Top-ranked Nebraska volleyball extended its home dominance and capped a two-win week against top-15 opponents by sweeping No. 7 Wisconsin in straight sets on Saturday night at John Cook Arena, fueled by a season-high 20 kills from Harper Murray.
A sold-out crowd of 10,497 fans packed the Bob Devaney Sports Center for the annual blackout match, creating an atmosphere that Coach Dani Busboom Kelly described as electric from the opening whistle. Nebraska returned to Lincoln following a demanding road stretch on the East Coast that included straight-set sweeps over No. 16 Penn State, Maryland, and No. 15 Indiana.
Harper Murray Dominates Wisconsin Offensively
Murray finished the night with 20 kills on a scorching .471 hitting percentage while chipping in four digs and three blocks, leading Nebraska past a Badger team that arrived in Lincoln riding a seven-match win streak. Wisconsin held the No. 7 spot in the national rankings after recording a four-set conference win over Minnesota and a three-set sweep over Illinois, and the visitors put up a formidable fight in the opening frame before Nebraska pulled out a 25-23 win.
Setter Bergen Reilly orchestrated the attack with 39 assists, helping the Cornhuskers finish with a .396 team hitting percentage. Andi Jackson added 11 kills on .400 hitting in the middle, marking her sixth double-digit output of the season, and Teraya Sigler contributed nine kills on .533 hitting plus three blocks.
“It feels great. It was an awesome atmosphere tonight, and I thought Indiana was a great atmosphere too. So just to sweep two ranked teams, one on the road, one at home, I think it makes a statement that we’re playing great, but we all know there’s another level there and some fun things we can sprinkle in as this season continues to go on.”
Dani Busboom Kelly, Coach
Nebraska Defense and Net Play Secure the Sweep
Nebraska’s back row and block dismantled the Badger attack by out-dug Wisconsin 44 to 28, including 35 to 20 in the first two sets, and holding the visitors to a .171 hitting percentage while out-blocking them nine to two.
The young Badgers fought through tight stretches, taking an 18-17 lead late in the first set and pulling within one at 24-23, before Nebraska closed out every crucial rally. Wisconsin Head Coach Kelly Sheffield acknowledged the caliber of his team’s opponent after the match.
“I thought we played really well in spurts. What we did tonight would have been good enough to beat just about everybody in the country — just about. This was great for learning, that we can get back to work and we got this at the front of our heads. This is the standard.”
Kelly Sheffield, Head Coach
Historical Streaks and Upcoming Conference Tests
The Cornhuskers secured their fifth consecutive victory over the Badgers, improving to 17-0 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten play.
Wisconsin dropped to 11-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play with the loss, falling to 13-25-1 all-time against Nebraska in program history. Nebraska now looks ahead to another conference road test on Thursday, Oct. 15, when the team travels to face Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in a match set for 7 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.