3 things we learned from Nebraska volleyball sweep of Wisconsin

You had an inkling that this Nebraska volleyball team was special and the Huskers reinforced that feeling on Friday night with a 3-0 sweep of 7th-ranked Wisconsin (25-21, 25-22, and 25-19).

Nebraska volleyball was incredible on the defensive end holding Wisconsin, the top hitting team in the Big Ten to a .094 hitting percentage. The Huskers also did a great job of keeping Sarah Franklin in check. The 2023 National Player of the Year had 16 kills but it took 49 swings and she hit just .184.

Nebraska volleyball barely hit over .200, but the Huskers killed the ball well enough led by Merritt Beason who notched 11 and hit .391. Taylor Landfair, a junior transfer, also came up big with a team-high 13 kills Rebekah Allick was also stellar with seven blocks and three kills. Lexi Rodriguez added 15 digs and here are three things we learned about the Huskers in their win over Wisconsin.

Nebraska volleyball defense is elite

We knew this before Friday night but the Huskers took their defense to a different level against the Badgers. It was going to take a stellar effort just to win the match. Yet, it would take an extraordinary effort to sweep the Badgers which is what the Huskers got.

The block was spectacular. Nebraska set the tone with 6.5 blocks in the first half. The Huskers finished with 10 and the Wisconsin hitters were frustrated all night.

It was awesome to see Nebraska exorcise some demons and do it dominantly, thanks to the defense.

Depth pays off

It felt like John Cook wanted to add more depth to this roster this offseason, especially at the hitter positions and you could see why on Friday night.

Harper Murray was a little off and finished with just six kills. Yet, the Huskers had a former All-American they could turn to in Landfair, who delivered with 13 kills.

It pays to have so many options, which is what makes the Nebraska attack so difficult to defend. Wisconsin led the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage and the Huskers may have hit a little lower than usual, but for the most part, they were able to deal just fine with the Wisconsin defense — because of their incredible depth.

Huskers should be ranked No. 1

Pittsburgh lost recently to SMU and maintained the No. 1 ranking. Maybe that’s because the Mustangs also beat Nebraska volleyball but after winning on the road at Wisconsin for the first time since 2014, with a sweep no less, the Huskers deserve to be ranked No. 1 this week. Nobody can say with a straight face this isn’t the best volleyball team in the country.

It doesn’t matter that much at the end of the day — what they do in the NCAA tournament does. But they are the best team and once again, I’ll say this feels like a squad truly capable of winning it all.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.