Nebraska volleyball sweeps Wisconsin to advance to the Final Four
Nebraska volleyball swept Wisconsin in dominant fashion on Saturday (26-24, 25-17, 25-21), advancing to the Final Four in Louisville. The Huskers will face the winner of Penn State and Creighton on Thursday.
Outside hitter Taylor Landfair led the way with 13 kills, while middle blocker Andi Jackson and outside hitter Harper Murray each added 10 of their own. Badger outside hitter Sarah Franklin tallied 12 kills but committed six errors.
Nebraska finished the day with a .210 hitting percentage while holding Wisconsin to a .126 clip.
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Set One
The first set was the most competitive of the day. A 4-0 Wisconsin run gave the Badgers an early 6-4 lead. Outside hitter Harper Murray briefly paused the momentum with a kill that bounced off the net, but the visitors remained in control.
Two service aces from setter Charlie Fuerbringer pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 11-7, but three straight Badger errors got Nebraska back within one. The Huskers continued to play from behind before middle blocker Rebekah Allick won a joust to tie it up, 14-14. Nebraska finally took the lead one rally later when three Huskers combined to block a Franklin attack, bringing the Devaney Center to its feet.
Wisconsin quickly tied the set again, but kills from Murray and outside hitter Taylor Landfair gave the Huskers an 18-16 lead and forced a Badger timeout. Landfair kept the hot hand out of the break with two more kills, giving the Huskers full control of the set, 21-16.
Franklin finally ended a 5-0 Nebraska run, sparking a valiant Badger comeback. Wisconsin got within two points, 23-21, before middle blocker Andi Jackson gave the Huskers set point.
Anna Smrek refused to go down without a fight. She tallied back-to-back kills to tie the set at 24-24, but a Wisconsin serving error gave Nebraska set point once again and Landfair finished it off with a kill.
Landfair was dominant in the first frame, hitting at a .308 clip with six kills and only two errors. Wisconsin hit .263 as a team, not far behind Nebraska’s .300, but five Badger service errors were the difference.
Set Two
Nebraska dominated the second set from start to finish. Jackson came out on fire, recording three kills and combining with setter Bergen Reilly on a block to give the Huskers a 6-2 lead and force a Wisconsin timeout.
CC Crawford finally ended a 7-0 Nebraska run, but Jackson answered with yet another kill. The Huskers continued to pour it on. Two kills from Landfair helped grow the advantage to 13-4.
Wisconsin scored consecutive points for the first time in the set, embarking on a 3-0 run to cut its deficit to 14-7. The Badgers continued to claw back. They got as close as 15-10 and 20-15 before Landfair put any hope of a comeback to rest. Her ninth kill of the day extended Nebraska’s lead to 22-16.
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Merritt Beason gave the Huskers set point and a Franklin attack error finalized the frame 25-17 in favor of the home team.
Nebraska held Wisconsin to a .114 hitting percentage in the second set and forced seven errors. Lexi Rodriguez tallied eight digs while Murray added four of her own.
Set Three
Wisconsin jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the third set, but two Badger attack errors and a Murray kill helped Nebraska tie it up.
The Huskers flew around on the defensive end with multiple acrobatic digs, stifling Wisconsin’s attack. Both sides traded punches, but the visitors remained in control. Wisconsin grew its lead to as many as four, 15-11.
Nebraska came out of a timeout on a mission. A 4-0 run highlighted by a Beason service ace and two Murray kills tied the set at 15-15. The Huskers finally took the lead thanks to a solo block and a kill from Murray. Jackson and Reilly combined to block a Franklin attack, giving Nebraska its largest lead of the set, 18-16.
The momentum completely swung in the home team’s direction, but Wisconsin refused to quit. A late 3-1 run narrowed Nebraska’s lead to 21-20.
After a Badger service error, a triple block sent the crowd into a frenzy. Allick and Beason combined on a block to give Nebraska match point, and another block sent Nebraska to the Final Four. The Devaney Center exploded as the Huskers dog-piled on the court.
