Volleyball On SI

Players Era Volleyball Showcase: Nebraska Takes Down Texas as TCU Rolls Past UNLV

Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly was named the Most Valuable Player of the weekend.

Paige Durrenberger

Aug 27, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers players celebrate a point during their volleyball match against the Florida Gators at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Aug 27, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers players celebrate a point during their volleyball match against the Florida Gators at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase came to a close Sunday in Las Vegas, but not before the event delivered one of the most anticipated matches of the opening weeks of the college volleyball season.

Saturday offered the first glimpse at each team, excluding Texas, which kicked off its season last week and Sunday gave teams one more chance to leave T-Mobile Arena with something to build on.

No. 1 Nebraska Cruises Past No. 2 Texas In Straight Sets

The marquee match of the weekend didn't turn into the heavyweight fight many expected.

No. 1 Nebraska swept No. 2 Texas 25-19, 25-19, 25-16, controlling the Longhorns with its serving and defense to finish a perfect weekend in Las Vegas. Nebraska hit .293 while holding Texas to .152, adding ten blocks and seven service aces.

Texas actually found the better start in the opening set, taking an 8-5 advantage before the match flipped completely.

Behind the serve of senior setter Bergen Reilly, Nebraska ripped off 10 consecutive points to turn the three-point deficit into a 15-8 lead. Texas eventually worked its way back within two at 20-18, but Nebraska scored five of the final six points to take the set 25-19.

The Longhorns again jumped ahead early in the second, but another Nebraska run quickly erased the advantage. The Cornhuskers turned a 4-1 Texas lead into a 7-4 advantage and eventually stretched the margin to 18-10. Texas made another late push, but senior middle blocker Andi Jackson closed the set with a kill for another 25-19 Nebraska win.

By the third, there was little Texas could do to slow Nebraska down. The Cornhuskers broke a 5-5 tie with a 5-1 run and continued building separation from there before closing the match on four straight points for a 25-16 win.

Jackson led Nebraska with nine kills on a .571 hitting percentage, while sophomore middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie added seven kills and seven blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Cari Spears was one of Texas' few consistent offensive answers, leading all players with 12 kills.

For Texas, the loss capped an already difficult weekend after sophomore outside hitter Abby Vander Wal suffered a knee injury in Saturday's win over TCU. The Longhorns leave Las Vegas 2-2, with both losses coming against ranked opponents.

No. 18 TCU Fights Off Against Scrappy UNLV

The final score, 3-0, may read like another routine sweep, but UNLV made TCU work for the last one.

After falling to Texas in three tightly contested sets, No. 18 TCU bounced back with a 25-17, 25-17, 33-31 sweep of UNLV to secure its first win of the season.

The Horned Frogs controlled the first two sets before the Rebels finally found their footing in the third. Trailing 20-15 and later 22-17, UNLV scored six of the next seven points to tie the set at 23 and turn what looked like another comfortable TCU win into the longest set of the showcase.

UNLV earned its first set point at 24-23, and neither side could find the two-point separation to end it. The Rebels eventually grabbed another lead at 31-30 on a senior opposite hitter and middle blocker kill, putting themselves one point away from forcing a fourth set.

TCU didn't let that happen.

The Horned Frogs tied the set at 31 before taking the next two points to finally close the marathon 33-31 and finish the sweep. UNLV junior outside hitter ended the match with a game-high 14 kills while hitting .265, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Rebels from falling.

TCU leaves Las Vegas at 1-1, while UNLV finishes the showcase without a single set victory.

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Paige Durrenberger
PAIGE DURRENBERGER

Paige Durrenberger is a sports writer and Economics student at the University of Texas at Austin. She has covered golf, softball, and the Texas Stars for The Daily Texan and is also a contributing writer for 5Wins. Raised in Dallas, Texas, when Durrenberger isn’t covering sports, she’s either out running with her dog Bailey or cheering on whichever Dallas team is in season.

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