Challenge: answered.
After falling in the first two sets to No. 7 Kentucky, No. 1 Nebraska rebounded to win the next three sets and the match, 24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23 and 15-9 Sunday in Nashville, Tenn. The win moves the Cornhuskers to 4-0, with three wins against top-10 opponents, despite not having played a match on their home floor yet.
Harper Murray led Nebraska with a career-high 23 kills on .340 hitting. The Huskers’ middle blockers were especially active, with Rebekah Allick tallying 10 kills and eight blocks, while Andi Jackson added 10 kills and four blocks. Bergen Reilly had 46 set assists and led the team with 18 digs. Brooklyn DeLeye led Kentucky with 23 kills, while UK (1-1) setter Ava Sarafa tied for the team lead with six blocks while notching 43 set assists.
Nebraska and Kentucky traded points the first four rallies of set five, but then the Cornhuskers ran the next three points. The second of the three was a spectacular back-row attack from Murray for her career-high tying 22nd kill of the match. A setter dump kill by Bergen Reilly gave NU a three-point lead and forced the Wildcats’ timeout. A Taylor Landfair block made it a four-point run to push the lead to 6-2. Three straight UK points cut the lead to 6-5, but a service error bolstered the Huskers’ lead to two. That began a run of five Nebraska points in seven rallies to give NU an 11-7 lead and to force Kentucky to take its second and final timeout of the fifth set. Teraya Sigler tallied an ace and Rebekah Allick and Murray combined on a block to pull Nebraska within two points of the match win. After a UK point, Murray hammered home her career high 24th kill from the left pin. The Huskers clinched the match with an ace from Olivia Mauch.
Nebraska controlled the first set early, building a 13-8 lead. But Kentucky responded, scoring eight of the next 11 rallies to tie the set at 16. The set remained close from there, but with the set tied at 22, the Wildcats won four of the final six rallies to capture the first.
In the second, the Cornhuskers opened a 6-3 lead, but Kentucky responded with seven of the next points to build a 10-7 lead. Nebraska responded with five of the next six points to take a 12-11 lead and force a Wildcats timeout. After the Huskers took a 19-18 lead, Kentucky ran seven of the next eight points to capture the second set by five.
Nebraska took control of the third set midway through by winning seven of nine rallies to take a 16-12 lead. Four more straight points pushed the set to the brink. After two unsuccessful set points, Rebekah Allick terminated to clinch the set for NU, her seventh kill of the match.
In the fourth set, Nebraska ran out to an 11-6 lead. A Husker run of six out of eight points pushed the NU lead to 18-13. But the Wildcats responded, winning six of the next seven rallied to tie the set at 19. The set was tied at 20 and 21, but Nebraska won four of next six points, punctuating the rally with an Andi Jackson kill off a slide from the right pin.
Nebraska returns to action in its first match at John Cook Arena this season, as the Huskers take on Wright State Friday night at 7 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. on KLIN and B-107.3.