MATCH PREVIEW
• The Nebraska volleyball team was selected as the No. 2 overall seed for the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship and will host the first and second rounds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this Friday and Saturday.
• The Huskers, making their 43rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance and hosting the first round for the 39th time, will open the tournament on Friday at 7 p.m. against Florida A&M (27-6), champions of the SWAC. The 4:30 p.m. match will feature Miami (21-10) of the ACC and South Dakota State (27-2) of the Summit League. Friday’s winners will meet in the second round on Saturday at 7 p.m.
• All first and second round matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast the Nebraska matches on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska (29-2) won its 36th all-time conference title and fifth Big Ten title with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play. The Huskers went back-to-back as Big Ten champions for the second time, also accomplishing that feat in 2016 and 2017.
• The Huskers’ 29 regular-season wins tied the 1983 school record for most wins in a regular season in the NCAA era.
• Nebraska won 25 matches in a row after a Sept. 3 loss at SMU. Of those 25 wins, 20 were sweeps. NU’s win streak ended on Nov. 29 in a 3-1 loss at No. 4 Penn State.
• Nebraska is 7-1 against top-10 teams this season, which is the most top-10 wins in a regular season in school history.
• Nebraska is 11-1 against ranked foes this season.
• After the Sept. 3 loss at SMU, Nebraska won 27 straight sets on the road until the Nov. 29 loss at No. 4 Penn State.
• The Huskers rank 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .288.
• The Huskers rank eighth nationally and first in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage at .148. NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in 2022 and 2023.
• Nebraska ranks 11th nationally in kills per set (14.20).
NEBRASKA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
• Nebraska is making its 43rd NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskers rank second all-time in NCAA Tournament appearances and in consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (43).
• Nebraska is 130-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.780).
• NU has won its last 36 first-round matches dating back to 1984.
• Nebraska has won 22 consecutive home NCAA Tournament matches dating back to 2013, tied for the longest postseason home win streak in program history set from 1995 to 2002.
• Overall, Nebraska has won 41 consecutive home matches dating back to Dec. 1, 2022. The Huskers own the nation’s longest home winning streak, and the streak is the longest since Nebraska moved into the Devaney Center in 2013.
• John Cook is 89-20 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach, and he is 97-25 overall in his career. Only Russ Rose (106) has more career postseason wins.
• The Huskers have reached six of the last nine NCAA Semifinals, including winning NCAA Championships in 2015 and 2017. Nebraska also won national titles in 1995, 2000 and 2006.
• This year’s NCAA Championship is set for December 19-22 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., where the Huskers already have won two times this season against No. 9 Kentucky on Aug. 27 and No. 4 Louisville on Sept. 22.
ROTATION RUNDOWN
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is the team leader in kills at 3.28 per set, and also in aces with 30. One of the top six-rotation players in the Big Ten, Murray adds 2.28 digs per set.
• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is second on the team in kills at 2.99 per set, and the two-year captain also contributes 1.24 digs per set and 25 aces.
• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.58 kills per set with a .442 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth in the nation and first among Big Ten players.
• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.78 kills per set on .346 hitting with 1.38 blocks per set. Allick has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks at No. 8 with 387.
• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.12 assists per set, which ranks eighth in the nation and leads all Big Ten players. She also adds 2.89 digs per set and has 20 aces. Reilly has 15 double-doubles and was named Big Ten Setter of the Year for the second straight year.
• The 2024 Big Ten Libero of the Year, Lexi Rodriguez leads the Husker back row with 3.80 digs per set. Rodriguez ranks No. 2 in school history in career digs with 1,819, needing to get to 1,891 for the career record.
SCOUTING REPORT: FLORIDA A&M
• Florida A&M (27-6, 16-0 SWAC) won the SWAC Tournament for the third time in four years to qualify for its 13th all-time NCAA Tournament. The Rattlers were in the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Tournaments, falling at Florida in the first round both years.
• Brooke Lynn Watts is the team leader in kills with 3.65 per set, and she has a team-high 37 service aces. Iyonnie Sanford contributes 2.66 kills per set.
• The Rattlers rank sixth in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.142) and fifth in aces per set (2.11).
SCOUTING REPORT: MIAMI
• Miami (21-10, 12-8 ACC) secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row. Miami advanced to the second round last year before falling to Wisconsin.
• The Hurricanes were in Lincoln for the NCAA First Round in 2022, falling to Kansas 3-0.
• Miami’s résumé includes high-profile five-set wins this season at then-No. 1 Texas on Sept. 7 and against No. 5 Stanford on Nov. 1.
• Flormarie Heredia Colon ranks second in the ACC and 35th in the nation with 4.30 kills per set. Grace Lopez adds 3.54 kills per set.
SCOUTING REPORT: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
• South Dakota State (27-2, 15-1 Summit League) earned an at-large bid after winning the Summit League regular-season title. This will be the Jackrabbits’ second NCAA Tournament appearance in the Division I era and first since 2007.
• Sylvie Zgonc, the Summit League Player of the Year, leads the Jacks with 4.41 kills per set, which ranks 25th nationally. Sydni Schetnan adds 2.50 kills per set and 1.28 blocks per set.
• South Dakota State ranks 10th nationally in blocks per set with 2.77. The Jackrabbits are strong defensively with an opponent hitting percentage of .160, which ranks 15th in the country.
