The No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team faced off against the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season at the UW Field House on Friday.
Both teams fell just short of the national championship last season, the Badgers losing to the Texas Longhorns in the semifinal matchup and the Huskers falling to the Longhorns in the championship match. Both teams have their sights set on championship aspirations this year.
The Badgers came into the match with an impressive 8-0 home record and hadn’t lost at the UW Field House since they were narrowly defeated by Pittsburgh in five sets on Dec. 10, 2022. Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers have been on a roll, boasting a 17-game winning streak, with their only loss of the season coming in an away game against No. 12 Southern Methodist University.
The Badgers tried to control Nebraska's high-powered offense at the net. The Huskers are currently ranked seventh in the nation for kills per set (14.34) and eighth for assists per set (13.27). Andi Jackson is the main threat for this offense, leading the nation in kill percentage at .472, while Bergen Reilly supports with an impressive 11.25 assists per set, ranking fourth nationally. Wisconsin aimed to counter with their strong net presence, ranking second in the nation in blocks per set at 3.08, just behind No. 4 Louisville.
The first set featured a competitive back-and-forth between the teams. Wisconsin initially set the tone, taking a slight 6-4 lead with kills from senior outside hitter Julia Orzol and senior middle blocker Anna Smrek. Nebraska responded, going on a 5-1 run led by Merrit Beason and Rebekah Allick that put them ahead 10-8. The Badgers fought back to tie the game at 15 with another kill from Orzol.
But Nebraska took control of the pace and went on a three-point run highlighted by a service ace from Kennedi Orr, prompting Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield to call a timeout at 18-15. The Badgers continued to score but struggled to string together multiple points, as Nebraska consistently answered back. Beason closed out the 25-21 set with a kill. Nebraska recorded six blocks more than double what they average a set.
In the second set, both teams applied pressure at the net. Wisconsin held a 6-5 lead, but the Huskers went on a 7-1 run fueled by three straight attack errors from the Badgers, who were feeling the pressure at the net after Nebraska's dominant first-set showing. But unlike the first set, Wisconsin was able to chain together some points, going on a 9-1 run led by multiple blocks from Smrek, Orzol, freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer and fifth-year middle blocker CC Crawford that gave them a 17-14 lead.
Nebraska wasn’t done, as they responded with a run to tie the game at 20. The Huskers showcased their scoring versatility during a final 4-0 run, featuring an ace, a kill and a block from four different players. Junior middle blocker Carter Booth scored for Wisconsin, but Beason recorded a kill for Nebraska, taking the set and putting the Badgers behind by two sets in the match.
The third set began with Nebraska jumping out to a quick 7-2 lead that included two more service aces and exposed Wisconsin's ongoing struggles with serve reception. The Badgers fought back, taking a 10-9 lead on a run of their own. From there, Nebraska strung together points and stopped Wisconsin from doing the same, gradually increasing their lead. Two of the final points came from Wisconsin attack errors, highlighting the pressure the Huskers put on their opponents throughout the night.
From a statistical standpoint, the match was quite close, with both teams recording the same number of assists. Nebraska had slight edges in blocks and digs, but the only notable difference came from serving, as the Huskers registered five aces to Wisconsin's two. Ultimately, Nebraska won the game due to their ability to chain points together — they had 10 runs of three or more consecutive points compared to Wisconsin's five.
With this loss, the Badgers fall to 9-2 in conference play and remain third in the Big Ten behind Penn State and Nebraska.
