Wednesday night’s #5 Nebraska-Stanford match was expected to be a rock fight.
Instead, the 9-1 Huskers dominated over the #2 Cardinal in a sweep, 25-17, 25-22, 25-17.
“I thought our team came out attacking,” Nebraska Head Coach John Cook said. “We really wore them down in Game 3. It’s a great effort on our side, and we’ll take it.”
The first set was back and forth, with the Huskers taking an 8-2 lead when Stanford called its first timeout. Nebraska would continue to dominate in the first set, hitting .406 in the set and forcing the Cardinal to take their second timeout at the 18-11 mark.
After jumping out to a 8-2 lead in set 2, the Cardinal would return to their true form in the second set, as Stanford would start to make way for their first lead of the match, forcing Nebraska to take a timeout down 8-6. The Stanford run would extend to eight points, and Nebraska would play in the second set playing from behind, but not out of reach. Stanford would only lead by as much as three points in the second set, and Nebraska would go on a run of their own, going on a 4-0 run to retake the lead, 20-18. The Huskers were outhit in the second set by Stanford, as the Cardinal hit .116 to Nebraska’s .093.
The third set was all Nebraska without question. Nebraska would hit .400 and lead the Cardinal 23-10 at one point after a pair of Harper Murray aces and Stanford burning their timeouts early in the set to try and stifle Nebraska’s momentum.
The Huskers were led by Andi Jackson and Lindsay Krause with 9 kills apiece, with Jackson adding five blocks and an ace. Harper Murray and Lexi Rodriguez both had two service aces. Bergen Reilly hit .667 on 4 kills on the night.
The Huskers held Stanford to .100 hitting, with the Cardinal going .062 in the third set. It was Stanford’s first loss of the season.
Nebraska will travel to the Bluegrass State for a matchup with #4 Louisville Sunday morning at 11:30. The Cardinals defeated 11th-ranked Kentucky in 4 sets tonight to move to 8-1 overall. KGFW will air Husker Volleyball immediately after the Kearney First United Methodist Church service.
POSTGAME AUDIO
Nebraska Head Coach John Cook:
OH Merritt Beason and MB Andi Jackson
