The finish line is in sight for No. 2 Nebraska volleyball, but in order to claim another Big Ten title, the Huskers will have to go through the two teams right on their heels in the race in No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 4 Penn State.
“There are a lot of things on the line,” Coach John Cook said. “There’s the Big Ten championship, there are postseason implications, there’s a chance to play two top-five teams in a week or six days. So this is the time of year where you’re trying to play your best volleyball, and these are going to be great challenges. Hopefully our team is going to rise up, and that helps us build momentum into understanding what it’s going to take when we go into the postseason.”
The challenging stretch run begins on Saturday night as the Huskers (27-1, 17-0 Big Ten) host the Badgers (21-5, 15-2) for a rematch. Nebraska beat Wisconsin in the UW Field House for the first time in years back on Nov. 1.
“After that game, we were really proud of ourselves, especially at Wisconsin,” Lexi Rodriguez said. “It’s a hard place to play in, and it’s a hard place to win in, and we left there and we had executed our game plan. We were very good offensively, Bergen [Reilly] ran the show and our defense showed up. So I think it just showed that when we’re all at our best and when we’re flowing together as a team on both ends, I think we’re pretty close to unbeatable. It was really cool to see us kind of come together after, I wouldn’t say bad matches, but maybe not some of our best matches, and play a top-10 opponent and kind of really dominate. So it was a really cool win, for sure.”
The Huskers won 3-0 and hit .202 against a stout Badger defense, slightly winning the blocking battle against one of the tallest teams in the country. Nebraska had a difficult time dealing with Wisconsin’s block in past meetings.
“It’s just making good decisions, Bergen putting the ball in a good spot so we can take advantage of having range when we hit, as opposed to setting balls that are hard to hit or give the block an advantage,” Coach John Cook said. “So it’s just executing what we do. We train against that all the time, because to win these big matches, you’re going to go against physical blockers in our conference.”
Since the loss to Nebraska, Wisconsin has won five straight, including a five-set thriller over No. 16 Minnesota on Wednesday. The Badgers won 20-18 in the fifth despite hitting .158 for the match. The Badgers have been without libero Lola Schumacher and defensive specialist Gulce Guctekin for the past couple games because of injury. Cook isn’t worried about the past, however.
“The game has no memory, so we shouldn’t have a memory either,” Cook said. “It doesn’t matter what we did there or what happened the first time. The game has no memory. It’s a new game.”
Wisconsin is leading the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.298) and is second in opponent hitting percentage. Nebraska is second on offense (.296) and first on defense (.150). Wisconsin is also leading the conference in blocking at 3.06 per set.
Outside hitter Sarah Franklin, the 2023 National Player of the Year, is averaging 4.43 kills per set on .297 hitting while the 6-foot-9 Anna Smrek is contributing .293 kills per set on .317 hitting and 1.24 digs per set.
“I think we’re really preparing for another hard matchup,” Rodriguez said. “Just because we beat them the first time doesn’t mean that it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re going to do it again.’ We know it’s going to be a battle. They’re a great team and they have great coaches. They’re going to make adjustments from last game, so we’ve got to be prepared to do the same thing and come in with the same mindset that we’re going to have to take it, we’re going to have to win close games, and ultimately, it might come down to two points in the fifth set, you never know. So I think we’re kind of preparing for a long, hard-fought match.”
The Badgers got the better of the Huskers for a long time before last year’s clash of unbeatens in Lincoln, but the Huskers still lead the series 21-14-1 including 11-4 in Lincoln. The Huskers have won 40 straight matches at home, the longest active streak in Division I volleyball.
“I think that rivalry is awesome,” Rodriguez said. “It’s two historic volleyball programs and two amazing teams year after year in the Big Ten. I think when we come together, it’s just great for the sport of volleyball. It’s a rivalry that I feel like a lot of people want to watch and a lot of people are invested in, and getting to be a part of that, and a part of just really fun, exciting volleyball matches has been definitely some highlighting parts of my volleyball career. If it’s the last one, if it’s not, it’s going to be fun. They’re a great, physical team, so it’ll be a great challenge for us.”
Saturday will also be the final home match of the regular season. The Nebraska volleyball program will honor five departing seniors after the match: Rodriguez, outside hitter Lindsay Krause, setter Kennedi Orr, opposite hitter Merritt Beason and middle blocker Leyla Blackwell.
“They’re my best friends,” Rodriguez said. “Lindsay and Kenna have been here from the start, so just so much growth with them and so many memories with them. And then Merritt and Leyla were perfect additions to this historic program, and they’ve been able to leave their legacy as just amazing human beings and great people. I think all five of us just worked really hard to leave this program better than we found it, and I feel like every single person did that in their own way, whether it’s being a great teammate, being a great leader. Everyone has something that they’re going to be remembered by.”
First serve is set for 7:10 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network with Larry Punteney and Emily Ehman on the call.
