Nebraska
10 Reasons to Doubt Matt Rhule is the Guy Nebraska Football Needs
Read 10 Reasons to Believe Matt Rhule is the Guy Nebraska Needs
With two seasons in the books, Nebraskans have gotten a read on their Big Apple-born coach. We’ve examined why there are reasons to believe. Now let’s examine the other side of the coin and allow a little doubt to creep in.
1. He sometimes says one thing and does another
Rhule has paid lip service to being different and veering away from the style of offense most teams roll out. “We’re going to be more old school, get in the huddle, control the clock, pound the football… win special teams and let the elements help us.” But anyone who watched the Huskers this year saw the offense quickly pivot to being conventional 2024 fare, giving up on the run game quickly and allowing defenses to tee off against a true freshman quarterback. The less said about Special Teams, the better.
Rhule has also called having a mobile quarterback “vital.” That was reflected in his transfer addition of Jeff Sims in 2023. But his quarterback recruiting since then has said otherwise. Daniel Kaelin, Dylan Raiola, and newly signed TJ Lateef are all considered pocket passers, as was Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord, who was all set to come to Nebraska until the Raiola news broke.
A consistent philosophy is necessary to steer a blue-blooded program like Nebraska. Just ask Mike Riley.
2. He’s made questionable assistant hires
When the team you’re poaching a coach from isn’t sad to see them go, you may have made a bad hire. Rhule also took flak for hiring fresh-faced Garret McGuire, son of his former colleague, Joey McGuire. Rhule defended his choice on Will Compton’s Bussin’ with the Boys, essentially saying “look at my track record and trust me.” But McGuire’s unit underachieved in 2024 and he’s now in Lubbock as a result. That’s to say nothing of his choice in Bob Wager, the Texas high school coach no doubt brought on to get a foot in the Lone Star state’s deep pipeline of talent. But Wager resigned after a DUI arrest before ever coaching a game. And Husker fans are still curious if Ed Foley will have a job by the time the New Year’s ball drops.
3. He still can’t solve the Huskers’ one-score woes
As much as Rhule downplays the Huskers being snake-bitten or cursed, at this point, you have to wonder at least a little bit, right? Like his predecessor, Rhule has a horrid record in one score games. The Huskers can hold onto a tight lead, as they did against Northwestern in 2023 and Rutgers in ’24, but to have the ball in their hands with the game on the line? Forget about it. Nebraska won one – one! – of their last 33 contests when tied or losing by a score on their final possession. The lone win? 2019 against Northwestern. It defies all realms of possibility.
4. He can’t seem to fix the turnover issues either
They had the second worst turnover margin in FBS last season. After a promising start to 2024, they finished the regular season –0.1. It’s an improvement, yes, but if two years in you’re still finishing in the negatives, it makes you wonder if they’re actually capable of getting it in order. Chief among John Butler’s to-do list is finding players who can take the ball away.
5. His offenses have historically been dreadful
An injury-riddled offense ranked near last in FBS last season. The hope was that a 5-star quarterback, exciting new receivers, and an offensive line among the most seasoned in all of football would be able to put together a much-improved product in 2024. But the Huskers finished ranked 97th in scoring, 94th in yards per game and 106th in yards per play. They don’t do anything particularly well and they routinely flounder in the red zone. As Sam McKewon pointed out, 10 teams have had scoring defenses ranked in the top 20 each of the last two seasons. Nebraska is the only one among them with a losing record. That speaks to an offense that isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
Until Wisconsin, Nebraska had not won a game under Rhule in which they gave up more than 14 points. Ask Carolina fans if that sounds familiar.
This year there was no denying that Raiola and his receivers regressed as the season went on. Bret Bielema and his Fighting Illini showed teams the way to befuddle Satterfield. But if Illinois could figure out the blueprint in September, why couldn’t the Huskers pivot in October? Dana Holgorsen’s turn as offensive coordinator has been encouraging thus far and it’ll need to ramp up even more in 2025 if that Huskers want to better their record.
6. Special Teams have not been any better
Special teams under Scott Frost were so awful that fans publicly lobbied to give analyst Bill Busch the coordinator job, which Frost acquiesced to in 2022. But there’s been little to no improvement since his departure. Under Rhule, the Huskers have repeatedly struggled with missed kicks, botched snaps, and gotten absolutely nothing out of the return game. Simply put: the third phase of the game has cost them wins.
7. His awful stint with the Panthers
Speaking of Carolina, Panthers fans still have Rhule stuck in their craw. Why? Ask them and they’ll tell you he coached QBs poorly, fielded ugly, ineffective offenses, and never turned around a losing culture. While many say Carolina is a difficult job, largely because of their controversial owner, some Husker alumni haven’t given him a pass for his time in Charlotte.
8. Anointing Jeff Sims the starter
Whether this was Satt or Rhule, Sims played arguably the worst we’ve seen any QB at NU play since true freshman Beau Davis was thrust into the role halfway through Texas Tech in 2004. Ask Florida State how fast things can go south when you pick the wrong guy to pilot your offense. Rhule could have stressed open competition and potentially kept Casey Thompson in the fold, the only quarterback to defeat Iowa since Tommy Armstrong, but he instead handed the reins to Sims, who unearthed new ways of turning the football over.
Nebraska was one average offense away from a winning season in 2023 and a lot of momentum in Rhule’s first season. Anointing Sims was costly.
9. Does he truly understand the Big Ten?
The Big Ten is a beast. It humbled Bo and Frost alike. It’s humbling Rhule right now. This ain’t the Big 12. You have to play defense and you have to run and, above all, you have to have players that consistently execute. He pays lip service to all, but the results say otherwise. Nebraska has often been thwarted by teams with worse recruiting rankings but better fundamentals. Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois all tackle better, block better, and play their assignments better. Until Rhule changes that, he’ll continue to lose to them.
10. He is what his record says he is
Rhule said it himself when he pointed out that they’re a 5-7 team until the record shows otherwise. Now he and his program are 11-13. No matter the outcome in New York, he’ll still have a losing record going into the all-important Year Three. The only other coach to have a losing record after two seasons in the last 60 years was Scott Frost.
Rhule has a track record for turning programs around. That takes time. But at the end of the day, between stints in college and Carolina, he’s won 69 of 152 games as a head coach. As the Huskers struggle to close out games, that gives you pause.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska’s capital is believed to already be home to the largest Yazidi population in the United States.
An organization representing the religious minority group told First Alert 6 we may see even more of their refugees come here if things for them turn bleak in Syria now that President Bashar al-Assad no longer rules.
“We still have many Yazidis still in Syria,” said Yazda International co-founder and Vice President Hadi Pir. “And some of them, unfortunately, are still in an area of conflict.”
Yazda, which is headquartered in Lincoln, works to support the religious minority Yazidi group in the Middle East, mainly those who survived the genocide that ISIS perpetrated.
Pir has no love for recently toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“By all means, he’s one of the worst human beings on the planet,” he said.
However, he said Yazidis, Christians, Druze, and other minority groups worry about what will take Assad’s place because, like Saddam Hussein in Iraq, his absence could lead to things getting worse for them.
“Just like Saddam Hussein, at least you could exist if you did not resist or you did not threaten his power,” Pir said.
He said they don’t know the intentions of U.S.-designated terror group HTS. So whether it’s them or Sunni Islamic extremists that take over Syria, he believes Yazidis and other minorities will continue to be persecuted for practicing their culture and beliefs.
The question is to what extent.
“We don’t know if they will just mass kill them or try to mass convert them or force them to leave.”
If that does happen, Pir thinks we could see more of these groups fleeing Syria, with some of them ending up in the U.S.
Yazda is planning a trip to Washington, D.C. soon. They’re hoping for U.S. diplomatic support for Kurds and other secular Syrian groups, which they said would assure minorities of over their safety.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s men’s basketball team has been gradually eliminating nonconference road games from its season schedule. For the second year in a row, the Hoosiers will not play a true nonconference road game.
With the way the Big Ten schedule laid out, it means the Hoosiers will play their first road game at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at Nebraska. It’s the latest first true road game for the Hoosiers since the 2014-15 season when Indiana played in an enemy gym for the first time on Dec. 31, 2014, also at Nebraska.
As it is with so many things related to the Mike Woodson coaching era at Indiana, the Hoosiers record in first true road games of the season is mixed.
In 2021-22, Woodson’s first season, Indiana lost its first nonconference road game in a 112-110 double overtime marathon against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Hoosiers also fell in their Big Ten road opener, a 64-59 defeat at Wisconsin.
Indiana got a split in the 2022-23 campaign. The Hoosiers earned an 81-79 victory over Xavier at Cintas Center, an exciting road contest that ended Indiana’s participation in the Gavitt Games series with the Big East Conference on a high note for Indiana. However, Indiana ended a 7-0 start to the season when it was hammered 63-48 by Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J.
As it is this year, Indiana did not play a nonconference true road game in the 2023-24 season. The Hoosiers did win their first Big Ten road contest, a 78-75 victory at Michigan.
So when overall and Big Ten openers are combined, the Hoosiers are 2-3 in the Woodson era. Indiana will be hoping to get to .500 in one fell swoop at Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday.
Here are three things to watch for from the Hoosiers when they face off against the Cornhuskers:
1. Will Indiana Attack From The Perimeter?
Woodson tends to think of matchups in what pressure his lineups can put on the opposition rather than what opposition weaknesses can be exploited. There’s nothing wrong with that. It shows a belief in the talent on the roster.
Given that, Indiana will no doubt try to attack the rim with Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. There’s nothing that isn’t sensible about that either. Ballo and Reneau combine for 28.7 points and 15.5 rebounds.
However, Nebraska is pretty good at defending inside the arc and not so good above it. The Cornhuskers rank 14th nationally in 2-point shots allowed, giving up just 28.3. Meanwhile, Nebraska is almost dead-last nationally in 3-point shots allowed, 31.1, and opponents have shot 33.3% against them, also in the lower half of Division I.
No one will blame Indiana for attacking with its bigs, but the Hoosiers rank 105th nationally in 3-point shooting (35.9%), but only take 17 3-point shots per game, ranked 353rd nationally. That’s an imbalance that needs to be straightened out and this might be a good opponent to do it against.
2. Can Indiana Defend Without Fouling?
One area in which the Cornhuskers excel is getting to the free throw line. Nebraska ranks in the top 25 nationally in every major free throw category as the Cornhuskers average 20 of 26 per game at the line.
Indiana’s defense has not done a great job of avoiding fouling. The Hoosiers average 16.5 fouls per game. However, Indiana can do itself a world of good by showing some defensive discipline to keep Nebraska from getting its average of 20 points at the line.
It won’t be easy. Playing with discipline on the road is one of the hardest things for any team to pull off. If Indiana can be disciplined it will take the Hoosiers far.
3. Will Mackenzie Mgbako Get His Groove Back?
Sophomore swingman Mackenzie Mgbako started the 2024-25 season on fire. He averaged 22 points in the first three games of the season. He also had a 25-point game against Providence at Battle 4 Atlantis.
However, Mgbako has cooled off of late. His shooting touch is off in the last two games as he is 7 of 19 from the floor, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range. He scored 13 against Minnesota on Monday, so it’s not as if he’s disappeared, but consistency is what Mgbako needs to try to get a handle on in his second season of college ball.
The good news is that Mgbako has done this before. Prior to his 25-point game against Providence, Mgbako had a three-game stretch where he was 28.6% from the floor. A Big Ten road game would be a very good time for a similar revival from Mgbako.
John Cook’s Nebraska volleyball team cruised in the first two rounds of the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Tournament last week.
The Huskers looked every bit the part of the No. 1 seed in the Lincoln Regional last Friday and Saturday. Nebraska thoroughly dominated Florida A&M (25-3, 25-9, 25-17) and No. 8 seed Miami (25-19, 25-14, 25-18) via sweeps during Rounds 1 and 2, respectively, at the Devaney Center.
Next up: Nebraska’s 40th appearance in the Sweet 16 over the last 43 years of Husker volleyball.
It will be No. 1 seed Nebraska (31-2 overall, 19-1 Big Ten) squaring off with No. 5 seed Dayton (31-2 overall, 18-0 Atlantic). It’s a battle of the Big Ten co-champion Huskers and the Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Flyers, who finished as the runner-up to Loyola-Chicago in the A10 conference tournament.
Prior to Nebraska-Dayton on Friday, the No. 2 seed Wisconsin Badgers (25-6, 17-3 Big Ten) and No. 6 seed Texas A&M Aggies (21-7, 10-6 SEC) will square off in the other Sweet 16 match beginning at 6 p.m. CT. Start time for the Huskers vs. Flyers will be 30 minutes following the conclusion of Wisconsin-Texas A&M.
The winners will face off in the Elite Eight at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday in a nationally televised event.
As the Huskers look to make yet another Elite Eight appearance and ultimately capture a national championship, here are the stats to know, players to watch and how to watch, stream and listen to Nebraska vs. Dayton, Wisconsin vs. Texas A&M and Sunday’s regional final.
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LINCOLN REGIONAL: HOW TO WATCH, STREAM & LISTEN
#2 Wisconsin vs. #6 Texas A&M
Wisconsin: 25-6 overall, 17-3 Big Ten (3rd)
Texas A&M: 21-7 overall, 10-6 SEC (5th)
Time: 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday
TV Channel: ESPN2
Commentators: Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George and Madison Fitzpatrick will be on the call for the TV broadcasts this weekend in Lincoln.
Streaming: WatchESPN
#1 Nebraska vs. #5 Dayton
Nebraska: 31-2 overall, 19-1 Big Ten (co-champs)
Dayton: 31-2 overall, 18-0 Atlantic 10 (regular season champs + conference tournament runner-up)
Time: 30 minutes following Wisconsin/Texas A&M match on Friday
TV Channel: ESPN2
Commentators: Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George and Madison Fitzpatrick will be on the call for the TV broadcasts this weekend in Lincoln.
Streaming: WatchESPN
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-DAYTON
>> Nebraska is 4-0 all-time against Dayton. The last meeting was Sept. 5, 2014, a 3-0 Nebraska win at Dayton.
>> The teams have played once in the NCAA Tournament, a 3-0 Husker win on Dec. 6, 2003 in the second round in East Lansing, Mich.
SCOUTING REPORT: #1 NEBRASKA (ranked #3 in AP Top 25)
>> Nebraska (31-2) won its 36th all-time conference title and fifth Big Ten title with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play this season. The Huskers went back-to-back as Big Ten champions for the second time, also accomplishing that feat in 2016 and 2017.
>> The Huskers advanced to a 13th straight NCAA Regional after sweeping Florida A&M and Miami last weekend. The Huskers hit a combined .341 last weekend and held their two opponents to .010.
>> The Huskers’ 29 regular-season wins tied the 1983 school record for most wins in a regular season in the NCAA era.
>> Nebraska won 25 matches in a row after a Sept. 3 loss at SMU. Of those 25 wins, 20 were sweeps. NU’s win streak ended on Nov. 29 in a 3-1 loss at No. 4 Penn State.
>> Nebraska went 7-1 against top-10 teams in the regular season, which is the most top-10 wins in a regular season in school history.
>> Nebraska is 11-1 against ranked foes this season.
>> After the Sept. 3 loss at SMU, Nebraska won 27 straight sets on the road until the Nov. 29 loss at No. 4 Penn State.
>> The Huskers rank ninth nationally with a team hitting percentage of .290.
>> The Huskers rank seventh nationally and first in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage at .141. NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in 2022 and 2023.
>> Nebraska ranks 11th nationally in kills per set (14.19).
SCOUTING REPORT: #5 DAYTON (ranked #23 in AP Top 25)
>> No. 23 Dayton advanced to an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history after beating No. 16 Baylor 3-2 in Waco, Texas last weekend.
>> The Flyers rank sixth nationally in offense (.301) and fifth in defense (.140).
>> Outside hitter Lexie Almodovar is a two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Almodovar ranks sixth nationally averaging 5.02 kills per set and is Dayton’s all-time career leader in kills with more than 2,000. She had a career-high 34 kills in Dayton’s second-round win over Baylor.
>> Setter Alyssa Miller puts up 10.79 assists per set and was an All-Atlantic 10 First Team pick.
NEBRASKA NCAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT NOTES
>> Nebraska is making its 40th all-time NCAA Regional appearance and 13th consecutive. The Huskers’ 40 regional appearances are the most in NCAA history.
>> Nebraska is 132-37 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.781).
>> Nebraska has won 24 consecutive home NCAA Tournament matches dating back to 2013, a school record. The Huskers are 30-2 in NCAA Tournament matches at the Devaney Center.
>> Overall, Nebraska has won 43 consecutive home matches dating back to Dec. 1, 2022. The Huskers own the nation’s longest home winning streak, and the streak is the longest since Nebraska moved into the Devaney Center in 2013.
>> John Cook is 91-20 in the NCAA Tournament as Nebraska’s head coach, and he is 99-25 overall in his career. One more NCAA Tournament win would make him the second coach all-time to reach 100 career NCAA Tournament wins. Only Russ Rose (106) has more career postseason wins.
>> The Huskers have reached six of the last nine NCAA Semifinals, including winning NCAA Championships in 2015 and 2017. Nebraska also won national titles in 1995, 2000 and 2006.
>> This year’s NCAA Championship is set for December 19-22 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., where the Huskers already have won two times this season against No. 9 Kentucky on Aug. 27 and No. 4 Louisville on Sept. 22.
NEBRASKA STATS TO KNOW
ROTATION RUNDOWN
>> Outside hitter Harper Murray is the team leader in kills at 3.29 per set, and also in aces with 32. One of the top six-rotation players in the country, Murray adds 2.30 digs per set.
>> Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is second on the team in kills at 2.95 per set, and the two-year captain also contributes 1.23 digs per set and 27 aces.
>> Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.57 kills per set with a .435 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh in the nation.
>> Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.80 kills per set on .354 hitting with 1.40 blocks per set. Allick has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks at No. 6 with 395.
>> Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.10 assists per set, which ranks 10th in the nation. She also adds 2.90 digs per set and has 20 aces. Reilly has 16 double-doubles and was named Big Ten Setter of the Year for the second straight year.
>> The 2024 Big Ten Libero of the Year, Lexi Rodriguez leads the Husker back row with 3.81 digs per set. Rodriguez ranks No. 2 in school history in career digs with 1,843, needing 47 to tie the school record of 1,890 set by Justine Wong-Orantes (2013-16).
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SERVE AND PASS
>> Nebraska has allowed just 67 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest teams are Creighton with 80 and Pittsburgh with 84.
>> NU allowed 77 aces in the 2022 season and 80 aces in 2017. Last season, the Huskers were aced 104 times.
>> The Huskers have served 139 aces and committed 176 errors so far this season. The ace-to-error ratio of 0.79 is NU’s best in a full season since 2010 (0.86).
>> Nebraska is on pace to record its fewest service errors in a full season since 2011 (161).
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BALANCED ATTACK
>> Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.80 and 3.29 kills per set.
>> Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match this season.
>> Setter Bergen Reilly ranks 10th nationally averaging 11.10 assists per set.
>> Nebraska’s attack has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank ninth in hitting percentage (.290) and 11th in kills per set (14.19).
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HOME SWEET HOME
>> Nebraska has won 43 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.
NEBRASKA PLAYERS TO WATCH
RODRIGUEZ IN RARE COMPANY
>> Lexi Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in Nebraska volleyball history as one of the all-time greats.
>> Rodriguez has 1,843 career digs entering Friday’s match, which ranks No. 2 in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in digs at NU with 1,890.
>> Rodriguez was named Big Ten Libero of the Year this season, the third conference defensive player of the year award in her career, making her the second player in Big Ten history to accomplish that feat (Paula Gentil, Minnesota, 2002-04).
>> An All-Big Ten First Team selection each year of her career, Rodriguez is the fifth Husker in school history to be named first-team all-conference four times in a career, joining Greichaly Cepero (1999-2002), Sarah Pavan (2004-07), Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Lauren Stivrins (2018-21).
>> Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.
>> This season, Rodriguez leads the Huskers with 3.81 digs per set and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice, giving her seven career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
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BEASON LEADING HUSKERS ON AND OFF THE COURT
>> For the second straight year since coming to Nebraska, Merritt Beason was an All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region selection. The opposite hitter is second on the team in kills at 2.95 per set, and she also contributes 1.23 digs per set and 27 aces.
>> Beason posted 22 kills, eight digs and three blocks in a 3-2 win over No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 11.
>> She also had 19 kills and hit .471 with a career-high 10 blocks in a Big Ten title-clinching win at Maryland on Nov. 30.
>> A two-year team captain, Beason put together a sensational season in 2023 – her first as a Husker after transferring from Florida – earning AVCA All-America First Team honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year.
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VERSATILE MURRAY LEADS THE ATTACK
>> Harper Murray earned All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region accolades for the second straight year. Murray is the team leader in kills with 3.29 per set and adds 2.30 digs per set and 32 aces, the most on the team.
>> The sophomore outside hitter had 20 kills and hit .302 with six digs and three blocks in an Aug. 31 win over TCU.
>> She was also clutch with 17 kills in a 3-2 win against No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 11, and 16 kills and 14 digs in a 3-2 win against No. 9 Creighton on Sept. 10.
>> Murray finished her 2023 freshman campaign with 3.23 kills per set, the highest kills per set average by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. She earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-America Third Team honors.
REILLY SETS THE TONE
>> Bergen Reilly is the only player in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year in both her freshman and sophomore seasons after winning the award again this year. She was also on the All-Big Ten First Team both years and was an AVCA second-team All-American in 2023. Reilly received AVCA All-Region honors again this season.
>> The sophomore collected five Big Ten Setter of the Week honors this season, which set a school record, and she was also named Best Setter at the season-opening AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky.
>> Reilly ranks 10th nationally in assists per set with 11.10, and she adds 2.90 digs per set and has 20 aces. She has 16 double-doubles on the season.
>> Reilly set the Huskers to a .290 season hitting percentage, which ranks ninth nationally.
>> She had a career-high 60 assists to go with 17 digs in a 3-2 win against No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 11.
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JACKSON IN ACTION
>> Andi Jackson was unanimously named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the first time in her career after an outstanding sophomore campaign for the Huskers. She was also an AVCA All-Region selection for the second straight year.
>> The middle blocker has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, averaging 2.57 kills per set with a .435 hitting percentage, which ranks seventh in the nation. Her hitting percentage also ranks third in school history.
>> Jackson was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28 after 11 kills and six blocks against Illinois and 10 kills and five blocks against Michigan.
>> In the final two matches of the regular season, Jackson tied her career high with eight blocks in each match.
>> Jackson showed enormous athleticism and potential the first time she stepped on the floor as a Husker, and she followed through with a strong debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.
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ALLICK BRINGS THE BLOCK
>> Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick is putting up 1.40 blocks per set so far this season. Offensively, she has provided 1.80 kills per set on .354 hitting.
>> Allick’s career 1.31 blocks per set ranks No. 3 in school history in the rally scoring era.
>> Allick has 395 career blocks entering Friday’s match, which ranks sixth in school history in the rally scoring era.
>> In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 while tying her career high with 12 blocks. Her performance earned her Best Middle Blocker and Most Valuable Player honors at the AVCA First Serve Showcase. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set in the first three matches of the season, which earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
>> Allick was again named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after 2.00 blocks per set in sweeps at Illinois and vs. Iowa.
>> Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten Second Team pick. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second among Big Ten players and seven in the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was also the No. 2 mark in school history in the rally scoring era.
>> Allick was at her best at the end of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas and 10 blocks in the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh.
FRONT ROW DEPTH
>> Front row depth is one of the strengths for the 2024 Nebraska volleyball team.
>> While middle blockers Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick have started most of the matches at that position, Leyla Blackwell, a transfer from San Diego, has played in 13 matches and made four starts and is putting up 2.35 kills per set on a .417 hitting percentage with 1.26 blocks per set.
>> Blackwell had nine kills and seven blocks and hit .600 earning the start on Oct. 12 vs. Rutgers. She also had seven kills and three blocks and hit .429 while stepping in for a sidelined Andi Jackson at Illinois on Oct. 3.
>> On the pin, Taylor Landfair has started 21 matches and Lindsay Krause has started 12 matches.
>> Landfair, a senior transfer from Minnesota, is averaging 2.47 kills per set and had 13 kills in the 3-0 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 1, which tied her season high. She also had 13 kills against UCLA on Sept. 27 and at Oregon on Nov. 7.
>> In her senior season, Krause is averaging 2.40 kills per set and has 15 service aces.
>> Krause was instrumental in Nebraska’s 3-2 win over No. 9 Creighton on Sept. 10 with a team-high 17 kills, five blocks and six digs. She also had 13 kills in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Aug. 30 and nine kills in a sweep of Stanford on Sept. 18.
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RODRIGUEZ HIGHLIGHTS ALL-REGION HONORS
>> Merritt Beason, Andi Jackson, Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly and Lexi Rodriguez were all named to the AVCA West All-Region Team on Dec. 10.
>> Additionally, Rodriguez was named the West Region Player of the Year. Rodriguez is the third Husker ever to be named AVCA Region Player of the Year, joining Kelly Hunter (2017) and Beason (2023).
>> The Sterling, Ill., native is the first libero to be named an AVCA Region Player of the Year since the AVCA started recognizing region players of the year in 2017.
>> Rodriguez earned her fourth AVCA All-Region honor and will now look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.
>> Beason received the third AVCA All-Region honor of her career and second at Nebraska. Sophomores Jackson, Murray and Reilly were all part of the AVCA All-Region Team for the second year in a row as well. All five Huskers were also named to the All-Big Ten First Team.
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FIVE HUSKERS NAMED TO ALL-BIG TEN FIRST TEAM
>> After winning a second straight Big Ten championship, five members of the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the All-Big Ten First Team on Dec. 4 after a vote by the league’s head coaches.
>> Senior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named Big Ten Libero of the Year, the first year the award was renamed from Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Rodriguez was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2023. She is the second player in Big Ten history to earn three Big Ten Defensive/Libero of the Year honors (Paula Gentil, Minnesota, 2002-04).
>> Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Year for the second year in a row. She’s the only player in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year in both her freshman and sophomore seasons, and she’s the first Husker to win multiple Big Ten Setter of the Year honors.
>> In addition to the individual awards, Merritt Beason, Andi Jackson, Harper Murray, Reilly and Rodriguez were selected to the 25-player All-Big Ten First Team. Jackson and Rodriguez were two of seven players who were unanimous selections.
>> Nebraska’s five All-Big Ten First Team honorees were the most for any team and are NU’s most since joining the conference in 2011.
>> Leyla Blackwell received Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
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THREE HUSKERS SELECTED IN PVF DRAFT
>> Nebraska seniors Merritt Beason, Lindsay Krause and Leyla Blackwell were selected in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft on Nov. 25.
>> Beason was selected No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Vibe, who traded with the Indy Ignite to select Beason with the first pick. The Atlanta Vibe are coached by former Husker Kayla Banwarth, who was hired in July.
>> Krause was selected by the Omaha Supernovas in the third round with the No. 19 overall pick. A Papillion, Neb. native, Krause will play for her hometown team after a four-year career at Nebraska.
>> Blackwell was picked by the San Diego Mojo in the fourth round with the No. 26 overall pick. A San Diego native, Blackwell came to Nebraska this year after three seasons at San Diego.
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