There’s a new No. 1 in college volleyball
Photo: Claire Zimmerman
In perhaps the biggest, most anticipated college volleyball matchup of the year of No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Nebraska, the Cornhuskers emerged victorious in the five-set thriller.
The battle of the two remaining undefeated programs in the NCAA was held at the Devaney Center on Saturday night, and led to Nebraska snapping Wisconsin’s 18-game win streak. This match was a re-match of the 2021 national title game, between the two most dominant teams in the league, and it definitely lived up to the hype.
Before Saturday night, the Badgers held a ten-game winning streak over the Cornhuskers, tracking back to 2017, but this match ended the streak and left Nebraska with a 19-0 season record and 9-0 conference record.
Following this match, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds switched for the first time all season.
With yet another record breaking crowd for Nebraska Volleyball, clocking in at 9,198 fans and 1,200 students camping out all day, the atmosphere in Devaney Center was buzzing.
It was a match for the ages tonight,” said Nebraska coach John Cook. “Two great teams battling every point… we just happened to find a way to be two points better.”
Nebraska took the first set 25-22, but dropped the following two sets to the Badgers 25-17 and 25-20. Nebraska came back swinging to take the fourth set 26-24 and the decisive fifth set 15-13 following a net violation by Wisconsin.
“It was an epic volleyball match in a great environment. The level of play was really, really exceptional on both sides– big time slugfest back and forth,” said Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield.
Major takeaways from the match:
Wisconsin dominated the net and out-blocked Nebraska throughout the match 36-13, racking up 12 blocks in the second set alone. The Badger’s height and aggressiveness proved to be an obstacle for the Cornhuskers.
Anna Smrek standing at 6’ 9”, Carter Booth at 6′ 7” and Caroline Crawford at 6’ 3” were defensive forces to be reckoned with at the net.
Nebraska totaled 44 hitting errors throughout the match, many of which were balls sent deep or wide in an effort to avoid Wisconsin’s big block. Wisconsin hit .217 and Nebraska hit .130 on average in the five sets. Despite the errors, Nebraska still had more kills (69) than Wisconsin (52).
“Having 44 errors and finding a way to win just speaks how our team is we’re going to find a way even in the ugly,” said Merritt Beason.
Nebraska hit over .500 in the fifth set.
Wisconsin committed three net violations in the fifth set, one of which was on match point. John Cook challenged the point (which was originally awarded to Wisconsin), the challenge was successful, and the match ended on a net violation call on Sarah Franklin.
“We had three net violations in the fifth set, and you just can’t have that,” said Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield.
Nebraska’s Harper Murray, the top-ranked outside hitter in the nation, struggled throughout the match but stepped up alongside her other freshman teammates for a dominant fifth set.
Freshman Laney Choboy proved to be a big difference maker in the match, despite not showing up in the stats. Her serves, passes and digs, created the momentum needed for the Cornhuskers to secure the win.
Looking ahead:
There is no doubt that this match on Saturday night was monumental for the sport of volleyball. Both teams have been breaking attendance records left and right, and not only have dominated the Big 10, but the entire NCAA league. Both Wisconsin and Nebraksa are primary contributors to the growth of the game as a whole.
This match attracted 612,000 viewers, which broke the record for the most watched regular season volleyball match on Big Ten Network. (The previous record was also held by a 2022 match between the two teams).
These two programs will likely remain at the top of the rankings for the remainder of the season, and will face off again at the UW Fieldhouse on November 24th. This will be the final time they play before the postseason begins and the Big 10 title will likely be in contention.
While the Saturday night match doesn’t hold much weight in the grand scheme of the season, it may be a preview of matches to come, especially if they face off in the NCAA tournament in December.
