Nebraska Weathers Dip in Offense, Sweeps Kansas State

The Nebraska offensive machine ran into a few glitches against Kansas State Saturday night.

The Huskers posted a .253 hitting percentage, their lowest since hitting .250 against Creighton, but relied on tough serving and a stingy defense to quash KSU. Despite the struggles, NU still earned a 25-17, 25-21, 25-16 sweep in front of 8,601 fans at the Devaney Center.

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said the Wildcats used their block to disrupt the Huskers’ offense. KSU finished with eight blocks, all of which came during the first two sets. The Huskers hit .139 in the second set, just the 10th time they’ve posted a hitting percentage below .200 for a set this season.

“This was one of the first matches in a while, we had to get it out with our serve and pass and floor defense, which is kind of like classic Nebraska volleyball,” Busboom Kelly said. “I felt like we handled it really well. We kept our composure, stayed really steady, and finished the match with our best volleyball of the night.”

With the win, NU (32-0) moves on to its 14th straight regional semifinal and will face fourth-seeded Kansas on Friday evening. No. 2 Louisville and No. 3 Texas A&M will also play in the Lincoln Region and start the doubleheader at 6 p.m., with the second match starting 30 minutes after the conclusion.

Despite the less-than-dominant performance, Harper Murray said she was grateful that their season is still alive and they have more matches to play, something only 15 other teams can say. She said the Huskers will learn from the match and get better the next time they step on the court.

“We’re not invincible,” Murray said. “Teams are going to put their best fight up against us, and as they should, and they deserve our best effort too.

Nebraska outside hitter Taylor Landfair jousts at the net against Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Landfair finished with eight kills while KSU tallied eight blocks for the match. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska appeared to be on track for another beatdown of an opponent after jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the first set. However, Kansas State (18-10) rallied and closed to 9-7 after back-to-back hitting errors.

NU responded with a 5-0 run to rebuild its lead, but errors allowed the Wildcats to climb back. Kansas State won seven of the next nine rallies, with four points coming on NU hitting errors and another via a bad set from Bergen Reilly.

However, the Huskers responded with four kills and a block during a 5-0 run to go up 21-14 before closing out the set.

Nebraska’s offensive woes carried over into the second set as Kansas State staked a 4-1 lead after three more Husker hitting errors, including two blocks. KSU coach Jason Mansfield said their block shut off the low angles for NU’s attackers.

“They took some swings where they were trying to bounce it, and our blockers are obviously physical, and made them pay,” he said. “They’re a team that usually keeps it high, and they didn’t, and we made them pay eight times.”

Senior opposite Allie Sczech provided some relief at the net as she recorded two kills on four swings. Virginia Adriano put up seven kills, but also committed five hitting errors.

Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly talks with setter Bergen Reilly during a timeout against Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

While the offense was struggling, Nebraska stayed afloat with strong serving and good passing. The Huskers recorded three aces in the second set, including an ace from Choboy that broke a 10-10 tie. NU also only allowed two aces by the Wildcats all night.

“Our defense hung in there, and we were ready for long rallies,” said Reilly, who finished with 34 assists. “I was really proud of us, even when it didn’t feel super clean, like we still were just playing Nebraska volleyball.

The Huskers’ offense started clicking in the third set as they hit .393 in the set. After KSU hung close early, Nebraska turned a 9-8 deficit into a 16-10 lead thanks to a pair of missed serves and three hitting errors from KSU. Landfair, who tallied eight kills, ended the match with an attack that went off the Wildcat block and landed out of bounds.

Junior middle blocker Andi Jackson put up five kills in the set while Murray added four to end the match on a strong note. They both finished with 10 kills, as Jackson led the NU attackers with a .533 hitting percentage and three blocks. Rebekah Allick had six kills and one solo block.

Olivia Mauch and Laney Choboy finished with 13 and 12 digs, respectively, while they both recorded two aces.

Nebraska sweeps Kansas State and advances to its 14th consecutive NCAA regional. — Nebraska celebrates after match point against Kansas State. The Huskers advanced to their 14th consecutive NCAA regional. | Amarillo Mullen

Despite Nebraska’s offensive struggles, Busboom Kelly wasn’t worried about any long-term issues. Even though KSU pressed the Huskers at times, she never thought the Huskers lost their composure.

“It never felt like we were stressed, even though it looked like it out on the court,” Busboom Kelly said. “The timeout communication was great. The communication between plays was great. So all the things that we can control were very, very good, and that’s what you want this time of year.”

When asked if she had any concerns going forward with the team, Busboom Kelly was quite concise with her response.

“Nope.”

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