No. 2 Nebraska swept sixth-ranked Wisconsin 25-21, 25-22, 25-17, Saturday night at the Devaney Center. The win was the Huskers’ 25th straight of the season and Nebraska’s 41st straight win at home.
It what was expected to be a hotly contested battle between two of the sport’s best, especially after the Huskers swept the Badgers in Madison Nov. 1. Instead, it was a rout that featured just six ties and four lead changes for the match. Nebraska’s stifling defense held Wisconsin to just .169.
In her final home regular season match, Merritt Beason led NU with 11 kills. Rebekah Allick celebrated her Senior Night with 10 kills on .667 hitting, while Harper Murray added nine kills. Andi Jackson had seven kills and five blocks as well for NU. Bergen Reilly led the Huskers with 36 set assists.
While the first set was a defensive slog, with Nebraska outhitting Wisconsin, .217-.182, the Huskers’ hitting percentage steadily climbed to .360 in the third set, while the Badgers hit .205 in set two and just .114 in the finale. Nebraska has won 27 of the last 28 sets and 41 of the last 44 sets.
The Huskers enter the final weekend of Big Ten play with a game-and-a-half lead in the Big Ten standings with two regular season matches to go. Penn State hosts Washington Sunday, then travels to Rutgers Wednesday, before the Huskers and Nittany Lions square off in NU’s penultimate game of the regular season Friday afternoon in State College. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. with pregame coverage at 3 p.m. on B-107.3.
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