No. 1 Nebraska continued its dominant season, defeating No. 13 Purdue at home in a match at John Cook Arena in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers improved to 19-0 overall and a perfect 8-0 in Big Ten play, while Purdue dropped to 11-6 and 4-4 in conference action. Nebraska hit .303 as a team, recorded 12 blocks, and limited the Boilermakers to a .133 hitting percentage. The Huskers also piled up a season-high 64 digs. The victory extended Nebraska’s regular-season home winning streak to 61 matches and marked the program’s eighth win against a ranked opponent this season.
Nebraska’s attack was evenly distributed. Teraya Sigler led the way with a career-high 15 kills, followed by Harper Murray (13), Virginia Adriano (11), and Manaia Ogbechie (10). It was the first time since the 2024 season that four Huskers recorded double-digit kills in a Big Ten match.
Setter Bergen Reilly orchestrated the offense with 44 assists, 15 digs, and five blocks; her fifth double-double of the season. She became only the second Husker in the rally-scoring era to post at least 40 assists, 15 digs, and five blocks in a single match, joining Kelly (Hunter) Natter, who accomplished the feat in 2017 against Penn State. Defensively, Olivia Mauch set a career high with 21 digs, while Andi Jackson led the team with six blocks.
Nebraska dominated the opening set 25-13, holding Purdue to just seven kills against six attack errors. After Purdue briefly led 3-2, the Huskers reeled off a 5-0 run and later extended the advantage with strong serving from Reilly. Adriano contributed five kills and Reilly added 14 assists as Nebraska finished with 17 kills, only two attack errors, and three blocks.
Purdue evened the match in the second set 25-20. The teams traded early leads before Purdue used a 6-0 run to build an 18-11 advantage. Nebraska closed the gap to 19-17 on Purdue errors, but the Boilermakers held on for the set win.
Nebraska regained control in the third set 25-19. After Purdue led 5-3, the Huskers tied the score and pulled ahead. Key kills from Ogbechie and Sigler, along with a block assist from Ogbechie and Adriano, helped Nebraska build a lead. Purdue narrowed the margin to 19-18, but Nebraska closed on a 6-1 run that included a solo block from Reilly.
The Huskers cruised in the fourth set 25-14. After the teams were tied 8-8, Nebraska scored nine straight points to take a 17-8 lead and force a Purdue timeout. Nebraska hit .500 in the set with 12 kills and five blocks while holding Purdue to a .029 hitting percentage.
No. 1 Nebraska will host UCLA at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday, October 22, with first serve at 6 p.m. on FS1.
