There wasn’t a team that was able to take down No. 1 Nebraska during the first five weeks of the college volleyball season.
Nebraska completed a 10-0 record for the nonconference portion of the schedule with a 25-19, 25-23, 25-18 win against Arizona on Saturday.
Now comes the first of two championship seasons, with the 10-week, 20-match Big Ten season. Nebraska was the favorite to win the Big Ten title before the season began, and that margin may be wider now, with Penn State looking weaker than last year
Wisconsin, at No. 7, is the second-highest ranked Big Ten team.
Nebraska’s Big Ten opener is Wednesday against Michigan (9-1). Last year, the Wolverines were 10th in the league.
Nebraska now has 50 consecutive home wins, coming over four seasons.
For this match, there were 8,625 spectators at the Devaney Sports Center, including about 350 in the standing-room-only section at the top of the arena.
Nebraska going 10-0 for the nonconference wasn’t easy. Twice, against Kentucky and Creighton, Nebraska had to win in five sets. Half of the matches were against ranked teams.
It’s the third time in the past 14 years Nebraska has been unbeaten in nonconference play.
On Saturday, Nebraska swept the Wildcats on the strength of its offensive balance, with every hitter and setter Bergen Reilly each having at least five kills.
Harper Murray had 14 kills, Virginia Adriano and Andi Jackson had nine apiece, Taylor Landfair had eight, Rebekah Allick had seven and Reilly five.
Nebraska’s .392 hitting percentage was its second-highest of the season.
Olivia Mauch was the libero and finished with a match-high 11 digs.
Arizona outside hitter Jordan Wilson was really good, finishing with a match-high 17 kills on .282 hitting. Carlie Cisneros, a former club teammate of Nebraska’s Skyler Pierce, added eight kills.
Arizona (6-4) started the season 6-0 but now has lost four straight.
To start the match, Nebraska had six kills on its first eight hitting attempts for an 8-3 lead. The Huskers hadn’t been blocked or hit out to that point.
Nebraska had a little trouble finishing off the set but still won 25-19. Nebraska had a .441 hitting percentage in the first set.
In the second set, Nebraska was forced into more out-of-system sets and wasn’t able to convert as Arizona took an 18-17 lead. But Nebraska Nebraska took control late in the set with a 5-0 run, including some big kills from Murray down the stretch.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsWagner.
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Brent Wagner
Husker volleyball/women’s basketball reporter
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