No. 1 Nebraska volleyball swept Ohio State on Saturday night to complete a perfect regular season for the third time in program history.
The Huskers stand at 30-0, including 20-0 in Big Ten Play, and are the sixth Big Ten team all-time to sweep the regular season.
“I think it’s super difficult, especially with the amount of competition in our gym, and you think that can create some pressure and some doubt,” Coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “I just think that the team handled it so well, and the leadership was great. Our whole group of upperclassmen, not just the seniors, not just that junior class, the group of them really took charge of the leadership in different ways, and it wasn’t always the captains, it wasn’t always the juniors. It was just really a group effort by them to make sure we stay focused and the right goal in mind.”
The Huskers swept the Buckeyes 25-16, 25-13, 25-20 on a night devoted to the team’s four seniors — Rebekah Allick, Taylor Landfair, Maisie Boesiger and Allie Sczech. Busboom Kelly gave all four the start, with Boesiger wearing the libero jersey for the first time.
“This was a perfect storm — a night we could do it, it felt like she’d earned it, she plays great in practice, every time she’s come in a match this year I think she’s passed great,” Busboom Kelly said of the walk-on from Norris High School. “Again, the timing was right, and I think when you can reward somebody who has always, always, always, put the team first and actually give them a moment, as a coach, you should do it.
“It was pretty special to see her play libero. Honestly, we had Liv [Mauch] in the libero jersey too, just in case things didn’t go well, and there was never even a moment where it’s like, ‘Oh, we should think about putting Liv in,’ and Maisie just killed it and played great.”
Boesiger posted a match- and career-high 13 digs and five assists as Nebraska held Ohio State to .174 hitting.
Maisie Boesiger makes a diving dig during Nebraska’s sweep of Ohio State on senior night. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“I was so excited and just so grateful,” Boesiger said. “I have loved Nebraska volleyball my whole life, and once again, it was just like a dream come true. I just wanted to take in every single minute. It kind of felt like the stadium match where I woke up and I was like, ‘OK, I need to enjoy every second today,’ and that’s kind of how I went into this day feeling.”
Allick added seven kills on .500 hitting and four blocks, Landfair chipped in four kills on 11 swings and Sczech added six kills on 12 attacks plus three blocks.
“It was so fun,” Sczech said. “Putting on a Nebraska jersey from the start is a dream, and just to be able to get to celebrate it tonight with some of the best people ever, I think it’s just always fun. Like I said, putting on the jersey is fun every single night, and so I think just remembering that blessing, and I think tonight, being able to just kind of highlight that was awesome.”
Nebraska hit .435 in the sweep, with Bergen Reilly dishing out 27 assists and Campbell Flynn adding nine off the bench. Harper Murray led the attack with nine kills while Andi Jackson added eight kills on 10 errorless swings in two sets. She hit .559 in conference play, breaking Penn State middle blocker Arielle Wilson’s Big Ten record of .541 set in 2008.
Boesiger served a 6-0 run early in set one to put Nebraska in the driver’s seat, where the Huskers remained the rest of the way.
“It was fun,” Boesiger said. “When you’re not just coming in as someone who’s a serve sub, you can feel the confidence to go for it a little bit more, whereas when you’re a serve sub, it’s kind of like you have to nail the serve. So it was fun just to be able to go for it.”
Nebraska used a 3-0 spurt to double up the Buckeyes midway through at 14-7 and gradually pulled away from there.
Leading 18-10, Busboom Kelly used the double-sub to get Flynn and Virginia Adriano run the rest of the way. Adriano served an ace off the tape to give Nebraska set point, her seventh ace in a 10-set span. Landfair finished it off two plays later with a kill.
Nebraska hit .367 and held Ohio State to .103. Murray led the way with five kills while Jackson went 4-for-4. Boesiger posted a match-high five digs in the set.
Boesiger again set the tone in set two. Ohio struck first again, but Nebraska responded with a 6-0 run including a pair of overpass kills off tough Boesiger serves. Murray served a 5-0 run soon after including an ace to push the lead to 10 at 13-3, and the Huskers cruised from there.
Boesiger served another 5-0 run late in the set to extend the lead to 23-12, then Flynn checked in on set point two rallies later and dropped an ace off the tape.
“They were fired up,” Busboom Kelly said of the reaction to Boesiger’s serving runs. “I told Maisie, if she’s going to play ‘bero, she had to go for it tonight on her serve, no more just serving to zone six. I think she only had one serve to zone six, so she did an excellent job and multiple runs tonight.”
Nebraska hit .522 as Murray and Jackson notched four more kills apiece, and the Huskers held Ohio State to .071.
Busboom Kelly switched to a 6-2 in set three, with the two setters and opposite hitters splitting time throughout. Manaia Ogbechie also replaced Jackson, and Skyler Pierce checked in midway through for Murray.
The Buckeyes found a rhythm offensively, hitting over .300 for the set and making it interesting late. They cut Nebraska’s lead to 20-19, forcing a Husker timeout. However, Ogbechie put down back-to-back kills out of the break to trigger a 4-0 run, including an ace from Pierce. Reilly called her own number on match point to complete Nebraska’s 19th sweep of Big Ten play.
Maisie Boesiger serves the ball against Ohio State. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“That was awesome, to see Skyler go back there and serve and go on a four-point run,” Busboom Kelly said. “I was just telling her probably last week that she’s the second-most improved server on the team, and it was great. That’s a high-pressure moment, and we’re thinking, ‘OK, this is kind of a tough situation, we’re out of subs, really. We don’t, obviously, want to lose a set to Ohio State to finish it off.’ And she nailed those serves too.
“So we’re just really proud of her response there and that group. Maisie made that great play on the setter dump, so just really good plays to finish that set.”
Nebraska hit .436 in the third despite the lineup changes as Ogbechie made the most of her playing time once again with five kills on six errorless swings. Allick matched her with five kills on seven swings while Adriano went 4-for-5. Ohio State hit .314 with 15 kills, but Nebraska terminated 20 times.
After the match, the program honored its seniors, with most of the fans remaining the share in the moment.
“It’s really special to do it at Nebraska,” Busboom Kelly said. “I just think the fans and the amount of people that stay and celebrate, and people aren’t rushing out of their seats, so that’s what makes it even more special in Nebraska.”
Now the Huskers await their path to Kansas City and the Final Four. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT Sunday on ESPNU.
“I’ve been saying the same type of stuff all season,” Busboom Kelly said. “They’ve been really consistent with their mindset going into practice every day. They’ve been super competitive. They find ways to compete, which has allowed us to continue improve when we’re already playing at a high level. So they’re really ready for the tournament, and now it’s a new season.
“Everybody has zero wins, zero losses, so we’re going to try to be the first and the best to six wins.”
