3 takeaways as Nebraska volleyball sweeps ranked teams, clinches Big Ten title

Nebraska volleyball swept two ranked opponents on back-to-back days, taking down No. 12 Oregon and No. 18 Washington on the road without dropping a single set.

The top-ranked Huskers swept No. 18 Washington 25-20, 25-13, 25-22 on Sunday afternoon to pick up their second top-20 win in 24 hours this weekend. On Saturday, Nebraska swept 12th-ranked Oregon in a sold-out Matthew Knight Arena by scores of murray-no-1-huskers-silence-no-12-ducks-on-saturday

With both wins, Nebraska has clinched at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the fourth year in a row. The Huskers are on track to be the No. 1 seed in the first Big Ten volleyball tournament. Looking back at two ranked wins, here are three takeaways.

Dominant offense

Nebraska hit over .425 in both matches. It started by hitting .425 on Saturday against Oregon. Harper Murray continued her incredible second half of the season with 14 kills (.481). Teraya Sigler matched her with 14 kills and hit .458.

Bergen Reilly did her part with 43 assists and 11 digs. She was one of three Huskers who had double-digit digs. Andi Jackson was efficient, too.

Things were even better on Sunday, as Nebraska volleyball hit .477. That was the highest hitting percentage in a single match against a ranked opponent in the rally-scoring era. Murray added 13 kills and hit .357. Manaia Ohbechie had several kills and hit .778. Bergen Reilly also had 37 assists after another stellar outing.

Defense is doing its part

Not only does Nebraska have arguably the best attack in college volleyball, or at least the deepest, but the Huskers also have the best defense. That’s a statistical fact.

Washington hit .202, which is really good against Nebraska. The Huskies just couldn’t keep up with a team hitting almost .500.

Olivia Mauch and Laney Choboy don’t get enough credit, but they combined for 25 digs in the win over Oregon. They each were in double digits in both matches. Andi Jackson and the blockers are outstanding. The littles also make it really hard to kill the ball against Nebraska, even if you are playing well.

Nebraska volleyball seems to be peaking

It feels like the Huskers are playing their best volleyball. At least their best of the season. They need to keep playing better, but it’s funny to think now that folks were concerned about Harper Murray. She’s playing off the charts.

Over the past three seasons, the Huskers haven’t been able to play their best when it was needed, especially in 2025, when they failed to reach the Final Four.

Nebraska has been eliminated by the eventual national champion in the NCAA tournament three years in a row. It’s time to end that streak. These ladies want it more than anyone, and they look like a team on a mission.

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