Nebraska
VB Match Previews: Huskers return home to face Illinois and Michigan
VB Match Previews: Huskers return home to face Illinois and Michigan
Nebraska volleyball, still standing strong as the nation’s No. 2-ranked team, is set to close out its October stretch with two Big Ten home matches this weekend.
The Huskers (18-1 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) will first battle Illinois (13-5, 5-3) on Friday and then face Michigan (15-4, 5-3) on Saturday at the Devaney Center.
Let’s take a look at the stats to know and players to watch on both sides, plus how to watch and listen to the two B1G matchups.
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HOW TO WATCH, STREAM & LISTEN
#2 NEBRASKA (18-1 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) vs. ILLINOIS (13-5, 5-3)
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
TV Channel: NONE
Commentators: Jacob Schrantz (play by play) and Camden Cohn (color)
Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations
Listen online: Huskers.com (LINK)
App Audio: Official Huskers App
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#2 NEBRASKA (18-1 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) vs. MICHIGAN (15-4, 5-3)
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
TV Channel: NONE
Commentators: Jacob Schrantz (play by play) and Camden Cohn (color)
Streaming: B1G+
Radio: Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations
Listen online: Huskers.com (LINK)
App Audio: Official Huskers App
SERIES HISTORY
NEBRASKA-ILLINOIS:
>> Nebraska is 35-8-1 all-time against Illinois and has won 10 in a row in the series, including a 25-18, 25-22, 25-17 sweep in Champaign on Oct. 3.
>> Illinois is one of Nebraska’s three Big Ten double-play opponents this season.
>> Nebraska coach John Cook is 12-1 all-time against Illinois coach Chris Tamas, one of his former assistants. Overall, Cook is 26-2 all-time coaching against his former assistant coaches.
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NEBRASKA-MICHIGAN:
>> Nebraska is 23-3 against Michigan and has won 15 straight in the series. The last five matches have been Husker sweeps.
SCOUTING REPORTS
NEBRASKA
All stats and info provided courtesy of Nebraska Athletics Communications
>> Nebraska has won 15 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Twelve of the 15 wins have been sweeps.
>> The Huskers rank ninth nationally and third in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .301.
>> Nebraska ranks ninth nationally in kills per set (14.28).
>> Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.32 kills per set and 18 service aces. Murray also adds 2.13 digs per set.
>> Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 3.03 kills per set for the Big Red and is hitting .243 with 1.28 digs per set and 13 aces.
>> Lindsay Krause and Taylor Landfair have split time at NU’s other outside hitter position and have averaged 2.33 and 2.41 kills per set, respectively.
>> Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.70 kills with a .480 hitting percentage, which leads the Big Ten.
>> Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.77 kills per set on .382 hitting with 1.29 blocks per set.
>> Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.20 assists per set, which ranks fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten. She also adds 3.02 digs per set and has 14 aces. Reilly has 11 double-doubles and has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this season.
>> Three-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.73 digs per set and is coming off a season-high 22 digs in a sweep at Ohio State last Saturday.
ILLINOIS
>> Illinois (13-5, 5-3 Big Ten) has won five matches in a row since an Oct. 3 loss to Nebraska in Champaign. The Fighting Illini swept Indiana and Maryland last weekend.
>> Raina Terry averages 4.28 kills per set.
>> Brooke Mosher ranks 13th nationally with 40 service aces.
>> Former Nebraska assistant coach Chris Tamas is in his eighth year as head coach at Illinois and is 144-90 overall. Tamas was an assistant at Nebraska from 2015-16 and was on the staff of the Huskers’ 2015 NCAA Championship team.
MICHIGAN
>> Michigan (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten) has already surpassed its overall win total from last season (7) and equaled its Big Ten win total (5) with 12 matches remaining. The Wolverines play at Iowa on Friday night before coming to Lincoln.
>> Allison Jacobs leads the Wolverines with 4.12 kills per set.
>> Valentina Vaulet ranks fifth nationally with 49 service aces on the season.
STATS TO KNOW: NEBRASKA
SERVE AND PASS
>> Nebraska has allowed just 35 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest team is Pittsburgh with 43.
>> Nebraska’s opponents have served 14 aces and committed 120 service errors over the last 12 matches.
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BALANCED ATTACK
>> Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.77 and 3.32 kills per set.
>> Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match this season.
>> Reilly ranks fifth nationally averaging 11.20 assists per set.
>> Nebraska’s attack has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank ninth in hitting percentage (.301) and kills per set (14.28).
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HOME SWEET HOME
>> Nebraska has won 36 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
>> The Huskers’ home win streak is its longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013.
>> Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 88 matches from 2004-09. Since then, NU also has a home win streak of 38 matches in a row from 2009-11.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — After a hamstring injury during Nebraska’s baseball season, Will Jesske was advised to take it easy this summer. He is, but Jesske has found a new way to stay involved in the game.
Jesske is coaching a local legion baseball team. He is a volunteer assistant for Lincoln Hotel Group, the senior legion team for Standing Bear High School.
Jesske, a Lincoln Southeast graduate, describes himself as the “hype man” in the LHG dugout. He brings energy and enthusiasm, which players enjoy. Jesske said coaching is a way he can give back to local players while helping LHG’s coaching staff. Jesske played under Tanner Lewis and Kyle Beacom in high school. They now lead the LHG legion program.
Jesske is entering his senior season at Nebraska. He has appeared in 95 games over his career, including 33 during the Huskers’ 43-win season this spring. Jesske was injured early in the season but played through it as Nebraska hosted an NCAA regional. He hit .318 in his junior season. Jesske said he is fully healthy and credited extended rest with his recovery.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari wanted in Lincoln, accused of assaulting pregnant woman
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari is wanted in Lancaster County on suspicion of assaulting a pregnant woman in May.
An arrest warrant was filed for Ferrari on Thursday. He faces three felony charges which include first-degree false imprisonment and assault by strangling a pregnant woman.
According to an arrest affidavit, a woman from California contacted police in Lincoln on May 8 just after midnight. She told officers her daughter called for help and pointed them to Ferrari’s apartment.
Police arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door. A pregnant woman came out after several minutes of knocking with no answer. Officers said the woman was visibly upset.
She told officers that Ferrari tried taking her phone away after an argument, but she wouldn’t let him take it. The arrest affidavit shows Ferrari then dragged her off a bed by her feet.
Police think Ferrari then got on top of her and strangled her, likely until she was unconscious. The woman told police that she felt as though her throat “collapsed” and that she was “breathing through a straw.”
Once regaining consciousness, police said the woman tried hiding in a closet and contacting her mother on another device. But Ferrari followed her, pushed her onto a bed and sat on her until she apologized, according to the affidavit.
She apologized in order to be released, police said. The woman then tried to leave the apartment, but police said Ferrari dragged her by the arm back inside. She found her phone and contacted her mother, yelling “help!”, prosecutors wrote.
Ferrari grabbed the phone and hung up, according to the affidavit. The woman’s mother tried calling several more times before calling police.
Authorities transported the woman to Bryan West for treatment. Officers said she sustained injuries consistent with strangulation, including bruising around her neck and other abrasions.
Last weekend, Ferrari was arrested in Lincoln County on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving and obstructing the police. He was cited after a trooper chased a Corvette in the North Platte area.
Lincoln County authorities told KOLN that Ferrari is out on bond. His current whereabouts are unclear.
Court records show that the woman has filed for a protection order against Ferrari. A hearing has been set for July 7 to give him an opportunity to show the court why one should not be issued.
Previously, Ferrari was booked in Lancaster County, Nebraska for an outstanding warrant in January of this year, but those charges were dismissed later that week.
Ferrari parted ways with the Huskers in April of this year.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
The Nebraska State Fair is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a special 72-hour flash sale on Season Passes.
From July 3 through July 5, fans can purchase a 2026 Season Pass for just $50—a significant discount from its regular value of $132.
The pass includes one admission per day for all 11 days of the 2026 Nebraska State Fair, making it ideal for visitors who plan to attend multiple days.
Fair officials say the promotion is one of the biggest Season Pass discounts offered in years and will not be extended.
After July 5, Season Passes will remain available at a higher discounted price.
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