Nebraska volleyball advances, will face Wisconsin for Final Four bid

Nebraska volleyball is halfway to its goal of a national championship. The Huskers needed six wins in the NCAA tournament and on Friday night at the Bob, they got No. 3 to advance to the Regional Final.

It wasn’t easy though. Dayton, the fifth seed in the Region, started well and grabbed the lead in the first set. Nebraska volleyball eventually won 25-17 and 25-18 in the second set before a 26-24 loss in the third before rallying to win the fourth set, and the match, 3-1.

The formula was the same that we have seen all season for the Huskers — defense and efficient hitting. Nebraska limited Dayton to .095 while hitting .224. Harper Murray was a force. The sophomore finished with 22 kills, 16 digs, four aces, and four blocks.

Simply put, Murray wasn’t going to be denied.

Andi Jackson was dominant too, at least on defense. She had seven blocks in addition to seven kills, although she only hit .176. Rebekah Allick managed 10 kills and four blocks; Bergen Reilly had 46 assists, four blocks, and six digs. Lexi Rodriguez added 22 digs and an ace.

Nebraska volleyball is now 32-2 on the season. Next up are the Wisconsin Badgers who beat Texas A&M in the other regional semifinal. Nebraska and Wisconsin squared off twice in the regular season and the Huskers swept both matches. They have won two in a row in Lincoln over Wisconsin and three of the last four.

However, Sarah Franklin is the Big Ten Player of the Year and it won’t be easy. Nebraska was caught a little off guard by Dayton in the opening set and that can’t happen against Wisconsin, a team even more capable of pulling off an upset.

The two teams will meet on Sunday on ABC at 2 PM CST.

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