For the second week in a row, Nebraska volleyball remains head and shoulders above the rest of college volleyball.
The Huskers (6-0) retained their spot as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation on Monday, receiving all 61 first-place votes from the latest edition of the AVCA Coaches poll. Nebraska remains at No. 1 after opening the season at the top of the polls, beating out preseason No. 2 Penn State with 40 first-place votes compared to the Nittany Lions’ 21. Texas (4-0) remains at No. 2 behind the Huskers in this week’s rankings.
Nebraska has earned three victories over top ten opponents to begin the season. The Big Red opened the 2025 campaign at Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena in the AVCA First Serve, taking down previous No. 3 Pittsburgh and No. 6 Stanford in the opening weekend. After handling unranked Lipscomb, the Huskers then downed then-No. 7 Kentucky in a reverse sweep to maintain their No. 1 rating. Since those matchups, Pittsburgh fell to No. 7, while Stanford and Kentucky rose in the polls to No. 5 and No. 3, respectively.
Nebraska volleyball players celebrate a point against Cal. / Nebraska Athletics
The Huskers continued their dominant start to the season with back-to-back sweeps over non-conference opponents. Nebraska handled Wright State 25-16, 25-16, and 25-20 on Friday, then won over California 25-15, 25-18, and 25-12 on Sunday. Nebraska remained one of seven top 25 programs with an unbeaten record.
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The Big Ten Conference continued to stay well represented in the AVCA rankings with seven teams earning top 25 spots while two more received votes in this week’s poll. Nebraska led the conference at No. 1, followed by No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 12 Penn State, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 14 Purdue, No. 16 USC, and No. 24 UCLA. Oregon was the top-vote receiving team outside of the top 25, while Indiana also received votes.
The Southeastern Conference featured three teams inside the top 10 and five teams inside the top 25. No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Kentucky both remained behind Nebraska at the top overall spot, while No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 11 Florida, and No. 23 Missouri all remained in the top 25. Tennessee and LSU also received votes in this week’s poll.
Nebraska middle blocker Rebekah Allick fires a kill through the Stanford defense during the first set of the AVCA First Serve vs. Stanford. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN
The Atlantic Coast Conference nabbed four spots in the top 10 and six spots in this week’s AVCA rankings, placing behind the Big Ten Conference for total teams represented. No. 4 Louisville led the ACC ahead of No. 5 Stanford and No. 7 Pittsburgh, while No. 10 SMU rounded out the conference’s top ten teams. No. 21 Georgia Tech and No. 25 North Carolina jumped in the rankings, as North Carolina remains unbeaten and had received votes in last week’s poll. Miami (FL) also received votes.
The Big 12 Conference included one top-10 team and six total programs in this week’s top 25. No. 9 Arizona State slipped two spots from No. 7 last week but remained inside the AVCA top ten. No. 15 TCU, No. 17 Kansas, No. 19 BYU, No. 20 Baylor, and No. 22 Utah remained in this week’s poll. Arizona and Colorado also received votes in this week’s rankings.
The Big East Conference had one representative, as Nebraska’s in-state rival, Creighton, landed at No. 18. The Bluejays and Huskers match up in Omaha on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the CHI Health Center. The Big East also saw Marquette receive votes in this week’s poll.
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Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson work to block a Creighton attack. / Nebraska Athletics
Other teams receiving votes include Oregon, Tennessee, Dayton, Marquette, Western Kentucky, Arizona, Miami (FL), Indiana, UTEP, Colorado, UC Santa Barbara, LSU, and South Florida. Six other teams were mentioned on only one ballot for seven combined points.
Nebraska volleyball remains with nine matches on its schedule against ranked opponents: No. 22 Utah, No. 18 Creighton, No. 12 Penn State, No. 14 Purdue, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 24 UCLA, No. 16 USC, and a rematch with the Nittany Lions.
The Huskers are back in action for the Husker Invitational this weekend at John Cook Arena, battling No. 22 Utah on Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. CDT. Nebraska will then host Grand Canyon University on Saturday at 6 p.m. CDT, followed by the Huskers’ in-state tilt with Creighton the following Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The Big Red wraps up the non-conference slate hosting RV Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. CDT.
AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll
Nebraska (61)
Texas
Kentucky
Louisville
Stanford
Wisconsin
Pittsburgh
Texas A&M
Arizona State
SMU
Florida
Penn State
Minnesota
Purdue
TCU
USC
Kansas
Creighton
BYU
Baylor
Georgia Tech
Utah
Missouri
UCLA
North Carolina
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The third matchup this weekend between No. 9 Nebraska and No. 21 Oklahoma State was canceled Sunday due to expected bad weather in the Stillwater, Okla., area. The Cowgirls won the first matchup Thursday, 2-1 in 11 innings, while the Cornhuskers won Saturday, 4-3. The game will not be made up.
Nebraska now prepares for its home opener Thursday at Bowlin Stadium as the Huskers take on South Dakota State in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
MINDEN, Neb. (KSNB) – The Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from the Kearney County Sheriff’s Office and Kearney County Attorney’s Office, is investigating an attempted murder/suicide in rural Kearney County.
The Kearney County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene Saturday afternoon.
According to NSP, three children and a woman had gunshot wounds, with the woman found dead.
The three children were transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and treated for their injuries. Two of the children have since been transported to Children’s Hospital in Omaha.
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NSP said all three children are expected to survive. The children are all under the age of 12.
This investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
According to NSP, names are not being released at this time to protect the identities of the victims.
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Ten UNK students will perform with other outstanding instrumentalists from across the state as part of the 2026 Nebraska Intercollegiate Band. Front row, from left: Olivia Kohmetscher, Kaia Johnson, Douglas Davidchik, Micah Feddersen and Avery Reitz. Back row, from left: Evan Porter, Ike Smith, Kaitlyn Obrecht, Cameron Grafel and Chloe Harms. (Courtesy UNK, Click to enlarge)
KEARNEY, Neb – Ten students will represent the University of Nebraska at Kearney as members of the 2026 Nebraska Intercollegiate Band.
They’ll perform 11:30 a.m. March 7 in Kimball Recital Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus as part of the 65th annual Nebraska State Bandmasters Association convention. The concert is free and open to the public.
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The Nebraska Intercollegiate Band includes outstanding instrumentalists from colleges and universities across the state. Students selected for the honor spend time rehearsing together in Lincoln before performing for the public. This year’s ensemble is led by guest conductor Donald McKinney, director of bands at Indiana University.
“Rehearsing and performing in the Nebraska Intercollegiate Band will be an excellent opportunity for experiential learning,” said professor Duane Bierman, director of bands at UNK. “Not only will these students get a great musical experience but they will also get a chance to expand their network and grow their interpersonal skills.”
Students representing UNK include: Broken Bow – Cameron Grafel, horn Columbus – Douglas Davidchik, clarinet Elm Creek – Chloe Harms, euphonium Grand Island – Olivia Kohmetscher, tenor saxophone Kearney – Ike Smith, trumpet Kearney – Micah Feddersen, trumpet Kearney – Avery Reitz, string bass and tuba La Vista – Kaitlyn Obrecht, piano Minden – Evan Porter, percussion Ravenna – Kaia Johnson, flute
