No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (3-1) capped off its weekend in Nashville, taking on No. 7 Kentucky (2-0) in the Sprouts Broadway Block Party. The Huskers pulled off their first reverse sweep since Nov. 3, 2023, against Penn State, battling back to defeat the Wildcats (24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8).
Defense ruled the game with Nebraska hitting .221 in the match compared to the Wildcats .168.
Set 1: Nebraska faces its first deficit of the year
The first set was a back-and-forth battle with the Huskers coming out on the wrong end 24-26. After a poor start to the set, the Wildcats caught fire, ending with a .234 hitting percentage and 17 kills. Nebraska hit .278 with 15 kills.
The Huskers jumped out to an early 8-4 lead, but Kentucky never backed down. However, Nebraska responded with a 4-1 run. Teraya Sigler brought Bridgestone Arena to its feet by diving off the court to save a ball, with Harper Murray rewarding the effort with a kill.
The Wildcats went on a 6-2 run of their own to tie the set up at 16-all, forcing a Nebraska timeout. Kentucky made the Huskers burn their second timeout moments later, taking a 20-18 lead.
The two teams traded points with a Rebekah Allick kill fighting off the Wildcats’ first set point, but a kill by Brooklyn DeLeye and an attack error by Murray gave Kentucky the win.
Set 2: Huskers fall again
Down for the first time in 2025, the Huskers fell short in another highly contested set, 20-25. The Wildcats outhit Nebraska .238 to .222 in the set while having four service aces to the Huskers’ zero.
Nebraska jumped out to a 6-3 lead, led by back-to-back Murray kills. Kentucky answered with a 7-1 run, targeting Laney Choboy on serves, with the libero struggling to receive them.
The Huskers tied the set after a diving Murray dig resulted in a Taylor Landfair kill. The Wildcats used their first timeout after kills by Murray and Allie Sczech gave Nebraska the 12-11 lead.
A 7-3 Kentucky run fueled by five Nebraska errors forced Dani Busboom Kelly to use her final timeout down 21-19. That didn’t faze the Wildcats, however, taking the second set off an Eva Hudson kill.
Set 3: Huskers start to put things together
Looking for a change down 2-0 for the first time since the 2023 national championship game, Nebraska made a change at libero with OIivia Mauch donning the red jersey and Choboy switching to black. The lineup changed worked with the Huskers, taking the third set 25-19.
Nebraska returned to its usual form with a .323 hitting percentage while holding Kentucky to a .105 clip.
The set turned into a game of runs with no team leading by more than two early. Allick made her presence known with an emphatic kill, but was immediately answered by a DeLeye kill to the same magnitude. Consecutive Murray kills moved her total to 13, giving the Huskers a 15-12 lead at the media timeout.
Nebraska took its largest lead, 19-15, forcing Kentucky to call a timeout. The Huskers stayed with it, ending the set on a 5-2 run to take it 25-19. Murray led the way, connecting on five of six swings for five kills, adding a block as well.
Set 4: Nebraska forces fifth set
It wasn’t pretty, but the Huskers fought to force a fifth set, taking the fourth 25-23. Nebraska hit just .143 in the set, but contained Kentucky to an .182 clip.
The Huskers carried the offense over to the fourth set, hitting .714 over their first seven points. Nebraska jumped out to an 11-6 lead off of two block assists and a kill from Allick.
Like the rest of the match, Kentucky always had an answer. The Wildcats cut the Husker lead to one and bringing their hitting percentage down to .250. Even with the offense struggling, Nebraska extended its lead to five as Kentucky errors started to pile up.
Just as it looked like the Huskers were about to pull away, the Wildcats responded, tying it up at 19. However, Nebraska battled through with an Andi Jackson kill, sending the match to a final set.
Set 5: Huskers pull off the comeback
Murray started the fifth set hot with two kills, tying her career high of 22. A 4-0 Nebraska run was answered by a 3-0 run from Kentucky, forcing a Husker timeout.
A successful Nebraska challenge on a DeLeye attack moved the lead to 8-5. Allick showed why she is the reigning AVCA National Player of the Week with a kill and block assist, forcing the Wildcats to use their final timeout of the match.
With the game on the line, the Huskers finally broke free from Kentucky, ending the set on a 6-1 run, winning the match.
The Huskers will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 5, against Wright State in the Ameritas Players Challenge. The match will be Nebraska’s season debut in the Bob Devaney Sports Center.