Three Takes as No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball Dominates DePaul

Playing once again in a sold-out arena, the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers put on a show Friday night in Chicago, sweeping the DePaul Blue Demons 25-19, 25-13, 25-15.

The Huskers came to play, posting a season-high hitting percentage of .432 and holding DePaul to just .060. They were led by All-America outside hitter Harper Murray, who finished with 11 kills, six digs, two blocks and two service aces.

Here are three takes from Nebraska's fourth win of the 2026 season.

Downed the Demons! 😈 pic.twitter.com/UrQkShK2mk
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) September 4, 2026

Kenna Cogill Filled in Nicely for Andi Jackson

In the third set Wednesday against South Dakota State, All-America middle Andi Jackson went down with an injured left ankle. Out of an abundance of caution, Jackson was not available for Friday night's match. Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said the Huskers might have rested Jackson anyway against the Blue Demons.

Sophomore Kenna Cogill had a nice performance filling in for Jackson. Making her first career start, Cogill finished with four kills and a match-high seven blocks.

"I have a lot of confidence in all of the middles, outside of Andi, to do a great job," Busboom Kelly said afterward. "I thought they delivered, and it was awesome to see. They made some really big plays."

Sophomore Manaia Ogbechie started alongside Cogill, finishing with four kills on six errorless swings and two blocks.

If the statistics didn't show this enough, it is fair to assume that the Huskers have plenty of depth, especially at middle blocker, which lessens the urgency of getting Jackson back on the floor. Busboom Kelly said Jackson could be available for the match Sunday night against Missouri at Wrigley Field. However, given the performances of Cogill and Ogbechie, the Huskers could keep the starting lineup the same.

Nebraska's Offense was Lethal

The Huskers were dominant Friday night in all aspects but were particularly efficient on offense.

Nebraska finished with a season-high hitting percentage of .432, and a lot of that had to do with terrific play from Murray, sophomore Teraya Sigler, sophomore Ryan Hunter and others.

Sigler's first-set performance was a career highlight, leading the Huskers with eight kills on 10 errorless swings. DePaul had an early 5-3 lead in the first set before Nebraska took control, including three straight kills from Sigler that made it 16-13.

In her first action of the season, sophomore setter Campbell Flynn started the second and third sets, leading the Huskers in assists with 16 on the night. Flynn also chipped in two kills, eight digs and two service aces.

Busboom Kelly said she was impressed with Flynn's performance and believed she ran the offense well.

Nebraska's Defense Clamped Down Hard

The first set Friday night was nothing like the two that followed. The Blue Demons' offense was performing well, finishing the opening set with a hitting percentage of .308. However, DePaul's offense fell off a cliff as the Nebraska defense clamped down from that point on.

The Blue Demons committed 22 total errors on the night and were held to a -.125 hitting percentage in the second set and .000 in the third.

Nebraska finished with 20 total individual blocks, led by Cogill with seven and Hunter with three, while logging 10 total team blocks. Junior Olivia Mauch led the Huskers with 11 digs and two assists, once again playing a key role in the team's defense.

What's Next

Nebraska will be back in action Sunday, taking on the Missouri Tigers in the Big Ten-SEC Challenge at Wrigley Field. First serve is set for 8 p.m., and the match will be aired on FOX.

Next week, the Huskers will finally have their home opener, facing New Mexico at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, before taking on No. 21 Baylor on Friday and Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com<4/a> daily.

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