No. 1 Nebraska opened the 2026 season with a statement, sweeping No. 2 Texas 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in the inaugural Players Era Volleyball Showcase. The Huskers improved to 2-0. Texas fell to 2-2 in front of 9,747 fans. It was the programs’ first regular-season meeting since 2016 and the first Nebraska sweep in the series since that match.
Nebraska hit .293 as a team, finished with 10 blocks and served seven aces. Texas hit .152 and recorded no aces. Andi Jackson led Nebraska with nine kills on .571 hitting and added two blocks. Harper Murray had eight kills. Manaia Ogbechie posted seven kills and a match-high seven blocks. Teraya Sigler added seven kills, three blocks and two aces. Setter Bergen Reilly directed the offense and finished with 30 assists. Reilly, Sigler and Laney Choboy each served two aces. Cari Spears led Texas with 12 kills.
Texas jumped ahead 8-5 in the first set before Nebraska, with Reilly serving, ran off 10 straight points to seize control at 15-8 and close the set 25-19. The Longhorns led 4-1 in the second set, but Nebraska answered with a 6-0 run and again won 25-19. In the third set, Texas tied the score at 5-5. Nebraska then pulled away, winning eight of the next 11 rallies to lead 13-8 and finishing 25-16.
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said afterward that his team “came out and played steady but couldn’t sustain enough, and serving picked up.” Nebraska next plays Wednesday at South Dakota State. While it’s still early, the Huskers are clearly running extremely well together and look to make it two years in a row with a perfect regular season.
