Nebraska defeated Iowa State four sets to none with set scores of 25 to 17, 25 to 16, 25 to 16, and 26 to 24 in front of a crowd of 3,376 at the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday afternoon. Nebraska hit .360 while Iowa State hit .171. Skyler Pierce had eight kills and hit .889. Virginia Adriano added eight kills on .667 hitting. Teraya Sigler chipped in eight kills and hit .571. Harper Murray and Andi Jackson posted six and five kills, respectively.
Bergen Reilly played the first two sets and put up 17 assists with five digs, two kills, two blocks, and an ace in her return to her hometown. Campbell Flynn played the third and fourth sets and tallied 18 assists and six digs with a kill. Nebraska had 11 blocks, with Keoni Williams recording three solo blocks, and Kenna Cogill and Jackson also adding three blocks.
In the first set, Nebraska went up 13 to 6 with five early kills by Adriano before Iowa State cut it to 15 to 13 with a seven to two run. But Murray had two kills, with Ogbechie and Cogill each providing one to help Nebraska go ahead 20 to 15. Two more Adriano kills, and a block by Murray and Ogbechie helped Nebraska finish off a 25 to 17 win.
In the second set, three kills by Murray, three from Pierce, and a block and kill by Reilly helped the Huskers stake a 13 to 6 lead. The closest Iowa State would get is three at 17 to 14, but Pierce posted two more kills, and Reilly served an ace to please her hometown crowd and end the set, 25 to 16.
In the third set, the Huskers sprinted to an 8 to 3 lead with Jackson serving an ace as part of a three to zero run. Sigler’s third kill ended a three to zero Iowa State run and made it 12 to 8, and Jackson and Gabby DiVita added kills before an ace by Keri Leimbach made it 16 to 9. Two more kills by DiVita increased the lead to 21 to 12, and Ryan Hunter added a kill as the Huskers won 25 to 16.
In the fourth set, Nebraska trailed 12 to 10, but a kill by Sigler, a block by Hunter and Jackson, and two kills by Jackson paced the Huskers to a 14 to 12 lead. Jayden Robinson, Sigler and Williams notched kills as the Huskers went up 20 to 17. A back row kill from Sigler and a block and kill by Williams made it 23 to 19. Another Williams kill earned match point at 24 to 21, but the Cyclones scored three in a row to extend the set. But Hunter posted a kill and a block with Jackson to end the set and match, 26 to 24. Up next, the Huskers are back in action next Friday at 7 p.m. at Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha. That match will be televised on Nebraska Public Media.