Husker Offense Sharp in Sweep at Iowa
The Nebraska Huskers demonstrated their offensive prowess with a commanding sweep over the Iowa Hawkeyes in a recent matchup. Fueled by precision, power, and teamwork, Nebraska’s victory further solidified their position as a dominant force in the Big Ten conference.
With a.472 hitting percentage—its highest in a Big Ten game since 2017—Nebraska (27-1, 17-0 B1G) easily won thanks to six players recording at least six kills.
The Huskers’ defense was equally strong, limiting Iowa (10-19, 4-13 B1G) to.082 hitting, in part because of nine blocks.
Taylor Landfair had seven kills and three blocks, while Harper Murray led the Big Red with 11 kills and seven digs.
Rebekah Allick ended six kills and had five blocks, while Merritt Beason contributed seven kills and three blocks. Lindsay Krause delivered six kills on eight strokes (.750), while Andi Jackson contributed seven kills on eight swings (.875). NU dominated in blocks (9-1), digs (46-28), and kills (50-25).
Nebraska served four aces and made four mistakes, compared to Iowa’s five aces and four mistakes. Bergen Reilly’s final stat line was two aces, three kills, three blocks, eight digs, and 41 assists. With 11 digs, Lexi Rodriguez led all players.
Set 1: Olivia Mauch’s 4-0 run put the Huskers ahead 6-2. Allick had two kills and two blocks to get the Huskers off to a good start.
The Huskers took a 12–5 lead after consecutive kills from Beason, Murray, and Jackson. NU now leads 16–7 after two kills from Landfair and one from Murray. After Allick and Landfair combined for consecutive blocks, Reilly dropped a kill, and a Landfair kill made it 21-9.
Allick added two more kills to Reilly’s 9-0 service streak to close out the set, while Landfair, Beason, and Murray each claimed one. Nebraska stopped Iowa to.000 and hit a scorching.630 in the 25-9 victory.
Set 2: The Hawkeyes took an early 7-3 lead after the Huskers were aced twice. Murray was dismissed from the back row after Iowa made a service error, and Landfair then led a block to pull within 7-6.
Before Iowa hit wide, Jackson and Landfair recorded kills, giving Nebraska the first lead of the game at 9-8. After Kennedi Orr served an ace and Murray scored a kill, Reilly added another kill to put the team ahead 12–8.
With additional kills by Allick, Beason, and Landfair, NU’s lead increased to 17–11. Reilly served an ace to end a 25-16 Husker victory after Jackson hammered two kills and a block with him.
Set 3: After back-to-back kills by Krause and Leyla Blackwell to start the third set, Reilly’s ace made it 3-0. NU took an 8-5 lead with to kills from Murray and Beason and a solo block from Jackson.
Reilly then had a kill before Murray served an ace and Krause ended consecutive kills as the Huskers took a 12-6 lead. As the Huskers gained a 17–10 lead, Krause and Blackwell once more recorded consecutive kills.
After Murray added another kill and Krause’s sixth of the set put the Huskers ahead 18–11, a block by Beason and Blackwell put them ahead 9–20. With additional kills from Blackwell, Jackson, and Murray, the Huskers completed the sweep 25–17.
Looking Ahead
The sweep against Iowa not only boosts Nebraska’s confidence but also positions them favorably as they approach the latter part of the season. With their sights set on postseason success, the Huskers will aim to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches.
As Nebraska continues to showcase their sharp offensive and defensive skills, fans have every reason to be excited about what lies ahead. This sweep at Iowa serves as a reminder that the Huskers are a formidable contender, ready to take on any challenge in their pursuit of excellence.
