No. 1 Nebraska rolled through USC on Thursday night, staying in rhythm from the first whistle and finishing with a straight-sets win behind a sharp attack and a suffocating back row.
The Huskers hit .400 for the match and held USC to .095, a lopsided numbers line that matched what played out on the court. Harper Murray finished with a match-high 14 kills while hitting .426, and Virginia Adriano added 13 kills at a .500 clip. Nebraska also got extended minutes from Keoni Williams, with Skyler Pierce, Campbell Flynn and Ryan Hunter all seeing action.
Nebraska 3, USC 0
Set One: Nebraska 25, USC 12
The opening set belonged to Nebraska almost immediately. Mania Ogbechie got the Huskers started by stuffing a tip and finishing the point, and from there the home side blasted out to a 6-1 lead with aggressive serving and sharp play at the net.
Bergan Reilly kept distributing the offense, while Adriano and Ogbechie set the tone early. By the 15-point timeout, Adriano had six kills and Ogbechie had two blocks.
Nebraska’s floor defense was just as strong as its offense. Olivia Mauch and Laney Choboy were all over the court, turning in diving plays that kept rallies alive. USC libero Taylor Decker had to leave the set at the first set point after being struck hard in the face for the second time in the night.
The Huskers hit .471 in the set and limited USC to .118. Adriano led the way with six kills, and Murray added five.
Set Two: Nebraska 25, USC 16
USC made the second set a little more competitive early, with both teams missing serves and trading points before Nebraska found separation. After the score was tied 6-6, the Huskers began to build a cushion. Freshman Keoni Williams entered for Ogbechie and quickly delivered three kills on three swings.
Nebraska carried a 15-10 lead into the timeout, and later Olivia Mauch served up the match’s first ace to push the Huskers ahead 23-15. Andi Jackson closed the set with a quick kill through the middle.
The Huskers were even sharper in this frame, hitting .483 while holding USC to .222. Jackson and Williams were both hitting above .700 at that stage with 11 combined kills on 15 swings, and Murray had eight kills while hitting .533 without an error.
Set Three: Nebraska 25, USC 12
Nebraska kept its foot on the gas in the third. Adriano opened the set with her 10th kill, and Skyler Pierce made an immediate impact after entering for Teraya Sigler, picking up two kills on her first two swings.
The teams traded points through the early stretch, but Nebraska stayed in control and reached the timeout with a 15-9 edge. Campbell Flynn and Ryan Hunter then got into the match for the second half of the set. Sigler later sparked a 9-0 Nebraska run from the service line, a stretch that included two aces.
The match ended on a USC hitting error, capping another dominant night for Nebraska.
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