region honor of her career and second at Nebraska. Sophomores Jackson, Murray and Reilly were all part of the AVCA All-Region Team for the second year in a row as well. All five Huskers were also named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

FIVE HUSKERS NAMED TO ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM
• After winning a second straight Big Ten championship, five members of the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the All-Big Ten First Team on Dec. 4 after a vote by the league’s head coaches. 
• Senior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named Big Ten Libero of the Year, the first year the award was renamed from Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Rodriguez was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2023. She is the second player in Big Ten history to earn three Big Ten Defensive/Libero of the Year honors (Paula Gentil, Minnesota, 2002-04). 
• Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Year for the second year in a row. She’s the only player in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year in both her freshman and sophomore seasons, and she’s the first Husker to win multiple Big Ten Setter of the Year honors. 
• In addition to the individual awards, Merritt Beason, Andi Jackson, Harper Murray, Reilly and Rodriguez were selected to the 25-player All-Big Ten First Team. Jackson and Rodriguez were two of seven players who were unanimous selections. 
• Nebraska’s five All-Big Ten First Team honorees were the most for any team and are NU’s most since joining the conference in 2011. 
• Leyla Blackwell received Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. 

THREE HUSKERS SELECTED IN PVF DRAFT
• Nebraska seniors Merritt Beason, Lindsay Krause and Leyla Blackwell were selected in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft on Nov. 25. 
• Beason was selected No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Vibe, who traded with the Indy Ignite to select Beason with the first pick. The Atlanta Vibe are coached by former Husker Kayla Banwarth, who was hired in July. 
• Krause was selected by the Omaha Supernovas in the third round with the No. 19 overall pick. A Papillion, Neb. native, Krause will play for her hometown team after a four-year career at Nebraska.
• Blackwell was picked by the San Diego Mojo in the fourth round with the No. 26 overall pick. A San Diego native, Blackwell came to Nebraska this year after three seasons at San Diego.