Nebraska volleyball defeats Dayton to advance to NCAA Regional Final
Nebraska volleyball defeated Dayton in four sets on Friday (25-17, 25-18, 25-27, 25-13), advancing to the NCAA tournament Regional Final. The Huskers will face Wisconsin on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Outside hitter Harper Murray had a standout performance, leading the way with 22 kills, while middle blocker Rebekah Allick added 10 of her own. Outside hitter Lexie Almodovar tallied 20 kills for the Flyers, willing her squad to a third-set victory.
Nebraska finished the night with a .216 hitting percentage while holding Dayton to a .087 clip.
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Set One
Nebraska looked out of sorts early in the first set, as four quick errors put the Huskers in a 5-2 hole.
The Flyers kept the momentum rolling, pushing their lead to 8-5 and later 11-8. Back-to-back kills from outside hitter Taylor Landfair put a brief pause to Dayton’s hot streak, but the visitors remained in control.
Allick was having none of it. Three straight kills from the junior put Nebraska back within one before Andi Jackson and Merritt Beason combined on a block to tie the set up 12-12. The Huskers took their first lead shortly after on Murray’s third kill of the night.
Nebraska led 15-14 at first media timeout, and finally began to pull away with a 4-0 run. A fiery kill from Jackson forced a Dayton timeout as the Huskers pushed their advantage to 18-14.
The Flyers came out of the break with two straight points, but a dump from setter Bergen Reilly sparked a 6-1 run to give Nebraska set point. Murray finished it off with her fourth kill, giving the Huskers a 25-17 first-set victory.
Nebraska posted a .273 hitting percentage in the opening frame while holding Dayton to a .051 clip and forcing 10 total errors. Allick and Murray both finished the set with four kills, while Lexi Rodriguez tallied five digs.
Set Two
A 6-1 run gave Nebraska early control of the second set, as the Huskers jumped out to a 9-4 lead.
But Dayton wouldn’t go away quietly.
The Flyers clawed back within one before Allick ended a lengthy rally with a kill to put Nebraska up 14-12. Murray followed with a powerful cross-court kill, kicking off a 4-1 Husker run that forced a Dayton timeout.
Nebraska kept its foot on the gas out of the break. Murray answered with yet another kill before Reilly and Jackson combined on a block to extend the Huskers’ lead to 21-14.
Once again, Dayton refused to quit. They kept three straight rallies alive, all of which ended in Nebraska errors, shrinking the deficit to four points.
After John Cook called a timeout, Nebraska embarked on a 4-1 run to finish off the set. Landfair gave the Huskers a 2-0 set lead with a kill that landed just short of the end line.
Nebraska only hit at a .056 clip in the second set, but 10 total Dayton errors made the difference. Murray matched her strong start with four more kills..
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Set Three
The third set was the most competitive of the night as both teams traded haymakers.
Nebraska had no answers for Almodovar, as she tallied 12 kills in the frame without a single error. Dayton jumped out to an 8-4 lead thanks to four consecutive kills from its star outside hitter.
Jackson and Murray stopped the bleeding with a block, but Almodovar answered right back. The Flyers held on to a four-point buffer.
Murray did all she could, tallying four straight kills and a block to keep Nebraska within striking distance. Moments later, Jackson fired a kill, giving the Huskers a 15-14 advantage. Dayton reclaimed the lead, but back-to-back errors tied the third set at 20-20.
Murray put Nebraska up 22-21 with her 16th kill, but Almodovar tied the set once again and a net violation gave the Flyers a 23-22 lead. Tension grew inside the Devaney Center.
A Dayton service error tied things up once again, 23-23, before the Flyers reached set point on the next rally.
Murray’s heroics kept the Huskers alive. She tallied back-to-back kills to give Nebraska match point, 25-24, but the Flyers answered with three consecutive points to steal set three and extend the match.
Set Four
Nebraska dominated the fourth set from the jump. Jackson and Murray traded kills early on before back-to-back blocks from Jackson put the Huskers up 9-4 and forced a Dayton timeout.
Landfair capped off an extended rally with a kill, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Nebraska extended its lead to 14-7 shortly after.
An Allick kill and a Reilly service ace capped off a 6-1 Husker run, further growing the lead. Allick pushed Nebraska’s advantage to 19-8 with her 10th kill, and Olivia Mauch added insult to injury with her first service ace.
A Dayton service error ended the match 25-13, sending Nebraska to the Regional Final on Sunday.
