LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 6 Nebraska volleyball team completed the regular season with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-19) victory against Ohio State in front of 8,170 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Saturday night.
NU finished the regular season at 25-4 overall and 17-3 in the Big Ten, which put them in a three-way tie for second place in the final standings with Penn State and Minnesota, one game behind league champion Wisconsin.
Lexi Sun had 12 kills to lead the Huskers, while Callie Schwarzenbach had seven kills without an error for a .636 hitting percentage. Madi Kubik added seven kills and 12 digs, and Jazz Sweet had five kills and three blocks.
Nebraska hit .242 and held Ohio State to .086 hitting. The Huskers out-blocked the Buckeyes 9-6 and committed eight fewer service errors to offset being out-killed 36-34 on the night. It marked the Huskers’ first victory while recording fewer kills since a Sept. 7 win at San Diego.
Nicklin Hames had 24 assists and 12 digs, while Kenzie Knuckles added 10 digs. Lauren Stivrins led the defensive effort with six blocks.
Gabby Gonzales had 10 kills for Ohio State (15-17, 8-12 Big Ten).
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will take place on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU. Should the Huskers be selected as one of the top 16 seeds, they would host the first and seconds rounds next Friday and Saturday at the Devaney Center.
Set 1: After the Huskers got off to a 4-1 start, Ohio State scored four in a row to go up 5-4. NU answered with kills by Sweet, Kubik and Hames, and a solo block by Stivrins put the Huskers ahead 11-7. Two kills and an ace brought the Buckeyes back within 11-10, but Stivrins and Hames stopped the run with a block. Five kills by Sun and one by Schwarzenbach then propelled the Huskers to a 20-11 lead after an 8-0 run. After Ohio State ended the run, Sun and Schwarzenbach picked up where they left off with another pair of kills to make it 22-12. The Huskers won 25-15, getting six kills from Sun on eight swings. NU held Ohio State to -.025 hitting in the first set.
Set 2: The second set began with a kill by Sun, and a block and kill by Schwarzenbach. Another block by Sweet and Stivrins put Nebraska ahead 6-3, and Stivrins terminated a pair of kills and added a solo block as the Huskers doubled up OSU at 12-6. Schwarzenbach teamed up with Sun and Sweet for back-to-back blocks, and Sun pounded her eighth kill to help the Huskers to an 18-7 lead after a 6-0 run. The Huskers surrendered a 6-1 run to the Buckeyes after taking a 22-10 lead, but NU completed the win, 25-16.
Set 3: Ohio State got off to its best start of the night, taking an 11-8 lead with eight kills on .412 hitting to that point. The Huskers scored five in a row, including two kills by Sweet, to go up 13-11. However, Ohio State answered with a 4-1 spurt to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. Kubik swung a pair of kills, and Sweet had one as well as the Huskers reclaimed a 17-16 advantage. Stivrins and Hames teamed up for a block, and then Stivrins and Kubik combined on the next rally for another block to help the Huskers go ahead 20-16. NU finished off the sweep, 25-19.
