Huskers Set Records in First Round Sweep

LINCOLN, Neb. - The third-ranked Nebraska volleyball team moved on in the NCAA Tournament after a 25-3, 25-9, 25-17 sweep of Florida A&M in the first round on Friday night in front of a crowd of 8,702 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. 

The Huskers (30-2) were dominant from start to finish in setting a school record for fewest points allowed in a set (3) and match (29) in the rally-scoring era. 

Harper Murray had a team-high 12 kills and hit .440, as the Huskers hit .391 as a team. The Big Red held Florida A&M (27-7) to a -.043 hitting percentage. 

Andi Jackson posted eight kills and three blocks and hit .538. The Huskers were able to shuffle their lineup in the victory and had eight players record at least two kills.

Bergen Reilly had 32 assists and 12 digs, and Lexi Rodriguez had 15 digs to move within 56 of the Nebraska career record. Olivia Mauch served four of Nebraska's six aces. Merrit Beason notched two and added five kills.

Set 1: The Huskers came out firing to take a 12-1 lead. Allick had two kills and a block, Mauch served an ace, and Murray tallied two kills. Beason had a kill and an ace, and Murray added another kill before combining with Jackson for a block to make it 17-3. Two straight errors by the Rattlers preceded a back-row kill by Murray that made it 20-3.  Jackson had two kills, and Murray closed the set with two kills as NU ended the set on a 12-0 run. The final score of 25-3 set a school record for fewest points allowed in a non-fifth set in the rally-scoring era. 

Set 2: Landfair had two early kills, and Leyla Blackwell and Murray took the Huskers to a 5-2 lead with kills. Beason served another ace, and Jackson had three kills and two blocks to put the Huskers in front 14-4. Reilly capped a 7-0 run with back-to-back kills that made it 16-4. The Huskers finished the set on an 8-1 run with kills by Landfair, Murray and Blackwell and back-to-back aces by Mauch to finish out the set, 25-9. 

Set 3: NU went ahead 9-5 after another ace by Mauch and a Blackwell kill. The Huskers extended the lead to 18-11 after a block by Blackwell and Beason and another Blackwell kill. Two straight kills by Beason made it 20-13, and the Huskers closed out the sweep with a 25-17 win with Lindsay Krause recording back-to-back kills for the final two points. 

Up Next: Nebraska will face Miami in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Miami swept South Dakota State in the first round on Friday evening.  The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Huskers Radio Network.  

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

• Nebraska officially made its 43rd NCAA Tournament appearance tonight. The Huskers rank second all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (43).
• The Huskers played their 167th NCAA Tournament match tonight. That ranks as the second-most postseason matches in NCAA history.
• With the win, Nebraska improved to 131-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.780).
• Nebraska improved to 37-1 all-time in first-round NCAA Tournament matches. The Huskers have won their last 36 first-round matches dating back to 1984.
• The Huskers swept their opponent for the 31st time in 37 all-time first-round NCAA Tournament matches.
• Nebraska improved to 102-1 in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead. The Huskers have won 101 consecutive postseason matches when winning the first two sets.
• The win was Nebraska’s 23rd consecutive home victory in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2013. The 23-match home win streak is the longest in program history, topping the previous record of 22 consecutive home NCAA Tournament victories from 1995 to 2002.
• Overall, Nebraska has won 42 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.
• NU improved to 84-7 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches.
• The Huskers improved to 61-1 all-time against unranked opponents in the NCAA Tournament.
• Florida A&M marked the 79th different opponent the Huskers have defeated in the NCAA Tournament. The Rattlers became the 67th different team John Cook has defeated during his Nebraska NCAA Tournament career.
• John Cook improved to 90-20 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach. He joined Russ Rose (Penn State) as the only two coaches in NCAA history to win 90 postseason matches at one school.
• Nebraska improved to 30-2 this season with the win. The Huskers have won 30 matches in a season for the 25th time in program history.
• Florida A&M scored 29 points in the match, the fewest points a Husker opponent has ever scored in the rally-scoring era. The previous low was 32 points on two occasions (Maryland in 2015 and Rutgers in 2017).
• NU won the first set 25-3. The three points are the fewest the Huskers have ever allowed in a set since the NCAA switched to rally scoring beginning with the 2001 season. The previous record had been four points on two occasions (2013 vs. Louisiana-Monroe and 208 vs. Missouri State).
• In the first set, Nebraska had runs of 10-0 and 12-0, with the 12-0 run closing out the set.
• The Huskers held Florida A&M to a -.043 attack percentage. It marked the second straight match – and the second time this season – that Nebraska has held its opponent to a negative hitting percentage.
• Nebraska has held consecutive opponents to a negative hitting percentage for the first time ever in the rally-scoring era and for the first time overall since the 2004 season. This marks the fourth time under John Cook that Nebraska has held consecutive opponents to a negative hitting percentage.
• Florida A&M did not score its first point on its serve until the 24th rally of the second set and the 52nd rally of the match.
• Olivia Mauch had four aces to tie her career high. Her four aces were one shy of the Nebraska record for aces in a three-set NCAA Tournament match.