Nebraska Volleyball Spring Match: Storylines to Watch
Nebraska Volleyball is taking the show to Kearney, Nebraska for their spring exhibition match. They take on Denver on May 4 at the Nebraska-Kearney Health and Sports Center. The match begins at 2:00 p.m. CT on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.
Tickets for the match sold out in 46 minutes after selling 5,000 in-person-only tickets. Kearney Public Schools is the primary host of the event, along with Nebraska Athletics, UNK, and the Kearney Visitors Bureau. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Here are storylines to watch during the Huskers’ annual spring exhibition match:
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Freshmen dazzled this spring
Nebraska’s freshmen have been stars of the spring. Outside hitter Skyler Pierce and defensive specialist Olivia Mauch did a great job during the beach season as they had previous experience on a sand court.
Husker Head Coach John Cook said Mauch and Pierce were the biggest surprises this spring. He doesn’t have many expectations for freshmen in their first semester but Mauch and Pierce blew him and their teammates away.
Both will get their chance to introduce themselves to Husker Nation on Saturday. They’ll get a chance to play against a college team in front of 5,000 fans.
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Harper Murray suspended
Husker outside hitter Harper Murray is reportedly suspended from the Huskers’ spring game.
She allegedly shoplifted from Scheels on Thursday, May 2, the Lincoln Journal Star reported first. Murray was charged with driving under the influence, among several other changes.
On Friday night, it was reported that Murray was suspended from the match. In a statement from Nebraska Athletics to the Lincoln Journal Star, NU said Murray’s suspension was decided before Thursday’s incident.
Pierce and Krause will be Nebraska’s only available outside hitters on Saturday. This will be a great experience for Pierce and a good number of reps for Krause, who is returning from injury.
Denver’s Husker ties
Denver Head Coach Megan Pendergast played for Husker Volleyball from 2009-10. She is in her second season as the Pioneers coach. Pendergast was an assistant coach at UCLA, Oklahoma and Tulsa before landing in Denver.
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In her first season at Denver, she had two players named to the All-Summit League teams. Outside hitter Cassie Davis was a first-team selection after averaging 3.60 kills per set and 36 service aces. Setter Briley Decker was on the All-Summit League Freshman Team. She had 9.45 assists per set and 1.74 digs per set.
Nebraska Volleyball Spring Match: Players to Watch
A fine-tuned offense
Nebraska has been focusing on improving their offense this off-season. They keyed in on their tempo and out-of-system efficiency as a group. The hitters are finding ways to hit harder.
Offense has been the main focus of the Huskers during this spring, as it was last off-season. With a new setter running the show in 2023, Nebraska hit .273, hits highest-hitting percentage since the 2017 season. With each starter returning, this offense has an opportunity to take another step up.
Improvement in serving
Serving was statistically Nebraska’s greatest weakness in 2023. They recorded 143 aces, ranking them No. 252 in team aces out of the 332 total NCAA teams. NU averaged 1.18 aces per set, which was ranked No. 301 nationally.
The Huskers have the ability to be a great serving team. The team and individuals progressively improved over the course of the season. Although they didn’t get as many aces, NU had streaks of serving really tough.
During the spring game, watch for how much movement Nebraska’s serves have. A few of the players have adjusted their serve, so if a few balls miss the mark, it’s part of the growing pain. But if many balls are moving fast and dropping out, that’s a great sign.
Additionally, Cook said they’ve been working on jump serves, which could debut in the spring match.
