No. 1 Nebraska handled No. 15 Indiana in straight sets Thursday night, taking a top-25 matchup 25-15, 25-19, 25-19.
The Huskers set the tone early and never really let go. Nebraska was sharp out of the gate in the first two sets, then had to weather a tighter third before closing the door with the kind of blocking burst that put the match away. The final numbers told the story too: Nebraska hit .379 on the night and held Indiana to .282, a figure higher than the Huskers usually allow.
Harper Murray finished with 11 kills to lead all hitters, and she added one ace, seven digs and two blocks. After managing only one kill in the opening set, she finished strong and delivered several of Nebraska’s biggest swings late.
Teraya Sigler followed with 10 kills and two blocks, while Mania Ogbechie posted eight kills and six blocks while hitting .500. Olivia Mach also gave Nebraska a big lift with 10 kills and three service aces.
Coach Dani Busboom Kelly mixed in a wrinkle late that Nebraska had not shown before, putting both Ogbechie and Kenna Cogill in the front row at the same time to bolster the block. It worked.
Nebraska opened the match with a behind-the-setter kill from Ogbechie, then an Andi Jackson kill, and Bergan Reilly quickly spread the offense around. The Huskers’ first five points came from five different hitters, and they raced out to an 8-2 lead.
Indiana trimmed a little of that margin with an ace and a few points off the block, but Nebraska still led 15-9 at the media timeout. Reilly came out of the break and ripped off two kills of her own, and the Huskers were first to 20 before finishing the set with a strong block at the net.
Nebraska hit .375 in the opening frame and limited Indiana to .179. Sigler led the way in that set with five kills.
The second set had more back-and-forth to it, but Nebraska kept control. Olivia Mauch served the Huskers’ first ace to push them ahead 2-1, and later Laney Choboy delivered her 20th ace of the season to make it 7-2.
A long rally featured Virginia Adriano getting involved before finally putting one away, and Nebraska reached 15 first despite a challenged net call on Andi Jackson that stood. The set also featured challenges on block touches from both sides, with each team winning one.
Murray then delivered some timely shots down the line, capped by a back-row blast to end it.
Nebraska hit .400 in the second set, though Indiana responded well enough to hit .333. Both teams added two blocks in the frame, leaving them tied at four apiece in that category.
Indiana opened the third set with a 2-0 run, but Nebraska settled in after a few errors and evened the score with a solid block. Then the Huskers put together a 5-0 run with Murray at the service line, and Sigler and Jackson supplied a pair of heavy kills while Murray added another ace.
Choboy and Mauch kept balls alive throughout that stretch, and later Mauch served up two more aces to put Nebraska back in front 14-13. Murray then sparked another run, including a rally where she saved the ball while sprinting all the way into the bench before coming back to finish the point with a back-row hammer.
Nebraska reached 20 first again, and Busboom Kelly’s late front-row alignment with Cogill and Ogbechie helped the Huskers seal it with two more blocks.
Even with some early unforced errors in the final set, Nebraska steadied itself and finished the night hitting .357 in set three.
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