No. 1 Nebraska’s defense took control after an early stumble, recording 15 blocks and holding No. 25 Michigan State to a .093 hitting percentage in a victory Saturday at the Breslin Center.
The Huskers hit .340 as a team to claim the second-ever Big Ten Discover Challenge title, finishing 5-0 in select challenge matches and defending the crown they won last season. The win marked the ninth time in program history that Nebraska has opened a season 23-0. It also extended the Huskers’ road and neutral-site winning streak to 25 matches, the 11th-longest such streak in NCAA history and the longest nationally since Nebraska’s 26-game run in 2002-03.
Andi Jackson and Harper Murray each finished with 12 kills, with Jackson hitting .360 and adding six blocks while Murray contributed two blocks and three digs. Manaia Ogbechie was especially efficient, tallying 11 kills on a .786 hitting percentage with no errors and a team-high eight blocks. Ryan Hunter matched her career high with seven kills on a perfect 7-for-7 effort. Teraya Sigler added five kills and seven digs, while setter Bergen Reilly dished 45 assists, posted a career-high six blocks, and chipped in five digs and two kills. Olivia Mauch led the team with 12 digs.
Michigan State grabbed the opening set 25-21, pulling away after the ninth and final tie at 17. Reilly’s back-to-back service aces briefly put Nebraska ahead 8-6, but the Spartans answered with a 4-0 run. Jackson’s consecutive kills restored a 12-11 Husker lead, yet Michigan State closed on a 4-0 surge after a Nebraska timeout. Jackson led Nebraska with five kills in the set, while Ogbechie added four.
Nebraska evened the match in set two with a 25-19 win, taking eight of the final nine points. After the Huskers built a 7-2 lead on a pair of Reilly blocks and Spartan errors, Michigan State briefly seized a 16-15 advantage. Trailing 18-17, Nebraska seized control as Ogbechie contributed three kills and a solo block in four consecutive points. Sigler then served the final four points, with Murray adding a kill and two Spartan attack errors sealing the set. Ogbechie and Murray each had five kills as Nebraska outhit Michigan State 13-7 while recording four blocks.
The Huskers never trailed after the early portion of set three, winning 25-17 to take a 2-1 lead. Michigan State led 5-4 before Reilly’s ace and a block assist from Ogbechie and Sigler gave Nebraska the lead for good. After the final deadlock at 7, Jackson’s kills and a Reilly kill helped push the advantage to 14-10. A later 5-0 run, with Mauch serving the final four points, highlighted by Jackson’s block and a Murray kill, stretched the lead. Hunter’s kills brought up and closed set point.
Nebraska closed the match in dominating fashion in set four, winning 25-12. A Reilly-Ogbechie block during a Campbell Flynn service run made it 8-4 and forced a Michigan State timeout. Sigler then served four straight points in a 5-0 run featuring kills from Ogbechie and Hunter, extending the lead to 14-6. Hunter added two more kills as the margin grew to 19-9. Skyler Pierce came off the bench to account for four of Nebraska’s final six points, recording three kills before ending the match with a service ace. The Huskers finished with five blocks in the set while limiting the Spartans to six kills. Hunter and Pierce each had three kills.
Nebraska next travels to the Pacific Northwest for matches at No. 12 Oregon and No. 20 Washington. First serve against the Ducks is set for 9 p.m. CT Saturday, Nov. 7, on the Big Ten Network.
