Top ten teams meet: #2 Nebraska Volleyball meets #10 Purdue

#2 Nebraska (14-1) vs. #10 Purdue (12-3)

When: Friday, October 11, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (CT)

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Clock: B1G

Radio: Husker Radio Network

Live statistics

There is no such thing as a “regular” schedule in college volleyball anymore, but it certainly feels familiar to have a Friday and Saturday night game this weekend. Nebraska faces Purdue on Friday and Rutgers on Saturday.

Nebraska also had five days to prepare for this weekend. They last played at home against Iowa on Sunday, October 6th. Five full days to work, heal minor injuries, and prepare for a physical Boilermaker squad.

Purdue has victories over Kentucky and Minnesota. They have losses to Kansas, Creighton and Penn State. They didn't play a particularly demanding schedule in the first three weeks of the season. It was moderately challenging. Just before the start of the conference season, things kicked into high gear with games against Kentucky, Kansas and Creighton, all within six days.

Nebraska had a challenging schedule leading up to the conference. These early season games are a good opportunity for teams to hone, expand and test the hoops, if you will, before conference and national championship games where trophies are on the line.

At this point in the season, those early games have given you improvements, and what matters is that you carry those gifts with you for the rest of the season. You learn and improve from them.

The key gift that Nebraska needs to access during the game against Purdue was learned during the game against Creighton. In the third set of the Creighton match, Nebraska took its foot off the gas pedal. The Huskers faded midway through the third set and couldn't finish at the same level. The Bluejays won the third set by a score of 33-31 and then carried that momentum into the fourth set to win it, also 25-16.

Purdue is similar to Creighton in many ways; two strong outside attackers, very well trained, first-class serve and persistent players. They won't give up when they're two sets down. Keep execution high, maintain focus and finish the game before hitting the gas.

The key to a win over Purdue is good pass interception. Boilermakers have gained momentum in terms of service in recent weeks. During those weeks they defeated Minnesota in five sets, Northwestern in four sets and Michigan State in three. The key to their win against the Gophers was 17 service aces. Raven Colvin had seven aces and Ryan McAleer had six.

The good news is that Nebraska is the best passing team in the country both statistically and visually. If we only consider the margin of error (balls that are no longer playable after being passed), Nebraska is half a percent better than the next closest team, Pitt. Nebraska makes errors on just 3.5% of its passes, compared to 4-6% for the other top teams in the country.

Coach Cook says teams that win the serve and pass game win games. At the halfway point of the season, the Huskers are winning the passing game. What Purdue does well on the service line is sending teams a variety of hard serves.

Chloe Chicoine serves a jump-top spin serve, Colvin serves a flat-float serve, and McAleer moves her serve short and low toward passers like a game of yo-yo. Each server gives passersby a new look.

The Huskers have been practicing passing all types of serves this week and need to communicate when the servers take their turn. You see them doing this as the camera pans the serve. Lexi Rodriguez will tell Harper Murray, “I have your deep,” and Murray will respond, “I have your short.” They have passing lanes and angles that they practice. This communication, coupled with thousands of iterations on each type of server, will produce good results, Bergen Reilly thinks.

The second key is limited to the two outside hitters. Chicoine and Eva Hudson receive 60% of all Boilermaker sets. They also score 53% of the team's total kills. Obviously, limiting the number of their kills significantly reduces Purdue's chances of reaching 25 points for a win.

Raven Colvin in the middle and Kenna Wollard on the right can also score, but only in certain situations. Chicoine and Hudson are used in all sorts of situations, so Husker blockers will always be preparing for this set.

Colvin, Wollard and to a lesser extent the second midfielder, Lourdes Myers, receive well-positioned and timed sets. Nebraska's centers will track and follow their centers, but know that two-thirds of the time the set will go to Chicoine or Hudson, wherever they are.

#2 Nebraska (14-1)

#2 Bergen Reilly 6’1” SO Setter
#5 Rebekah Allick 6’4” JR MB
#6 Laney Choboy 5’3” SO DS/L
#7 Maisie Boesiger 5’6” JR DS/L
#8 Lexi Rodriguez 5'5″ SR DS/L
#9 Kennedy Orr 6’0” SR Setter
#10 Olivia Mauch 5’6” FR DS/L
#11 Leyla Blackwell 6’4” SR MB
#12 Taylor Landfair 6'5″ SR OH
#13 Merritt Beason 6'4″ SR OH
#15 Andi Jackson 6’3” SO MB
#21 Skyler Pierce 6’2” FR OH
#22 Lindsay Krause 6’4” SR OH
#27 Harper Murray 6’2” SO OH

#10 Purdue (12-3)

#1 Rachel Williams 5'7'' R/FR DS
#2 Chloe Chicoine 5'10'' SO OH
#3 Ryan McAleer 5'6'' FR DS
#4 Kenna Wollard 6'1'' SO OH
#5 Taylor Anderson 6'1'' SO setter
#6 Sienna Foster 5'9'' FR DS
#7 Raven Colvin 6'1'' SR MB
#8 Raven Gray 6'1'' SR OH/RS
#9 Lourdes Myers 6'3'' R/SR MB
#10 Ali Hornung 5'10'' SR DS
#11 Allie Shondell 5'10'' FR Setter
#14 Grace Heaney 6'2'' SO RS
#15 Lizzie Carr 6'6'' R/SO MB
#17 Eva Hudson 6'1'' JR OH
#19 Sydney Yim 6'1'' SR setter
#21 Julia Kane 5'11'' SO DS
#22 Emily Rastovski 6'2'' R/JR OH