The 10th-seeded Nebraska volleyball team (23-7) heads to the Lone Star State this weekend for its 10th straight NCAA Regional appearance, Thursday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 11, in Austin, Texas. The Huskers face Big Ten peer Illinois on Thursday, with first serve set for 8:30 p.m. at Gregory Gym.
With a win, Nebraska would advance to Saturday’s regional final against the winner of the Washington-Texas semifinal (Thursday at 6:30 p.m.). The regional final match is set for 9 p.m.
Tourney Time
• Nebraska was selected as the No. 10 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament, which secured its 40th straight NCAA Tournament appearance — second most in NCAA history, behind only Penn State (41).
• Nebraska is 120-34 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.779).
• Nebraska (154) and Stanford (164) are the only programs in NCAA history to play 150 NCAA Tournament matches.
• NU is 30-6 all-time in NCAA Regional Semifinal matches.
• A win over Illinois would send Nebraska an NCAA Regional Final for the 10th consecutive season and the 31st time in program history
Scouting the Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois is 22-11 on the season after defeating West Virginia in the first round, 3-1, last Friday and No. 7 Kentucky in the second round, 3-1, last Saturday. Raina Terry led the Illini with 27 kills, and Megan Cooney added 17 more. Diana Brown dished out 52 assists in leading Illinois to a .331 team hitting percentage.
Illinois heads into its 19th NCAA Regional appearance this weekend and its third under head coach Chris Tamas.
Noting the Series: vs. Illinois
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Illinois 31-8-1, including 18-3 in the John Cook era. The Huskers have won six straight in the series dating back to 2018, and they look for their fifth consecutive sweep of UI Thursday night. NU has an 7-0-1 advantage over Illinois on a neutral court and have a 4-2 edge in the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskers last met Illinois in the postseason on Dec. 13, 2018, winning 3-2 in the national semifinal in Minneapolis.
Thursday’s match between Nebraska and Illinois will be broadcast on KBBN 95.3 FM with coverage on the Huskers Radio Network beginning at 8 p.m.
