Nebraska 3 vs UCLA 1- 25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-15
UCLA played a ton of defense today. They had more digs than Nebraska which is a rare event. Its the first time that has happened all season. Lola Schumacher, UCLAs libero, played very well and ended the night with 17 digs to lead all players. After Nebraska lost set #3, Coach DBK said the coaching staff told the team that they were being out played and out worked defensively.
Nebraska responded in set four by raising their level of play and earning kills and digs in the moments that they needed them. Harper Murray and Andi Jackson specifically were great in the fourth set. They earned crisp kills and terminated the ball with authority.
After the match Jackson said that she did feel like the team played more freely in the fourth set due in part to having the weight of the winning streak off their shoulders. The Huskers had won 48 sets in a row prior to losing the third set tonight. Coach DBK was glad to see her team face the challenge of losing a set and feel the pressure of responding.
As a team, Nebraska hit .299 which is lower than the average .348 on the season. UCLA has a strong block and that caused some problems for the hitters, but the lower hitting percentage was also due in part to missed locations on the sets. Bergen Reilly had a funky match. She played great floor defense with 11 digs that were well earned, but she abused on the block and off on about a dozen sets in the match.
Sometimes the set location was too tight for Virginia Adriano on the right side. When Allie Sczech played sets two and three, her sets were off or not placed well for her to hit with her left hand. One set to Murray was outside the antennae and Murray couldnt get it over the net. Misses on the set location are not common for the exceptional Reilly so to see them is striking.
Campbell Flynn entered the match during set three and offered a new look for the offense. She immediately set Jackson for a side out. The sub ultimately came too late in the set and UCLA finished that set with a win.
Reilly, Adriano and Sczech, all our right-side blockers, struggled to do anything about Maggie Li from UCLA. Li had 20 kills and hit .333 against the Huskers. She hit off hands, through hands and seemed to aim and fingernails with precision.
Nebraskas middles continue to impress, and they did it tonight against a pair of high-quality middles in Marianna Singletary and Brooklyn Briscoe. Jackson finished the night with 15 kills hitting .625. Rebekah Allick had 13 kills and hit .440. Allick added seven blocks to the performance and Jackson a service ace. These middles are special, and they are one of the main pieces that set this Nebraska team apart.
Nebraska is at #17 USC on Sunday at 2 pm CT on B1G+. After this road trip, Nebraska is home against Iowa on Thursday, November 20th. There is one more road trip to #18 Indiana, November 22nd. Then November 28th and 29th, they host #24 Penn State and Ohio State.
#20 Minnesota BEAT #24 Penn State in straight sets earlier tonight. Also tonight, #3 Pitt LOST to #5 Stanford in five sets.