Huskers defeat Bruins in conference opener – University of Nebraska

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team defeated the UCLA Bruins 3-1 (25-22, 25-10, 23-25, 25-22) on Friday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in front of 8,846 spectators.

The Huskers (11-1, 1-0 Big Ten) hit .246 and recorded 13 blocks on the night, while UCLA (6-4, 0-1 Big Ten) hit .153. The win was the 700th win for Nebraska head coach John Cook at Nebraska.

Taylor Landfair came off the bench and posted a season-high 13 kills on 29 swings for a .414 hitting percentage and four blocks. Andi Jackson also recorded 13 kills with a .409 hitting percentage and six blocks. Merritt Beason and Harper Murray each had nine kills and Rebekah Allick contributed seven. Allick hit a team-high .538.

Bergen Reilly recorded 42 assists and 13 digs with four blocks for the Huskers. Lexi Rodriguez had 20 digs and Olivia Mauch eight.

Cheridyn Leverette led the Bruins with 17 kills on 48 shots. Anna Dodson had eight blocks for UCLA.

Set 1: Two Murray kills gave Nebraska a 6-4 lead early in the set. UCLA continued to fight and the Huskers' lead was never more than two early. Allick's second and third kills gave NU an 11-9 lead, but the Bruins took a 15-13 lead at the media timeout after a 4-0 run. Nebraska responded with a 4-0 run to regain a 17-15 lead, with Jackson recording a kill and Reilly and Allick adding a block. A Landfair kill made it 18-16 for Nebraska, but UCLA went ahead 19-18 with a 3-0 run. After a timeout, Landfair, Beason and Murray responded with kills to lead 21-19. Jackson put the ball down to give the Huskers the lead (24-22), and a Landfair kill secured the set after a long test.

Set 2: The Huskers took a 7-2 lead in the second set, powered by a Reilly ace and a block from Beason and Jackson. NU went on a 3-0 run and extended the lead to 10-4. Two kills each from Murray and Jackson and a block from Beason/Jackson were part of a 7-0 run that helped the Huskers take a 21-8 lead. Jackson and Landfair combined for the Huskers' seventh block of the game, putting NU on set point. A Reilly setter dump ended the 25-10 set win. NU hit .611 in the second set and finished at 100 percent. The Huskers held the Bruins to -.033 hitting in the second set.

Set 3: Two kills from Jackson and a Reilly/Allick block gave the Big Red a 9-4 lead in the third set. Two consecutive Bruin hitting errors increased the NU lead to 15-8, and Reilly's second kill brought the score to 17-9. Landfair tallied her season-high ninth kill to give Nebraska a 20-13 lead and force a UCLA timeout. Nebraska led 22-14 when UCLA went on a 10-0 run to take set point at 24-22 and the Bruins won the set 25-23.

Set 4: Landfair got her 10th kill and the Huskers took an 8-7 lead in the fourth set. An Orr ace, a Reilly solo and an Allick/Landfair block gave NU a 12-9 lead. Nebraska and UCLA battled back and forth, and the score was tied 18-18 before the Big Red took a 20-18 lead after a UCLA service error and another Landfair kill. Beason got her ninth kill to secure match point at 24-22, and Jackson and Landfair combined for the Huskers' 13th block of the night. Nebraska won the set 25-22 and the game 3-1.

Next up: The Huskers will face the No. 20 USC Trojans on Sunday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network, with audio coverage from the Huskers Radio Network.