Landfair Relishes the Nostalgia in Her Last Match at the Pav

The former Minnesota All-American put up 11 kills without an error against her former team.

Taylor Landfair, center, celebrates with her teammates after a points against Nebraska. Landfair, who spent her first four years at Minnesota, put up 11 kills on 20 swings against the Gophers. | Nebraska Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS — As Taylor Landfair was walking with her parents in a near-empty Maurati Pavilion, two young fans called her name from behind a barricade, wanting a photo with the star. 

Nebraska’s senior outside hitter obliged with a large smile shortly after Nebraska earned its first-ever three-set sweep in Minnesota in program history. 

Landfair spent the first four years of her career with the Gophers. She was a three-time All-Big Ten first-team selection, the Big Ten Player of the Year, and an All-American with the Gophers. She also earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota in 2024. 

After so much history with the Gophers, she was glad her last match against her former team was in the Pav, and she showed out. Landfair said she was a little nostalgic in her old home court, but her teammates told her to take big swings and play free. 

“I do love playing in this gym, and it’s probably one of my favorite places I’ve ever played in since I’ve been in college,” Landfair said. “It feels good, because I wanted to finish off on a bang.”

PAINT THAT CORNER, T 🎨

👩‍🎨 @Tay_Landfair12 pic.twitter.com/ogNQw4ot4w

— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) November 8, 2025

Landfair put on a show and finished with 11 kills on 20 errorless swings. The .550 hitting percentage is Landfair’s highest in a match where she attempted at least 10 attacks. 

While some athletes can feel pressure to perform well against a former school, Landfair appeared steady and confident leading up to the match.

By the time she checked in, the Huskers were already up 6-4. Landfair recorded three kills during a 7-1 run that gave NU a 14-6 lead. Later, she added two more kills as part of a stretch of five straight points. Landfair finished the first set with six kills on eight swings. 

After the match, senior Rebekah Allick said Landfair thanked her teammates in the locker room for allowing her to play so well and for having fun with her on the court. 

“It was really cool just to see her play super well,” she said. “When you have some transfers and you go back to where they recently were, there can be some tension. But regardless, it’s always good to play super well against your former team.”

The Plainfield, Ill., native showcased a variety of shots, hitting hard cutting shots that landed in front of the 10-foot line, rolling off-speed attacks, and toying with the defense by tipping the ball down the line and into a wide-open back corner. 

Set won 😤

No. 1 @HuskerVB takes set one 25-15 over Minnesota 👏 pic.twitter.com/5uWoeQ9CEi

— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) November 8, 2025

Minnesota coach Keegan Cook, who overlapped with Landfair for the 2023 season, said he was glad to see her doing well on the court this year. 

“If you haven’t seen Taylor hitting the sharp angle, which a lot of our young guys haven’t seen before, it could be tough,” he said. “I wasn’t thrilled that we couldn’t make those adjustments, but it’s a tall task to ask if you’ve never seen it before.”

The stellar performance continues a strong trend for Landfair since the start of October. In her last 10 matches, Landfair is averaging 2.24 kills per set with a .441 hitting percentage. This year, she is hitting .330, which is 73 points higher than her previous best for a season. 

With this being her last season, she feels like she can go for it and not hold anything back. In addition, Landfair credits junior setter Bergen Reilly for her improvement this season. They have developed a strong rapport where they offer feedback and push each other. 

“If I say an inch higher, she’s like, ‘I got you,’ and the next ball is perfectly set,” Landfair said. “She is just such a great player. Honestly, I’m so happy that I get to be with her for my last year, because she is so good.”

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said Landfair is taking advantage of opportunities when defenses might be more worried about Harper Murray, NU’s other outside hitter, and Andi Jackson and Allick in the middle. 

“She’s the last person right now that teams focus on,” she said. “When she’s playing that well, it just feels like we can do anything offensively.”

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