The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team opened the 2024 season the way it wants to end the year: with a win at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.
The Huskers defeated No. 9 Kentucky in four sets at the site of this year’s Final Four thanks to a monster performance from the middle blockers.
The Huskers defeated the Wildcats 25-21, 22-25, 25-15 and 25-20 in the first game of the 2024 Division I season as part of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. Nebraska controlled the game with a big block, getting 18 stops to hold the Wildcats to .139 hitting.
“We knew their offense was very fast, and we had to be really good at having all four hands and seeing our attackers really well,” Rebekah Allick told ESPN2 after the game. “We worked really hard to make sure our bodies were in the right place so our hands could do the right thing.”
Allick recorded her first career double-double to lead the Huskers, adding 11 kills for a .667 hitting average and tying her career-high with 12 blocks, including two solo blocks.
“Rebekah was fantastic, killing balls,” assistant coach Jaylen Reyes said on the Huskers Radio Network. “The big incentive for her was that she’s already a really good defender and a really, really good blocker. It’s just a matter of can she be an offensive threat. And there were moments where she carried us. And she blew match point. When she runs great routes and finds a lot of space and gets up quick and ready to hit, she’s physical and stuff. I thought her mentality when she went on the attack was on point tonight where she was super aggressive but controlled.
“She was in control of what she was doing. She knows where she needs to be when she needs to be there. And hopefully this isn’t just a random blip, but more of a trend.”
Merritt Beason tied Allick with 11 kills and contributed eight digs and six blocks, but her seven attack errors caused her hit percentage to drop to .114. Andi Jackson reached double figures with 10 kills, .412 hits and five blocks.
Bergen Reilly also had a double-double with 39 assists and 11 digs to lead Nebraska to a .258 hitting percentage. Lexi Rodriguez led the Huskers with 15 digs.
Cook opted to compete with the same starting lineup he used at the start of last season, leaving transfers Taylor Landfair and Leyla Blackwell on the bench. Landfair played briefly in the second set as a substitute for Lindsay Krause, but did not get to bat. Blackwell did not play. Freshman Olivia Mauch was the first substitute off the Nebraska bench, playing in the back row for Krause, while sophomore Laney Choboy filled in for Harper Murray in the first three sets and Beason in the fourth. Kennedi Orr served for Jackson.
The Huskers fell behind early in the first set, conceding a 6-0 run as Nebraska’s offense took some time to get going. However, the Huskers eventually got into the game and tied it a couple of times before pulling away with a 4-0 run that included two kills and a block assist from Krause. The Huskers held the lead until the end, closing with a 3-0 run that included a game-winning kill from Krause on Kentucky’s block.
The Huskers started much faster in the second set, taking a 10-4 lead with a 9-2 run, but Nebraska faded from there as the Wildcats turned the tables in the second set. Kentucky caught up, tied, and took the lead, but the Huskers could not get back in front and Kentucky tied the game at 1-1. Nebraska’s offense collapsed in the second set as the Huskers posted a .054 batting average.
“I came in and coach talked about that communication aspect,” Reyes said of the team talk during the break. “We’ve been practicing echolocation quite a bit, so we make sure we call all of our sets early, at least three times. So that was a big message. And then, honestly … after the first, second set, we only had three service errors, which is really good, but I didn’t feel like we served very hard. And I think we came out and we all as a team tightened up the serve a little bit, laid it on a little bit more, flattened it a little bit, and I think we weakened them a little bit on passing.”
After an up-and-down start in the third set, Orr served up a 7-0 run capped off with an ace to put the Huskers ahead 15-6. The Huskers dominated the rest of the game. Nebraska recorded six blocks and held the Wildcats to .000 hitting with 11 errors to take the lead.
Nebraska’s dominance at the net continued in the fourth set, as the Huskers scored four more blocks in the first ten rallies to take an 8-2 lead. The Wildcats were able to reduce their deficit to two points at one point, but the Huskers never relinquished the lead and sealed the deal when Allick finished off the match point with a worthy finish.
The Huskers recorded seven more blocks in the fourth set and held Kentucky to .061 hitting.
In the second game of the First Serve Showcase, Wisconsin (No. 3) faced Louisville (No. 6).
Nebraska returns home to open the season with the Ameritas Players Challenge on Friday at the Devaney Center.
