3 takeaways from Nebraska volleyball’s season-opening win

Just when the smallest amount of doubt crept into your mind about whether Nebraska volleyball would beat Pittsburgh on Friday night in the season opener, Harper Murray responded with the biggest kill of the match.

It wasn’t the prettiest or the most eye-opening. But with the score tied 23-23 in the fourth set, and the Huskers leading the match 2-1, Pittsburgh was two points away from forcing a fifth set, where anything can happen.

The Panthers had momentum and Olivia Babcok, the 2024 National Player of the Year. In that moment, though, Murray showed why she’s a two-time All-American and a contender for Babcock’s award with a clutch kill that put the Huskers in front, 24-23. A block by the defense sealed the set and the match, which ended up as a 3-1 win for Nebraska by the scores of 25-22, 25-11, 20-25, and 25-23 in the debut of head coach Dani Busboom-Kelly.

Murray had 15 kills in the win. Andi Jackson added 10 to go along with eight blocks. Rebekah Allick pitched in with nine kills and seven digs, while Bergen Reilly added 40 assists, 10 digs, and three blocks in the win.

Nebraska will face sixth-ranked Stanford on Sunday (2:30 PM CST, ESPN), but first, here are three takeaways from their win over third-ranked Pittsburgh.

Nebraska volleyball won with defense

The Huskers’ attack was solid, hitting .224. Yet, the defense was on another level. Babcock is arguably the best attacker in college volleyball. Against Nebraska, she had 21 kills, but only hit .121 with 14 errors. Nebraska made things difficult on Babcock and all the Pittsburgh hitters, who finished with a .111 hitting percentage as a team.

Nebraska was credited with 15 blocks and 46 digs, outpacing the Panthers in each category. Jackson, Allick, and Taylor Landfair each contributed to at least seven blocks in the win.

Bergen Reilly changed the momentum

Early in the fourth set, it felt like Pittsburgh was going to push things to a fifth. The Panthers grabbed an early lead before Reilly sparked the Huskers with a quick score, an ace, and a dig that led to a point, helping Nebraska take the lead.

Pittsburgh eventually tied things in the fourth set, before Murray’s key kill, but Reilly stemmed Pittsburgh’s momentum earlier in the set. DBK is working to help Reilly reach new heights, especially by being more aggressive.

So far, so good.

DBK’s debut a success

A win is the only thing Nebraska needed, and while the Huskers lost momentum for a stretch, they never lost control of the match.

Busboom-Kelly wasn’t afraid to mix and match with her lineups. At times, she had extra blockers; other times, extra passers. She was known for having great defenses at Louisville, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, knowing that she played for Nebraska, but the defense was even better than expected on Friday night.

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