No. 1 Nebraska set a Bob Devaney Sports Center record with 13 aces Friday night and beat No. 25 North Carolina 25-14, 20-25, 25-21, 25-10 at John Cook Arena. The Huskers improved to 9-0. The Tar Heels fell to 4-3.
The 13 aces were a season high and Nebraska’s most since 14 against Alabama A&M in 2005. Laney Choboy, Olivia Mauch and Teraya Sigler each served three. Harper Murray and Andi Jackson added two apiece.
Nebraska controlled Set 1 from a 6-1 run that made it 10-4. North Carolina got no closer than five after 12-7. The Huskers hit .261, blocked four and held UNC to .000 in a 25-14 win. Set 2 was the Huskers’ second set loss of the season. Nebraska led 16-14 before Carolina ran off five straight to 22-18 and closed 25-20 on a Chelsea Thorpe kill. The third set turned after UNC led 12-8. Nebraska tied it at 12, took an 18-15 lead and held on 25-21, hitting .353 while again holding the Tar Heels to .000. Opposite Ryan Hunter came off the bench and finished with six kills on seven swings.
Set 4 was a runaway. Two Choboy aces helped Nebraska jump ahead 9-1, then 12-1. The Huskers hit .714, added four aces and won 25-10. Murray led Nebraska with 12 kills on .346 hitting and six digs, moving past Lauren Stivrins for the seventh-most kills by a Husker in the rally-scoring era. Jackson had 10 kills on .571 hitting and four blocks. Manaia Ogbechie, back after missing a match because of illness, added seven kills and four blocks. Sigler had seven kills. Mauch led the defense with 10 digs. Bergen Reilly finished with 34 assists.
Nebraska hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday at noon in the Ameritas Players Challenge. The match will stream on B1G+.
