The Huskers entered Sunday afternoon seeking their sixth national volleyball title. But one final opponent stood in their way: national champion Texas. The experienced Longhorns beat the No. 1 Huskers, resulting in a sweep (22-25, 14-25, 11-25) as Texas won its second straight national championship.
After an intense, back-and-forth first set, Texas quickly ran away with the match and dominated Nebraska in the next two sets. The Huskers finished with their lowest hitting percentage of the season, .013, while also surrendering a slugging percentage of .264.
The Longhorns’ main strength came in serving and overall kills. They finished with 38 kills and 12 aces on the day. Meanwhile, Nebraska only had 20 kills and two aces.
Freshman Harper Murray finished the game as Nebraska’s leader in kills, turning up seven of his 23 total attacks. Murray also had both of the Huskers’ aces. Freshman Andy Jackson finished with the second-most kills at Nebraska, getting four of nine attacks.
Becca Alec led Nebraska in blocks with four, while also landing three kills on seven attacks. Freshman Bergen Reilly concluded the season with 17 assists and six digs for the Huskers. Riley is tied with Lexi Rodriguez for the most digs in a Nebraska game.
Final from Tampa. pic.twitter.com/FCYUopuWeT
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) December 17, 2023
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