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Three Instant Takeaways from Nebraska's Sweep over Washington

Nebraska earned its 19th sweep and 25th win in Seattle, Washington, in a match that wasn't always pretty and didn't always feel in hand.
Abbie Harris|
Nebraska celebrates a point during Sunday's sweep at Washington.
Nebraska celebrates a point during Sunday's sweep at Washington. | Nebraska Athletics

Following a dominant 3-0 sweep of Oregon, the Nebraska volleyball team hopped on a plane for a quick hour-ish flight north to Seattle to take on their second top-20 team of the weekend. There was some concern about the quick turnaround; only about 18 hours separated their win in Eugene and taking the court at Washington, and how the team would respond.

In what has started to feel like a Nebraska volleyball tradition this year, early points in the sets were back and forth. Washington's high-tempo offense came out ready to upset another giant of the Big Ten, like they did against Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago and didn't make it easy for the Huskers.

Ultimately, Nebraska was able to control the tempo and game and made the timely plays when needed to earn another sweep (25-20, 25-13, 25-22) and at least a share of their fourth consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship.

Read on for instant takeaways from the win.

Scrappy Washington Caused Issues Early for Huskers

Washington is a team that plays with a certain chaotic energy. At times, it seemingly didn't matter how out of system the team was; they found ways to keep rallies alive and send the ball back over. For a team like Nebraska that plays with a lot of control, this difference in style, in addition to the short recovery, was enough to knock the Huskers off their rails early in each of the three sets.

The teams were close at each media timeout, 15-14 in set 1, 15-9 in set 2 (following a 4-0 Nebraska run), and 14-15 in set 3. The Huskers were able to settle in after those points in the first two sets, going on a 10-5 and 10-4 run to win 25-20 and 25-13.

The Huskers hit phenomenally well, reaching the .400 mark in every set (.419, .464, .556) for a season-high final hitting percentage of .477. It was as good and consistent of an offensive showing as fans have seen from Nebraska. But the slow starts and the overall third set impacted the impression of the match, leaving a lingering feeling of, "This game didn't feel as dominant as last night."

Nebraska's Red Zone Streak Challenged for First Time All Season

The third set was easily the most stressful of the night. Washington took an early 3-point lead, but Nebraska fought back and neither team was able to get and keep any sort of momentum. In a set that featured 10 ties and six lead changes, the Huskers were the first to 20, which often leads to good things. But Washington refused to go away and took a temporary 21-20 lead, the first time in recent history that Nebraska lost a lead after being the first to the red zone.

Huskers continued to go point for point until Nebraska's defense stepped up, with a triple block from Manaia Ogbechie, Bergen Reilly, and Harper Murray on Samantha Destler, and a beautiful pancake from Olivia Mauch to set up a match point kill for Murray, which led to Murray's third, and most timely, service ace.

"It's a sign of a team with grit and a killer mentality," coach Dani Busboom Kelly said on her post-game radio show when asked about why the Huskers play so strong once they hit that red zone. She specifically called out Murray's bold and aggressive back-row attack off of Mauch's pancake, commenting that some players may take the easy roll shot in that moment.

Nebraska's Serve Receive Looked Shaky

To give Washington some credit, they average 1.89 service aces per set and hold their opponents to 1.16. They are third in the Big Ten for aces per set and first for total aces (149). They have a 0.81 ace-to-error ratio from behind the line and, even when they aren't getting aces, often put pressure on other teams with their tough serves.

Against Nebraska, they were no different. From the jump, the Huskies made serve receive difficult for a traditionally steady back row. Both Laney Choboy and Mauch were uncharacteristically targeted on serve as they struggled to keep Reilly at the net. In her pregame radio interview, Busboom Kelly said ball control was going to be key so that Nebraska could run their offense the way they wanted to.

Similar to the rest of the team, as the sets went on, Choboy and Mauch settled in and made fewer errors, but the inconsistent start from two solid and reliable passers is likely a one-game issue that will get worked out in next week's practice, but is something to keep a gentle eye on as Nebraska faces other effective serving teams in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament.

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Abbie Harris
ABBIE HARRIS

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