Huskers Face A&M-Corpus Christi, TCU in Ameritas Players Challenge
MATCH PREVIEW
• Nebraska will host the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this weekend. The Huskers will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday at 7 p.m. in their home opener, and NU will also play TCU on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
• Other matches in the Ameritas Players Challenge include TCU vs. Oklahoma on Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Oklahoma on Saturday at 1 p.m.
• Friday’s match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will be televised on Nebraska Public Media and streamed on B1G+. Saturday’s match against TCU will only be streamed on B1G+.
• Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
• Parking is available for purchase online through UNL Parking & Transit Services (unl.parkmobile.io). Fans are encouraged to purchase parking online in advance. Volleyball season parking passes will be honored for use on home football crossover days.
BASH AT THE BOB
• Fans are invited to take part in Bash at the Bob on Friday from 4-7 p.m., outside the South entrance of the Devaney Center. Sponsored by Ameritas, Midwest Dairy and 1890 Nebraska, Bash at the Bob will feature inflatables, face painting, games, prizes and more. Fans also will have an opportunity to take pictures with the 2023 Big Ten Championship trophy. The Huskers Shop and concessions will be available at the event. Reminder: Cash transactions will not be allowed at the Devaney Center this season. Only cards will be accepted at the ticket office, concession stands and team stores. Apple Pay and Google Pay will not be accepted at the ticket office.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska opened the college volleyball season with a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-20) win over No. 9 Kentucky at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., on Tuesday night.
• The Huskers had 18 blocks in the match, which was their most in a match since 2018.
• Rebekah Allick led the way with 11 kills on .667 hitting to go with 12 blocks, which tied her career high. Allick was named Best Middle Blocker and MVP of the AVCA First Serve Showcase.
• Bergen Reilly was named Best Setter, dishing out 39 assists with 11 digs to lead the Huskers to their season-opening win.
• Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas in Tampa, Fla.
• The Huskers won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2017, and head coach John Cook was named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.
• With four freshmen in the lineup, the Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season.
• The Huskers, who had no seniors on their roster in 2023, return 10 letterwinners, including every starter.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason (first team), libero Lexi Rodriguez (first team), setter Bergen Reilly (second team) and outside hitter Harper Murray (third team) were AVCA All-America selections in 2023.
• Beason was the AVCA North Region Player of the Year, and Murray was both the AVCA North Region and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year, and Rodriguez was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time.
• The Huskers bring back 86.5 percent of their kills from 2023, 99.7 percent of their assists, 100 percent of their service aces, 96.2 percent of their digs and 79.4 percent of their blocks.
SCOUTING REPORT: TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 22-10 last season and finished second in the Southland Conference with a 16-2 mark.
• The Islanders are led by seniors Kyndal Payne and Leah Stolfus. Payne, a 5-11 outside hitter, is a two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year, averaging 3.95 kills per set last season. Stolfus, a 6-0 middle blocker, hit .361 in 2023 and averaged 3.06 kills per set.
SCOUTING REPORT: TCU
• TCU finished 17-15 (8-10 Big 12) last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament after upsetting Florida State, 3-1. The Horned Frogs were picked fourth in this year’s Big 12 Preseason Poll.
• TCU is led by 5-11 outside hitter Melanie Parra, who was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year. Parra was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection last year after averaging 4.38 kills per set last year to rank 17th nationally. Junior outside hitter Jalyn Gibson was also a Preseason All-Big 12 selection after 3.24 kills per set last season.
SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska won its only meeting against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3-0, on Aug. 26, 2022 at the Devaney Center.
• NU is also 1-0 against TCU. The win was a sweep on Dec. 3, 2016 in the NCAA Tournament second round at the Devaney Center.
HALL OF FAME COACH COOK IN YEAR 25 AT NU
• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 25th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2024. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 13 conference championships and 22 top-10 final rankings since 2000.
• Cook has 851 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .873 win percentage (690-100).
• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 68 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.
• In 2023, Cook was voted AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA regional finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s 24 years at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.
• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.
RODRIGUEZ AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT NU LIBEROS
• Lexi Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball history.
• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.
• Rodriguez made her mark instantly as a freshman in 2021, earning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Over the last two seasons, Rodriguez has guided the Huskers to the No. 1 defense in the country, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year again in 2023 to become the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive the honor twice in a career.
• Rodriguez has 1,439 career digs, which ranks fifth in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in assists at NU with 1,890.
BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason made an instant impact on the Nebraska volleyball program after transferring from Florida in 2023, and she will look to take the next step in her senior season as a second-year captain.
• Last year, Beason put together a sensational season, earning AVCA first-team All-America honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year, becoming just the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that honor.
• Beason averaged a team-leading 3.76 kills per set on .282 hitting with 2.05 digs per set. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 23 after averaging 4.25 kills per set and 1.75 digs per set in wins against Northwestern and top-ranked Wisconsin.
• Beason was the MVP of the NCAA Lincoln Regional after 19 kills, 11 digs and a career-high eight blocks in a regional final win over Arkansas.
KRAUSE LOOKING TO PICK UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
• Outside hitter Lindsay Krause was having the best year of her Husker career in 2023 before it ended in mid-October with an ankle injury. At the time of her injury, Krause was averaging 2.50 kills per set and was hitting .285 for the season.
• Not only that, Krause was putting up 2.82 kills per set on .366 hitting through six Big Ten matches, which led all Big Ten outside hitters in conference action at the time.
• Krause was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 9 following a season-high 15 kills on .519 hitting at Michigan and nine kills on .381 hitting at Michigan State.
FRESHMEN TURNED SOPHOMORES
• Nebraska relied on four true freshmen in the 2023 season and all four are back as sophomores ready to elevate their games to new levels.
• Setter Bergen Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, becoming the first freshman to win the award since it originated in 2012. Reilly was also an AVCA second-team All-American and an All-Big Ten first-team selection. Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set and received four Big Ten Setter of the Week honors and two Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades.
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is coming off a freshman season that included being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year and AVCA All-America Third Team. Murray finished second on the team with 3.23 kills per set, the highest kills per set average by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. One of the Big Ten’s best six-rotation players, Murray also added 2.07 digs per set with a team-high 36 aces. She was a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson showed enormous athleticisim and potential the first time she stepped on the floor as a Husker, and she followed through with a strong debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. Jackson averaged 2.01 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set with a .399 hitting percentage, which ranked third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation. Her hitting percentage was the best ever by a Husker freshman and ranked seventh all-time in the rally scoring era. Along with Reilly, Jackson helped the U.S. U21 National Team win the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto this summer, hitting .654 throughout the tournament with 39 kills and 10 blocks.
• Laney Choboy played in 34 matches rotating in for the Big Red in 2023, averaging 1.82 digs per set with 37 assists and 14 aces. Known for her high-energy play, the 5-3 defensive specialist unofficially led the team in highlight-reel saves.
ALLICK ON A BLOCKING TEAR
• Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten second-team selection. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second among Big Ten players and seven in the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was also the No. 2 mark in school history in the rally scoring era.
• Allick was at her best at the end of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas and 10 blocks in the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh.
• In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 while tying her career high with 12 blocks.
• Over her last seven matches played (including the final six matches of the 2023 season), Allick has averaged 2.50 blocks per set with double-digit blocks in four of the seven.
REILLY, JACKSON LEAD U.S. U21 TEAM TO GOLD
• Nebraska sophomores Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson led the U.S. U21 National Team to the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto, Canada in June. Nebraska assistant coach Jaylen Reyes served as an assistant coach for the U21 National Team.
• The U.S. swept Puerto Rico 25-12, 25-16, 25-16 in the final to finish the tournament without dropping a set in five matches. Jackson finished with nine kills, three blocks and one ace, while Reilly set the U.S. to a .464 hitting percentage.
• In other international competition, Nebraska seniors Merritt Beason, Taylor Landfair and Lexi Rodriguez took the silver medal at the NORCECA Final Six as the U.S. National Team fell to Dominican Republic in five sets. The U.S. National Team - comprising only college players for this tournament - went toe-to-toe with the senior national team of the Dominican Republic. Beason had a team-high 14 kills in the final, while Rodriguez had 10 digs.
THREE HUSKERS EARN SILVER AT PARIS OLYMPICS
• The U.S. Women’s Volleyball National Team earned the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in August as they fell to Italy, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) in the final.
• Three players on the U.S. National Team - Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson Cook and Justine Wong-Orantes - represented Nebraska throughout the competition. In the final, Wong-Orantes put up 15 digs for Team USA, and Larson had five kills.
• Larson earned her fourth career Olympic medal, tied for the most all-time by a women’s volleyball player. Robinson Cook collected her third Olympics medal, and Wong-Orantes now has a gold and a silver medal.
• The U.S. women have won one Olympic gold medal (2020), four silver medals (1984, 2008, 2012, 2024) and two bronze medals (1992 and 2016).
• Larson, who was a three-time All-American at Nebraska while lettering from 2005-08, competed in her fourth straight Olympics. She is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Huskers in 2024.
• Robinson Cook, an All-American at NU in 2013, was also a member of the bronze-medal winning team in 2016 and gold-medal winning team in 2020, while two-time All-American Wong-Orantes (2013-16) made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020.
HUSKERS ADD TWO TALENTED FRESHMEN
• Nebraska signed two freshmen in its 2024 class, libero Olivia Mauch and outside hitter Skyler Pierce.
• Mauch, a 5-6 libero from Bennington, Neb., was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey. Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals twice. She was the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. Mauch also trained with the U.S. U21 National Team in June 2024 in Anaheim, Calif.
• Pierce, a 6-2 outside hitter from Lenexa, Kan., also has major international experience with the U.S. National Team program, having competed at the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championships. Pierce starred at Olathe Northwest, where she averaged 4.6 kills per set with a .402 hitting percentage to go along with 230 digs, 67 aces and 43 blocks in her senior season in which the Ravens finished third at the Kansas 6A state tournament. Pierce was an AVCA first-team High School All-American and th MetroKC Volleyball Player of the Year.
BLACKWELL, LANDFAIR JOIN HUSKERS
• Nebraska brought in two new additions via the transfer portal in the offseason in Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair and San Diego middle blocker Leyla Blackwell.
• Landfair, a 6-5 outside hitter from Plainfield, Ill., is a senior for the Huskers but has two years of eligibility remaining after receiving a medical hardship for the 2021 season. Landfair was the Big Ten Player of the Year and an AVCA first-team All-American in 2022 at Minnesota after 4.36 kills per set on .257 hitting with 1.63 digs per set. She had a career-high 28 kills in a win over Oregon and was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week, as well as the AVCA North Region Player of the Year. Last season, Landfair earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the third time and averaged 3.19 kills and 2.03 digs per set.
• Blackwell, a 6-4 middle blocker from San Diego, Calif., was a three-time All-WCC selection at San Diego and averaged 2.25 kills and 1.24 blocks per set with a .329 hitting percentage last season. Blackwell guided the Toreros to the NCAA Semifinals in 2022 by shattering the school record for single-season block assists (152), and she finished sixth nationally at 1.50 blocks per set. Blackwell has Big Ten experience as she began her career at Indiana in 2020-21 and led the team in blocking and hitting percentage.
FIVE HUSKERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• Five student-athletes from the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
• Merritt Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were unanimous selections to the 18-player Preseason All-Big Ten Team. They were joined by Taylor Landfair, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly on the team. All five players were All-Big Ten selections in 2023. Seventeen of the 18 players on the team were either All-Big Ten or All-Pac 12 First Team selections last season. NU’s five selections were the most for any team in the conference; no one else had more than three.
• The coaches picked Nebraska as the top team in the preseason poll. The Huskers won their fourth Big Ten title in 2023 with a 19-1 conference record. Nebraska finished the season at 33-2 and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas in Tampa, Fla. Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota rounded out the top five, followed by three of the conference’s newcomers in Oregon, USC and UCLA.