Jackson Resurgent in Nebraska's Sweep of Cal

The All-American middle shook off a slow start Sunday to finish with 12 kills.

Andi Jackson finished with 12 kills and hit .450 vs Cal | Amarillo Mullen

Nebraska def. Cal 25-15, 25-18, 25-12

LINCOLN—Coming off a three-match run of attacking efficiency well below the standard she established during her All-American sophomore season, Andi Jackson decided to break volleyball down into its simplest component parts after another slow start on Sunday.

After recording just one kill and committing two hitting errors in the first set against Cal, Jackson and her setter Bergen Reilly stripped out complexity and went to “see ball, hit ball.”

Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly and Jackson talked about not overthinking their connection after Game 1 on Sunday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Jackson soared over the final two sets, and was joined by another showcase of Nebraska’s depth as the top-ranked Huskers swept Cal 25-15, 25-18, 25-12 at John Cook Arena inside the Devaney Center.

“It sounds cheesy, but it really works, especially for me,” Jackson said. “I have to remind myself of that when I start overthinking it a little bit too much, and that’s what I was doing in the first set for sure.”

The junior middle finished with 12 kills on .450 hitting and added four blocks to help Nebraska (6-0) remain unbeaten with a pair of wins at the Ameritas Players Challenge. Over the final two sets, 11 of Jackson’s 13 attacks ended in kills, producing a new season high.

This after Jackson hit .182 over Nebraska’s three previous matches, well below the .439 mark she hit last season, which was the fourth-best in school history.

Jackson added four blocks against Cal, tying for the team high. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

“I know I haven’t been attacking the best, but I think that also comes with trying new things. I’m working with (assistant coach) Brennan (Hagar) right now, and all the middles, actually, we’re trying new routes, trying new arm swing mechanics. It’s going to come with failure, and I have to remind myself of that. 

“It’s very early in the season. I’m not too worried about it. In the position I’m in, I still have an opportunity to get back to the old Andi. But, I think we’re still playing a very high level of volleyball, and I have to remind myself I’m probably not going to hit .600 every single game.”

The Huskers as a team came close. Nebraska hit a season-high .419, led by junior outside hitter Harper Murray’s 14 kills. Murray has reached double figures in five of her six matches this season. 

Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray led the team with 14 kills and hit .370 against Cal on Sunday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The 77-minute romp allowed Nebraska to show off its depth, playing 13 players. Freshman setter Campbell Flynn spelled Reilly midway through Game 2 and finished the match, showing an impressive connection with Jackson on patterns both in front of and behind the setter.

Nebraska played each of its four outside hitters, inserted Allie Sczech at opposite in place of starter Virginia Adriano, and gave defensive specialist Maisie Boesiger a chance to serve in each set.

“I think that just shows our versatility, and how it’s 17 (players) strong, and that everyone is going to contribute this season and how everyone is good enough to contribute this season,” Flynn said. “If we stay together and we all contribute our ways it’ll be a really good season.”

Campbell Flynn ran NU's offense in Games 2 and 3 vs Cal. | Amarillo Mullen

Said Jackson: “Campbell just has a very calm, but fiery demeanor on the court, if that makes sense. She’s just a great presence to have, especially as a setter. She gets people the ball, which, as a middle, is awesome. You can always guarantee that Campbell is going to set you whether she’s on (the net) or off.”

Nebraska hit .500 over the final two sets and never trailed in the match, jumping to early leads in each set, holding a 5-0 lead in Game 1, a 12-6 lead in Game 1, and an 8-1 advantage in the finale.

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said the team felt some urgency after a film review of Friday’s win over Wright State showed stretches of sloppy play and a lack of intensity, especially on the Huskers’ defensive side.

“We really didn’t play great on Friday night, and when we went back and watched the film, it was even worse than it felt, which is rare. Usually when you watch film, it’s better than you think. I thought it was worse,” Busboom Kelly said. “Our team just did a great job of owning up to that and then coming out expecting to play better and holding each other a little more accountable, especially at the start of each set.”

Nebraska volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly. | Nebraska Athletics

No such defensive letdown on Sunday. The Huskers held Cal (2-2) to .088 hitting and out-blocked the Bears 9-3.

Nebraska’s service pressure was also noticeably improved from some recent matches. Murray set the tone with three straight aces in the first set as part of a 7-0 run. 

The Huskers finished with a season high six aces Sunday.

Nebraska will host Utah and Grand Canyon next weekend in the Husker Invitational.

Nebraska Volleyball 2025 Schedule

• Aug. 9 Red 3, White 1
• Aug. 16 Nebraska 3, Alumni 1
• Aug. 22 Nebraska 3, Pittsburgh 1
• Aug. 24 Nebraska 3, Stanford 0
• Aug. 29 Nebraska 3, Lipscomb 0
• Aug. 31 Nebraska 3, Kentucky 2
• Sept. 5 Nebraska 3, Wright State 0
• Sept. 7 Nebraska 3, California 0
• Sept. 12 vs. Utah 6 p.m. FS1
• Sept. 13 vs. Grand Canyon 6 p.m. NPM
• Sept. 16 at Creighton 6:30 p.m. FS1
• Sept. 20 vs. Arizona BTN
• Sept. 24 vs Michigan 6 p.m. BTN
• Sept. 27 vs. Maryland 3 p.m. NPM
• Oct. 3 at Penn State 7 p.m. FOX
• Oct. 4 at Rutgers
• Oct. 10 vs. Washington 8 p.m. BTN
• Oct. 12 at Purdue
• Oct. 17 at Michigan State
• Oct. 19 at Michigan 1 p.m.
• Oct. 24 vs. Northwestern NPM
• Oct. 25 vs. Michigan State 7:30 p.m. BTN
• Oct. 31 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. BTN
• Nov. 2 vs. Oregon 1 p.m. BTN
• Nov. 6 vs. Illinois 7 p.m. FS1
• Nov. 8 at Minnesota 2:30 p.m. NBC
• Nov. 14 at UCLA BTN
• Nov. 16 at USC 2 p.m. B1G+
• Nov. 20 vs. Iowa FS1
• Nov. 22 at Indiana
• Nov. 28 vs. Penn State 5:30 p.m. BTN
• Nov. 29 vs. Ohio State BTN

Home matches are bolded. All times central.

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