NEB VB: vs. Rutgers & Ohio State Preview & Notes

Friday, Sept. 25 – No. 1 Nebraska vs. Rutgers

First Serve: 7 p.m.

TV/Streaming: Nebraska Public Media/B1G+

Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers App, Huskers Radio Network

Saturday, Sept. 26 – No. 1 Nebraska vs. Ohio State

First Serve: 8 p.m.

TV/Streaming: BTN/FoxSports

Radio: Huskers.com, Huskers App, Huskers Radio Network

 Follow the Match

• Friday’s match against Rutgers can be seen on Nebraska Public Media/B1G+, with Larry Punteney and Jordan Larson on the call. 

•Larry Punteney and Allie Sczech will be on the call for Saturday’s match vs. Ohio State on BTN.

• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App.

 Nebraska vs. Rutgers

• Through 17 all-time meetings, Nebraska holds a commanding 16-1 lead in the series against Rutgers.

•The Huskers have won 16 consecutive matches against the Scarlet Knights since falling to Rutgers in their first all-time meeting in 1978.

Nebraska vs. Ohio State

• Nebraska leads the all-time series with a 21-10 record against Ohio State.

• The Big Red have a three-match win streak against the Buckeyes after falling to Ohio State in four sets in Columbus in 2022.

Huskers at No. 1 in Latest AVCA Poll

• The Nebraska volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll released on Sept. 21.

• The Huskers collected 1,560 points in the poll and came in ahead of No. 2 Pitt (1,527), No. 3 Kentucky (1,440), No. 4 Louisville (1,373) and No. 5 SMU (1,279). Nebraska got 48 first-place votes, followed by Pitt with the remaining 15.

• It marks Nebraska’s 128th week all-time at No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the most of any program in the nation.

Huskers off to 11-0 Start for The 17th Time

• With an 11-0 start, the Huskers have posted an unbeaten record through the first 11 matches of a season for the 17th time in program history.

• This is the first time the Big Red have recorded consecutive 11-0 starts since a four-season run from 2005-08.

•Of the 17 seasons with an 11-0 start, 10 have reached an unblemished mark through 15 matches.

NU Dominant in Conference openers since 2000

• Entering this week’s Big Ten opener against Rutgers, Nebraska has won 13 straight conference openers dating back to a 3-1 loss at Penn State in 2012.

• Since 2000, the Huskers are 25-1 in conference openers, including 13 straight victories at home.

• In those 25 wins, Nebraska has only played in five sets three times and not since a 3-2 road victory at Illinois to open the 2019 Big Ten slate.

• This will be the fifth straight Big Ten opener Nebraska has played at home. Last season, the Big Red defeated Michigan 3-0.

Home Sweet Home

• Nebraska has won 53 regular-season home matches in a row at the Devaney Center, going back to the start of the 2023 campaign.

•The Huskers had a 63-match home win streak snapped in the Regional Final against No. 6 Texas A&M. It is tied for the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history.

• The Huskers’ recent home court win streak was their longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013, and it’s the tied for the second-longest home court win streak in program history.

• Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 90 matches from 2004-09. Nebraska also won 63 straight at home from 1999-2002.

• Penn State holds the all-time record of 94 from 2006-10.

• The Huskers went 22-0 at home in 2024, a school record for home wins in a season.

NU Sets Devaney Center Record vs. No. 25 UNC

• Against No. 25 North Carolina last Friday, the Huskers finished with 13 service aces, the most for any team at the Bob Devaney Sports Center since moving to the arena in the 2013 season.

• Overall, it was the most aces in a match for the Big Red since tallying 14 against Alabama A&M in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005. That match was played at the NU Coliseum.

• It was a balanced attack at the service line, as Laney Choboy, Olivia Mauch, and Teraya Sigler all recorded three aces to lead the team. Andi Jackson and Harper Murray also had two each.

Mauch Enters Rare Double-Double Club

• Junior Olivia Mauch became the fourth Husker libero in the rally-scoring era to record a double-double after totaling a career-high 17 digs and 10 assists vs. FGCU last weekend.

• With her career day, Mauch joined Lexi Rodriguez, Kenzie Maloney and Kayla Banwarth as the only Husker liberos to record a double-double since 2001.

Block Party for the Big Red

• Through 11 matches, Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally with an average of 2.89 blocks per set.

• NU finished with nine blocks in a 3-0 win against Missouri on Wednesday - its eighth match with nine or more blocks this season.

• Manaia Ogbechie leads the Huskers with 42 blocks while averaging 1.35 per set. Andi Jackson ranks second on the Big Red with 38 blocks, which included a season-high-tying six against the Tigers on Wednesday.

• Last Sunday against FGCU, Nebraska finished with 16 blocks - the most in a match for the Huskers since recording 20 at Maryland in 2024.

• Nebraska is averaging 3.07 blocks per set in its last four matches, which includes wins over then-No. 20 Creighton and No. 25 North Carolina. 

• Ogbechie (1.35, 7th) and Jackson (1.27, 9th) both rank in the top 10 in the conference in blocks per set through Wednesday. 

• As a team, Nebraska has five matches with 10 or more blocks this season, helping the Huskers hold opponents a .081 hitting percentage.

Acing the Test Through First Four Weeks

• Nebraska has recorded 74 service aces through 11 matches after totaling a program-record 70 aces in the first 10 matches of the season.

• The 70 aces surpass the previous high of 67 set in 2002, followed by 65 in 2003, 64 in 2018 and 63 in 2000.

• Additionally, the Big Red are one of six P4 programs to post a point differential greater than +40 at the service line as of Thursday.

NU’s Two-Way Dominance

• After leading the country in hitting percentage and opposing hitting percentage last season, Nebraska became the first team to finish first nationally in both categories since at least 2014, the NCAA’s first season tracking opposing hitting percentages.

• The Husker offense hit at a school-record pace of .351 and hit over .400 in nine matches last season, which is a school record in the rally-scoring era.

• The NU defense has led the nation in opponent hitting percentage three times in the last four seasons (2022, 2023 and 2025) after limiting opponents to a pace of .129 in 2025.

• Through 11 matches in 2026, Nebraska leads the country with an opposing hitting percentage of .081 after holding Missouri to a season-low .020 hitting percentage. It is the seventh time this season the Huskers have held their opponent under .100 hitting.

• As of Thursday, the Huskers are the only team in the country holding their opponents to a hitting percentage below .100. The next closest team is Lehigh, who is limiting opponents to a clip of .104.

• The Huskers are hitting .318 as a team this season, which ranks seventh nationally. Nebraska is one of 13 teams nationally hitting over .300.

• With Nebraska’s hit percentage of .318 and opposing clip of .081, the Huskers own a margin of +.237 to lead the country.

• Nebraska and Michigan State are the only two teams in the country that own a margin of +.200 or greater as of Thursday.

NU’s Race to the Red Zone

• Nebraska is 129-0 in sets under head coach Dani Busboom Kelly when reaching the red zone (20 points) first.

• The Huskers are 33-0 when reaching the red zone first in 2026 after posting a 96-0 mark last season.

Big Red on the Run

• Nebraska has recorded 31 runs of five-plus unanswered points through 11 matches this season, highlighted by a season-long streak of 12 against FGCU and 10 consecutive points vs. No. 2 Texas and New Mexico.

• The Huskers have scored five consecutive points on 17 occasions, six straight points six times, a seven-point streak twice, two eight-point runs, a nine-point streak and three runs of 10-or-more points.

Dynamic Duo in the Middle

• Andi Jackson and Manaia Ogbechie have led the Big Red at the net and on offense this season.

•Jackson ranks eighth nationally with a .479 hitting percentage, while Ogbechie is attacking at a .435 clip and sits 16th nationally as of Thursday. They are the only pair of teammates in the Power Four to rank inside the top 16 nationally in hit percentage.

• On Wednesday against Missouri, Jackson hit a season-best .667 with 10 kills and zero errors on 15 swings (10-0-15). She has hit .500 or better (min. 10 att.) six times in 11 matches.

• Ogbechie hit .778 (7-0-9) against the Tigers Wednesday. Against Baylor on Sept. 11, she hit .571 with 12 kills and zero errors on 21 attempts. In matches with 10 or more swings, Ogbechie has hit above .500 three times.

NU Offense Racking Up .400 Sets in Last Two Seasons

• As of Thursday, Nebraska ranks seventh nationally with a .318 hitting percentage. The Big Red have hit .300 or greater in all but four matches this season.

• On Wednesday against Missouri, the Big Red hit above .400 in the first and third set to fuel a dominant sweep, attacking at a .448 (15-2-29) clip in the first  set and at .400 (13-1-30) in the third.

• This season, Nebraska has 13 sets hitting .400 or greater. Dating back to the beginning of Dani Busboom Kelly’s tenure last season, the Huskers have hit .400 or greater in 54 of 147 sets played, or 36.7 percent of sets.

• Last season’s total of 41 sets of .400 or greater rose from 30 in the 2024 season, where the Huskers hit .400 or greater in 30 of 122 sets (.246).

Murray one of 11 Active Players in 1,250-100 Club

• Senior Harper Murray is one of 11 active DI players with at least 1,250 career kills and 100 service aces.

•Murray sits sixth in program history in career kills and aces in the rally-scoring era with 1,282 kills and 120 aces.

• Additionally, Murray is one of five P4 players with at least 1,250 kills and 100 aces, joining Olivia Babcock (Pitt), Kennedy Martin (Penn State), Brooklyn DeLeye (Kentucky) and Kamryn Gibadlo (Utah).

Busboom Kelly vs. Ranked Opponents

• Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly is 59-28 against ranked opponents in her 10 seasons as a head coach at Louisville and Nebraska.

•At Nebraska, Busboom Kelly is 17-1 against ranked foes in two seasons after going 13-1 last season and holding a 4-0 mark vs. ranked teams in 2026.

• Busboom Kelly totaled a 29-13 record vs. ranked opponents in her final three seasons at Louisville before joining Nebraska in 2025.

Big Red Response Under DBK

• Nebraska has dropped 13 combined sets in the last two seasons and is 10-2 in the following set under Busboom Kelly.

• In those 12 following sets, the Huskers are hitting at a prolific pace of .372 with 163 kills and 38 errors in 336 swings.

• Defensively, the Big Red are stifling the opponents to a .153 hitting percentage after a set loss and have forced 72 errors across 385 swings.