The Big Ten title race typically comes down to the final week of conference play, but No. 1 Nebraska volleyball is doing all it can to wrap things up a bit earlier.
Purdue isn’t too far behind the Huskers with a 14-6 record, but the Boilermakers have tough tests remaining with trips to No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 20 Minnesota and a home finale against No. 18 Indiana.
However, not only is Nebraska 14-0 in league play (and 24-0 overall), the Huskers haven’t dropped a single set in league play and have swept 20 of their 24 opponents overall this season. Harper Murray said she’s not surprised.
“I think we know what we’re capable of, and I think it’s shown by not losing a set,” Murray said. “I think the Big Ten play has been a lot different than it’s been in the past few years, and it’s a lot different than what we’ve seen, so I think we’re just adjusting to that. We’re excited to go to UCLA and USC. I think those will be some good games, and I think, if anything, those will be the two teams out of the past few weeks that could test us and take a set potentially. But obviously that’s not the goal. We want to finish that in three per usual.”
This is year two of the 18-team Big Ten featuring the former Pac-12 schools from the west coast. Last season, UCLA and California visited Lincoln, and now the Huskers are making the return trip, presenting a different kind of experience from most of the conference road weekends.
“You’re two time zones away, way longer flight,” Coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “I don’t know if anybody on our team has ever played in these arenas, so I think there are a lot of new challenges … Of course, there’ll be a lot of Husker fans, but I’m guessing it’s a lot of just volleyball general fans too, that aren’t necessarily diehard, so that’s always a good thing, though, too.”
Despite the challenges, Busboom Kelly said this trip is one she’s been looking forward to, and the Huskers plan to make the most of the extra time the Huskers have in California by leaving on Wednesday and using the day in between the matches to experience Los Angeles.
“I’ve never been played at either of these places indoor, just done beach at USC,” Busboom Kelly said. “This time of year, it’s supposed to be great weather here this weekend, of course, but you’re expecting colder weather in California to be nice, and so I think getting out of town to a nice climate is always good in the middle of the season, too. And we’ll get to do some extra things. We’re leaving a day early, and that ended up being a great call because of flights and the government shutdown, so we shouldn’t have any issues. We’ll get to do some stuff on Thursday, and then the day off in between we won’t just be sitting in our hotels.”
A transfer-heavy UCLA team has been hanging around the edge of the top 25 for much of the season while USC is currently ranked 17th. Beyond the talent level, Murray is expecting the style of play for west coast teams to stress the Huskers.
“A lot of those girls probably grew up playing beach, and I think a lot of them might see the game a little bit differently,” Murray said. “I think we’re used to past-set-hit, and I think they’re good at rallying and jamming and finding new ways to score, probably different than what we’ve seen, because I feel like we’re just used to pass-set-hit and then it be done …
“Two sold-out crowds, I believe, and that’s always going to be fun, and that’s always a little bit nerve-wracking, just going to an away game in away gyms and playing against teams that have sold-out crowds. It’s going to be exciting, but I do think that those are two really good teams.”
UCLA is 14-10 including 8-6 in Big Ten play. The Bruins are only 15th in hitting percentage at 219, but they’re fourth in opponent hitting at .190 and are second in digs at 14.15 per game, speaking to the style of play Murray mentioned.
Cheridyn Leverette leads the attack at 3.69 kills per set on .228 hitting while Wisconsin transfer libero Lola Schumacher is leading the Big Ten in digs by a significant margin at 4.26 per set. Bubsoom Kelly will see a familiar face across the net as former Louisville middle blocker Phekran “PK” Kong is spending her final season with the Bruins, though injury has limited her to seven appearances so far this season.
The Trojans are 19-5 including 10-4 in Big Ten play. Like UCLA, they’re scrappy defensively and are third in the league in opponent hitting (.180). London Wijay is the team’s top attacker, averaging 3.47 kills per set on .266 hitting. Freshman Abigail Mullen, who Nebraska recruited before she chose the Trojans, is averaging 2.90 kill per set on .206 hitting and is fourth in the Big Ten with 41 aces (0.44 per set). Papillion-La Vista alumna Mia Tvrdy transferred to USC after the coaching change at Oregon and is averaging 2.31 kills per set on .279 hitting and 1.17 blocks per set as a sophomore.
“They’re both really good,” Busboom Kelly said of the California schools. “UCLA, they have been up and down, but they have the players, individuals that could start on a lot of teams, but they do play a lot of different players. I think USC is rolling, and they’re young, but super talented, and they’re playing great as well. I feel like this time of the year there are teams getting better and teams that are pretty stagnant, and I feel like both these teams are getting better and playing well right now.”
It’s fair to say Nebraska is playing well as well after seeing three players earn weekly Big Ten honors. Andia Jackson is the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week, Bergen Reilly is the Setter of the Week and Laney Choboy is the Defensive Player of the Week. If passing numbers were taken into account, the Huskers could have made it a clean sweep as Teraya Sigler posted the best passing grade in the country for an outside hitter last week at 2.78 while passing 19 serves without an error.
NCAAVB Top Receiving Outside Hitters x Week 1⃣1⃣🔥 pic.twitter.com/xoLNPVIObU
— Avid (@AvidVolley) November 11, 2025
“I think the more you play, the more confident you get, and that is how Teraya has gotten more and more confident,” Busboom Kelly said. “I think she knows teams are going to go after her because she’s a freshman, so being able to deliver and stay strong mentally, and when you make a mistake, she does a great job of not compacting mistakes; it’s one and then the next pass will be great, then teams start to get off her. So she’s just done a great job of working through the mental part of volleyball, where you’re not going to play perfect, and that’s paying off for her too. It’s huge when she can post numbers like that.”
Sigler and the rest of the Huskers will look to keep it rolling this weekend. Friday’s match at UCLA is set for a 9 p.m. CT start in the 13,800-seat Pauley Pavilion on Big Ten Network with Paul Sunderland and Holly McPeak on the call.
Sunday’s tilt with USC will take place at a sold-out, 10,258-seat Galen Center, which will break USC’s all-time attendance record of 7,303. First serve is set for 2 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
