No. 1 Nebraska kept rolling Thursday night, finishing off No. 25 Illinois in straight sets to open its final home stand and lock in the Big Ten championship for the fourth straight year.
The Huskers didn’t start clean, and Illinois made them work early, but Nebraska settled in and gradually took control. Once the match reached the back half of the second set and then the opening stretch of the third, the Huskers’ offense started humming at full speed. By the end, Nebraska had completed the sweep and stretched its remarkable run to 26-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time ever.
The numbers told the story of just how sharp Nebraska was. The Huskers hit .483 for the match, their best single-match hitting percentage against a ranked opponent.
That topped the .477 they posted Sunday against Washington. Teraya Sigler led the way with 13 kills while hitting .684.
Mania Ogbechie finished with nine kills and a .750 hitting percentage, and Andi Jackson also added nine kills while hitting .643. Ogbechie chipped in five blocks as well.
Illinois gave Nebraska a real fight through the first two sets, especially early, but the Illini couldn’t keep pace once the Huskers found their rhythm.
Nebraska 3, Illinois 0
The first set was messy at times for the Huskers, but they still found a way to steal it, 25-23.
Illinois came out serving aggressively and grabbed an ace to open the match. Nebraska answered with a kill from Mania Ogbechie, and the teams traded points for much of the early going.
The Huskers had three service errors in their first six points, and Illinois used a 4-0 run to build a 13-10 lead. Nebraska then fell behind 16-12 before flipping the momentum with a strong defensive stretch and smart setting from Bergan Reilly that led to Husker kills.
Teraya Sigler was a major problem for Illinois with big swings and solid blocks, and Nebraska pulled even at 18. Ogbechie then put up back-to-back blocks to push the Huskers in front 20-18.
Illinois answered to tie it at 21, but Andi Jackson finished the set with a kill.
Nebraska hit .567 in the set, while Illinois hit .242. The Huskers had five service errors, and Illinois recorded two aces. Sigler led all hitters with five kills.
Set two was tighter than the final score might suggest, but Nebraska still closed it out 25-20.
The Huskers got going early with a Harper Murray and Mania Ogbechie combination and jumped ahead 5-2. Illinois fought back to tie things at 9-9, and the set stayed back and forth until Murray took over at the service line and helped Nebraska string together points, including an ace.
That put the Huskers ahead 15-13 at the media timeout. Sigler kept landing big kills, Ogbechie kept stuffing balls at the net, and Nebraska stretched the lead to 19-15.
Murray added her second ace of the set to bring up set point, though her next serve went long and gave Illinois one more chance. Sigler ended it with a kill.
Nebraska hit .345 in the set, while Illinois hit .300. Sigler again paced all hitters with nine kills.
By the third set, Nebraska had found another gear.
The Huskers opened with a clean Olivia Mauch serve receive and a Mania Ogbechie kill, and Ryan Hunter entered the match for Nebraska. Andi Jackson then delivered the next two Husker kills, and Hunter added a big swing down the middle.
Illinois used tough serving to edge ahead 8-7, but Keri Leimbach came in to serve and sparked a 9-0 Nebraska run. Her serving rattled Illinois’ receive and blew the set open.
Bergan Reilly sealed the sweep with an ace.
Nebraska’s next match is Saturday at Bob Devaney Sports Center against Iowa. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m., and the match will be on B1G+.
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