Nebraska volleyball added another first-place vote from Texas, controlling the top spot in college volleyball for another week.

The Huskers (20-0, 10-0 Big Ten) continued their No. 1 ranking in another edition of the AVCA coaches poll released on Monday. Nebraska earned 59 of the 61 possible first-place votes, adding a first-place vote in back-to-back weeks from No. 2 Texas. The Longhorns (18-0, 10-0 SEC) secured two first-place ballots in this week’s poll. NU earned home sweeps over Northwestern and Michigan State this past weekend, while Texas handled a four-set road test at Ole Miss Friday, then swept LSU on the road Sunday.

Nebraska added a first-place vote from Texas from last week’s poll after continuing its conference sweep streak. The Big Red have yet to give up a set in Big Ten play, and last dropped a set on Sept. 16 to Creighton. Texas has remained the No. 2-ranked program since the week two edition of the AVCA polls, having begun the season at No. 5. The Longhorns earned four first-place votes in the Sept. 22 edition of the rankings, but have not met that mark since.

Nebraska has earned victories over four of the top 10 teams in the current rankings, taking down No. 4 Pittsburgh in the season opener 3-1, followed by a sweep over No. 5 Stanford. The Huskers reverse-swept No. 3 Kentucky on Aug. 31 at Bridgestone Arena and won in a sweep over No. 10 Purdue on Oct. 12. Nebraska also has top 25 wins over No. 12 Creighton and No. 19 Penn State.

Nebraska and Texas remain the only unbeaten programs in the top 25. The Longhorns also swept their opening weeks of SEC conference play, taking down Vanderbilt, Missouri, Georgia, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and LSU in straight sets. Texas has given up sets in four-set conference victories over Alabama, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss while taking down Tennessee in five sets on Oct. 8.

The Big Ten Conference regained a stronger foothold in the top 10 rankings, as No. 1 Nebraska led the pack while No. 10 Purdue moved up one spot in the poll. No. 11 Wisconsin also inched up one spot, while the conference added No. 19 Penn State, No. 20 Minnesota, No. 22 USC, and No. 24 Indiana. UCLA and Illinois each received votes in this week’s poll, as UCLA fell from No. 25 in this week’s ranking.

The Southeastern Conference continued to hold firm with three top-10 teams in No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Kentucky, and No. 9 Texas A&M. The SEC added No. 16 Tennessee and No. 25 Florida to total five ranked top 25 programs. Missouri also received votes in this week’s ranking.

The Atlantic Coast Conference leads all conferences with four top 10 programs, as No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Stanford, No. 7 SMU, and No. 8 Louisville led the ACC. No. 15 Miami (FL) and No. 21 North Carolina also earned top 25 nods, totaling five ranked programs for the conference. Georgia Tech received votes in this week’s ranking.

The Big 12 Conference had one top 10 representative as No. 6 Arizona State led the conference in this week’s rankings. No. 13 TCU dropped from the top 10, while No. 14 Kansas, No. 17 BYU, No. 18 Baylor, and No. 23 Colorado rounded out the Big 12’s ranked teams. Iowa State received votes in this week’s poll, giving the Big 12 seven teams earning votes in this week’s rankings, the most of any conference.

The Big East Conference placed only one team in the rankings with No. 12 Creighton, inching up one spot from last week’s poll. Creighton has not dropped a set in six straight matches, dropping its last conference set against DePaul in Chicago on Oct. 4.

Other teams receiving votes in this week’s poll included UCLA, Missouri, Western Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa State, Georgia Tech, and UTEP. Four teams were mentioned on only one ballot for a combined eight points.

Nebraska volleyball has five regular-season matches remaining against ranked opponents. The Huskers are set to travel to No. 11 Wisconsin on Oct. 31, then visit No. 20 Minnesota on Nov. 8. The Huskers then travel to the West Coast, taking on RV UCLA and No. 22 USC on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16, respectively. Nebraska’s final ranked matchups finish at No. 24 Indiana and a home rematch with No. 19 Penn State on Nov. 28. The Huskers also await a home tilt with RV Illinois on Nov. 6.

The Huskers continue Big Ten Conference play this week, traveling to Madison, Wis., for a top 25 tilt with the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers on Friday night at 8 p.m. CDT. Nebraska then returns home on Sunday for a 1 p.m. CST first serve against Oregon. Both contests will be televised on the Big Ten Network and will be broadcast across the Huskers Radio Network and its affiliate stations.

AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

1. Nebraska (59)
2. Texas (2)
3. Kentucky
4. Pittsburgh
5. Stanford
6. Arizona State
7. SMU
8. Louisville
9. Texas A&M
10. Purdue
11. Wisconsin
12. Creighton
13. TCU
14. Kansas
15. Miami (FL)
16. Tennessee
17. BYU
18. Baylor
19. Penn State
20. Minnesota
21. North Carolina
22. USC
23. Colorado
24. Indiana
25. Florida

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If conventional wisdom about the College Football Playoff rings true, Nebraska has a path to being one of the 12 teams selected.

Not a guaranteed path, but a path.

Not an easy path, but a path.

The Huskers’ playoff hopes only exist with a victory Saturday night against visiting USC. If they don’t beat the Trojans, it’s time to check out what bowl game might be possible.

Conventional wisdom suggests the Big Ten and SEC each will have four teams in the CFP. The Big Ten had four teams in last year’s 12-team tournament. The SEC had three teams.

But there’s no guarantee of four B1G or SEC teams, that’s just the talk.

Ohio State and Indiana are locks for the CFP and Oregon might be, too. If a fourth team is in play, intrigue takes over with many possibilities and probably one slot.

Nebraska, obviously, has to win out. Going 3-1 over the final four games won’t cut it. The Huskers also need help, maybe lots of help. There are four one-loss teams ahead of the Huskers (3-2, 6-2) in the Big Ten standings. Nebraska is one of five two-loss teams, but realistically only the Huskers and Washington still are alive.

So, there is a glimmer of hope for Nebraska.

Each one-loss team and each two-loss team has season-defining games remaining that will change the standings, and could change the perceptions and minds of the CFP Selection Committee. Some teams have two such difficult games remaining.

In a wild season where Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech control their fate and could get into the CFP, and preseason No. 1 Penn State (3-4) and preseason top 5 Clemson (3-4) might not even become bowl eligible, no one knows what’s going to happen on the field.

* Oregon (4-1 B1G, 7-1 overall): Unless they collapse down the stretch, the Ducks are in.

* Michigan (4-1, 6-2): This might be the most problematic team for Nebraska, which lost to the Wolverines in September. Michigan closes the season at home against undefeated, No. 1 Ohio State. OK, that feels like a Wolverines loss, but they have defeated the Buckeyes the last four years. But if Michigan beats Ohio State again, presuming they beat Purdue and Maryland along the way, the Wolverines almost certainly will get a playoff spot.

* USC (3-1, 5-2): Nebraska can leap over the Trojans on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Period.

* Iowa (4-1, 6-2): The Huskers play host to the Hawkeyes on Nov. 28. First, Iowa plays host to Oregon on Saturday, and is at USC on Nov. 15. Not easy.

* Washington (3-2, 6-2): The Huskies play wildly unpredictable UCLA on the road on Nov. 22, then close the season at home vs. Oregon on Nov. 29. Washington was in the national title game only two years ago.

* Minnesota (3-2, 5-3): Nebraska’s loss at Minnesota was damaging and might wind up being disqualifying. But the Golden Gophers have three losses overall, and they play at Oregon on Nov. 14.

* UCLA (3-2, 3-5): The Bruins have five overall losses, so they’re done. The CFP Selection Committee might have to stomach a three-loss team this year, but that’s the maximum number of losses that will get in — if that.

* Northwestern (3-2, 5-3): Nebraska’s 28-21 victory on Saturday ended the Wildcats’ long-shot hopes for a CFP berth.

Nebraska’s schedule actually helps, with USC and Iowa coming to Memorial Stadium. Say the Huskers win out and finish 10-2 — somewhat of a tall task many would say. Would a 10-2 Huskers team get in ahead of a 9-3 Michigan team that lost at home to No. 1 Ohio State but beat Nebraska head-to-head? It’s not an impossible scenario.

Nebraska hasn’t helped itself with uneven performances. Yes, wins are wins and the Huskers should feel good about having six of them. And their win over Cincinnati looks better and better. But teams now are trying to persuade the CFP Selection Committee that they are worthy.

Right now, Nebraska doesn’t have that one significant win. The kind of win that makes the committee sit up and take notice and take notes. With so many teams crunched together, who knows what the difference is between getting in and not getting in.

And Nebraska’s signature win could be out there with USC, UCLA, Penn State and Iowa on its schedule. A bunch of one-score wins certainly helps the ledger but how much influence does a 28-21 win over Northwestern have on the committee?

But a Nebraska victory over USC, on NBC Saturday night, might have outsized influence with the committee. Beat the Trojans on national television in prime time and people will notice.

The first CFP poll will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. CT. Plenty of information will be dissected from the first poll. How significant that poll is for Nebraska will depend on one factor: Did the Huskers defeat USC on Nov. 1?

Right now, for Nebraska, nothing else matters.

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LINCOLN—Copy and paste—same story, different opponent. 

It was another sweep for top-ranked Nebraska — it’s 11th in a row as it hit .382 for the match while limiting Michigan State to .118.  

The Huskers did not allow an opponent to reach 20 points again, a feat that had happened just five times during the sweep streak. In the last 33 sets, teams are averaging 16.3 points per set against the Huskers. 

For the third straight match, no Nebraska player reached double-digit kills as freshman outside hitter Teraya Sigler finished with a match-high nine kills. 

Not that the Huskers (20-0, 10-0) would complain since all the streaks are positive in their favor. NU earned a 25-15, 25-15, 25-18 straight set win over the Spartans Saturday evening at John Cook Arena in front of 8,496 fans. 

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said they have a lot of weapons and depth, which gives the Huskers a lot of options to attack and depth to cover players when they might not be on for a match. 

After Sigler, Rebekah Allick and Harper Murray finished with eight kills, while Virginia Adriano and Andi Jackson put up seven kills. 

“Nebraska has always been great defensively and sometimes hasn’t put up offensive numbers,’ she said. “This year, we’re really putting up really high offensive numbers as well. It’s just the attention to detail and the awareness that we’re going to be great on both sides. We’re not going to rely on one or the other to win games.”

Bergen Reilly tallied 37 assists against Michigan State and passed Lauren Cook for fourth all-time on Nebraska’s career assist list. The junior setter now has 3,225 assists in her career, while Cook finished with 3,198. Next up on the all-time chart is Sydney Anderson in third place with 3,332 career assists.

Against Michigan State (15-5, 5-5), the NU freshman took center stage. Senior outside hitter Taylor Landfair was available, according to Busboom Kelly, after spraining her ankle on Friday night, but Sigler played all six rotations for most of the match while giving way to redshirt freshman Skyler Pierce in the late second and third sets. 

Adriano started the match with some noise, recording kills on the first two rallies. The Turin, Italy native finished with seven kills on nine swings with a career-best hitting percentage of .667. She gave way to senior opposite Allie Sczech in the third set, who terminated on all three of her swings. 

Even though the pair compete for playing time at the same position, Adriano said Sczech has been a great resource in helping her adapt to the American game and become a better player. She said she is proud when Sczech plays well in her opportunities. 

“We push each other a lot in practice, so that helps when struggle (against other teams) is going to come, hopefully it won’t, but I think it will,” Adriano said about Sczech. “When that’s going to happen, we are going to be prepared for that by helping each other in practice.”

Michigan State kept it close as the Huskers led 11-10 midway through the second set. Murray served during a 4-0 run, and then Maisie Boesiger was at the service line for a 6-0 run as NU pulled away. Allick provided the offensive firepower as she recorded seven kills on 11 swings in the set. 

The Spartans’ offense was led by seven kills from Biance Mumcular and Zuzanna Kulig. Nebraska won the blocking battle 11-9 as Reilly and Jackson finished with five stuffs. In an odd quirk, neither team recorded an ace in the match. 

For the second straight match, Manaia Ogbechie came on in relief in the third set and put up impressive numbers. On Friday, the 6-foot-3 middle blocker recorded four kills on eight swings for a .375 hitting percentage versus Northwestern. Against the Spartans, Ogbechie finished with five kills on six attacks and added a block. 

While Ogbechie didn’t know she was going to play until after the second set was over, she quickly got ready and made an instant impact. 

Even though she is experiencing college volleyball for the first time, she said she leans on her teammates to help her get used to the success the Huskers are experiencing. 

“It does get a little bit old, but being able to even participate in the third set, for me, that’s more than fulfilling,” Ogbechie said. 

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