Nebraska took care of business Friday night, defeating Michigan in three sets (25-15, 25-12, 25-20) to improve to 26-0. In the final regular season match at home, the Huskers recorded their 17th home victory to maintain an undefeated regular season record at Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Despite the impressive milestone, the final home game did not start the way everyone had hoped. Just before the national anthem, the sound system started to experience technical difficulties. Though the pregame routine was thrown off, it did not seem to affect the 8,000 people at Devaney.
“We adjusted great,” junior outside hitter Merritt Beason said postgame. “The crowd adjusted great. It would have been very easy for them to sit there and it be awkward.”
There may have been no sound, but the team gave the crowd plenty to cheer about. Sophomore middle blocker Bekka Allick got things rolling with a kill that landed in a gap right between Michigan players. Beason had a kill of her own, followed by an error by the Wolverines to give Nebraska an early 3-0 lead.
Michigan senior outside hitter Kendall Murray, sister of freshman outside hitter Harper Murray, was able to cool the Huskers down when she scored the Wolverines’ first point of the night. A familial adversary on the other side of the net.
“I know it’s cool for my mom to see that,” Harper Murray said postgame. “It’s special that she was able to play here.”
Michigan was able to keep the deficit within three until Harper Murray got her second kill of the night and sparked a small run. Their run ended with an attack error by the Wolverines to extend the lead to 15-9.
Nebraska maintained control throughout the first set and never looked back. Beason put the set out of reach when she won a duel at the net to extend the Huskers lead to 23-13, giving Nebraska their largest lead.
The Huskers claimed the first set when a Michigan outside blocker spiked a ball slightly over the right sideline. They won with a ten-point margin of 25-15.
Through the first set, Nebraska posted a .333 hit percentage and held Michigan to a .026 clip. Beason had four kills early to lead the way for the Huskers.
Nebraska transferred all their momentum to the second set when they jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. The Wolverines tried to capitalize off a Harper Murray service error, but the Huskers went on another large run. The barrage was capped off by three straight kills from freshman middle blocker Andi Jackson, including one where she slammed the ball perfectly between the net and the Michigan frontline.
Nebraska got out to an 11-4 lead, but the Wolverines quickly gained their footing soon after. The set went blow-for-blow until Allick sparked a 4-2 run to give the Huskers a 22-12 lead. Harper Murray clinched the set-point opportunity when she spiked a ball into the fingertips of a Michigan blocker and it sailed just out of bounds.
The Wolverines could not stifle up another point to save themselves and an attack error gave Nebraska the set at 25-12. The Huskers ended the set on a 5-0 run and held Michigan to a -.067 hit percentage.
The third set was a bit of a slower start for Nebraska as it faced an early 5-3 deficit. Things turned around when Allick and junior outside hitter Ally Batenhorst had two consecutive block assists at the net to give the Huskers a 10-8 lead. This served as the catalyst for a 6-2 Nebraska run to give them a 13-10 lead.
The Huskers stayed in control for the rest of the set, but Michigan was still within reach for much of it. The Wolverines had managed to cut the deficit down to one at 19-18, but a kill by Allick sparked another late 5-1 run. Batenhorst capped off the run when she hammered a kill just in front of the opposite sideline. A service error by Michigan gave Nebraska the match at 25-20.
The Huskers combined for 41 kills and posted a .368 hitting percentage. Murray and Jackson each led the team with nine kills, and Jackson posted a .727 hitting percentage. Allick contributed with seven kills on a .700 clip and five blocks on the night.
“I thought the defense was pretty good,” head coach John Cook said postgame. “Anytime you have two middles hitting .700, something is being done right.”
With Wisconsin’s loss to Purdue on Friday, Nebraska also clinched a share of the Big Ten title — something it has not done since 2017.
“I asked Harper how old she was [in 2017]. She goes ‘12’,” Cook said postgame. “It’s harder than winning a national championship.”
The Big Ten champs will head to Iowa on Sunday to close out their season.