No. 10 Nebraska (22-7, 15-4 Big Ten) took care of business quickly Friday night, sweeping Campbell 25-14, 14, 17 to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskers hit .272 for the match, eclipsing .300 in both of the first two sets. The Big South Conference Champions, meanwhile, were held to negative hitting on the night, only going positive in the third set with .032.
“I thought we came out firing the ball around a little bit, and we passed great tonight,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “Anytime you hold someone to a negative hitting percentage, your defense has done a good job.”
Cook managed to get 14 players into the match. All 14 either recorded an attack or an assist.
Lauren Stivrins led a balanced Husker attack with nine kills on .412 hitting. Kayla Caffey and Madi Kubik were right behind with seven kills each.
“I think it feels good to get it the first match under our belts and just get started and get going,” Caffey said. “We have worked so hard to get to this point. It just feels good to get going.”
Nicklin Hames passed out 37 assists, adding seven digs.
The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez added to her already historic season. Rodriguez finished with 10 digs, giving her 452 on the season. That mark pushes her past Kenzie Knuckles for the most digs in a freshman season at Nebraska.
Nebraska plays Florida State Saturday in the second round. The Seminoles beat Kansas State in straight sets earlier in the day.
“We have seen them play. We are prepared,” Cook said. “We will put that in tomorrow at practice and video and go play.
“In the tournament, you cannot prepare for three teams, but we are used to playing a match and then you have to prepare the very next day for a team, so this is standard procedure for us.”