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'We're Not Done Yet': Nebraska Volleyball Focused on More Than Big Ten Title

Most teams jump for joy after winning a conference championship. Thursday night, Nebraska didn't. Instead, their focus shifted to the road ahead with the postseason just three matches away.
Spencer Schubert|
Nebraska middle blocker attacks against Iowa.
Nebraska middle blocker attacks against Iowa. | Nebraska Athletics

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the Nebraska volleyball team is officially at least a co-Big Ten Champion following its sweep of Iowa Thursday night in Lincoln.

The Huskers wiped the floor with an improved Hawkeye volleyball team to the tune of 25-15, 25-21, 25-18. However, what stood out following the win was the manner in which the team celebrated, or in this case, didn’t.

The best way to describe it is that the team is grateful, but not satisfied with being crowned the best team in the Big Ten.

“This team – they really wanted the Big Ten,” Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said in her postgame press conference Thursday night. “Of course, we’re fired up to win a share of that, but this team has much bigger goals, so maybe not as excited as this group’s been in the past.”

Nebraska junior middle blocker Andi Jackson admitted the team didn’t exactly celebrate the share of the conference crown – a title they’ll win outright soon enough with three more matches in front of them before the postseason.

To NU’s credit, they’ve said they really have only one goal this season, and winning the Big Ten Championship wasn’t it. Sure…it comes with the territory, but from the jump it’s been a national championship or bust season for the Huskers, and they haven’t flinched since setting that standard.

The Huskers celebrate a kill from Virginia Adriano (9).
Junior middle blocker Andi Jackson admitted the team's grateful for a Big Ten Title, but that hasn't been the ultimate focus this season. | Amarillo Mullen

”We want to celebrate it for what it is,” Jackson said in her postgame press conference. “Then also understand that we’re not done yet. There’s still a long journey ahead of us. December’s coming up, selection shows coming up, so we’re going to be focused the rest of the Big Ten season, but when things end, we’re going to be focused on what’s next.”

What’s next will be another nationally-ranked battle against No. 17 Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday. It may be Nebraska’s stiffest test remaining before they set up shop for a postseason run. With the sweep over Iowa, the Huskers are now a perfect 27-0 on the year, and the near-perfect volleyball has allowed them to play fearlessly throughout much of the season.

“I think it just is a translation of how hard we work in practice,” Jackson said. “There is so much confidence on the court, and you can tell when we get into those tight moments, there is just no fear on the court, and I know that Bergen has a lot of confidence in her hitters. Whoever she sets is going to put the ball away and same for the passers.”

There were moments Thursday night where Iowa at least pressed the Huskers. Both teams surpassed 20 points in a second set where the Huskers and Hawkeyes were tied at seven different occasions. In the third set, there were four lead changes before Nebraska put the match on ice, so while it was another Nebraska sweep, the Huskers were still tested by their border rivals.

“Anytime we get challenged, it’s good,” Busboom Kelly said of the tighter moments of the match. “The score matters, yes, but if another team’s playing great and challenging us in areas that we need to improve, that’s going to be helpful. I don’t necessarily think it’s always a score thing; it’s just when other teams are doing things that make us uncomfortable, it’s good for us to work through that. I thought Iowa played really well. That’s what we’ve seen on film.”

Ultimately, Iowa just couldn’t get anything going against the stout Nebraska defense. The Huskers held the Hawkeyes to just .073 hitting while sporting a .384 hitting percentage in the winning effort. NU continues to play as if they still have something to prove despite being the only undefeated team left in major college volleyball.

It also helps when Nebraska also has wins this year over Kentucky, Pitt and Stanford who now rank No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, in this week’s AVCA poll. With that defense and that resume, it’s no surprise the Huskers are playing with the confidence they are right now.

“I just think how consistent our ball control was,” Jackson said. “As simple as it is, it’s just ball control and controlling the things that we know how to control. Two people on a ball at all times. We’re making clean block moves. We’re being smart when we’re attacking. We’re going for high hands. I just think that was a huge factor.”

Nebraska will be going for sole ownership of the Big Ten Championship Saturday when they travel to take on the Hoosiers, but for now, being co-champs of the league is still a pretty fun thought for a team that is already thinking about the next milestone.

Nebraska will face another tough test this weekend when they travel to take on #17 Indiana.
Nebraska will face another tough test this weekend when they travel to take on #17 Indiana. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” Busboom Kelly said of winning a share of the Big Ten crown. “There was a time we didn’t win one for a while, and here we are – three in a row. I’m just proud of this group to continue what they started, and I’m proud that I got to be a part of it and continue to be a part of what they started.”

“(The) Big Ten is not easy to win, and we were just talking about it in the locker room,” Jackson said. “We want to celebrate it. It’s a really cool thing. Obviously, it’s shared right now, and hopefully we can go out and take it for ourselves, be outright champs.”

We’ll find out Saturday at 5 p.m. CST during NU’s visit to 17th-ranked Indiana. The Huskers will then finish the regular season at home next week with back-to-back matches against Penn State and Ohio State starting Friday, November 28.

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Spencer Schubert
SPENCER SCHUBERT

Spencer Schubert is a born-and-raised Nebraskan who now calls Hastings home. He grew up in Kearney idolizing the Huskers as every kid in Nebraska did in the 1990s, and he turned that passion into a career of covering the Big Red. Schubert graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2009, and kickstarted what's now become a 17 year career in journalism. He's served in a variety of roles in broadcasting, including weekend sports anchor at KHGI-TV(NTV) in Kearney, Sports Director at WOAY-TV in West Virginia and Assistant News Director, Executive Producer and Evening News Anchor for KSNB-TV(Local4) in Hastings. Off the clock, you'll likely find Schubert with a golf club in his hand and spending time with his wife, 5-year-old daughter and dog Emmy.

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