The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team became the third juggernaut in the college volleyball world to be upset within the first two weeks of the season. Plagued by sloppy passing, passive serving and an inability to establish a consistent offense, the Huskers were swept by a motivated SMU squad 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 Tuesday night in front of 6,773 at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. 

What made the result so bizarre was the blazing start by the Huskers. Nebraska recorded seven kills in their first 13 swings, but three service errors kept the opening set close. Sophomore Andi Jackson cracked down five kills and her first career ace to go up 21-16. An insurmountable lead vanished before Nebraska’s eyes with a 6-0 run by SMU to take a 22-21 advantage. The backbreaker came with the score tied at 23 where consecutive kills from SMU’s Nnedi Okammor and Natalie Foster secured the 25-23 comeback set win to set the tone for the night. 

“We got punched in the mouth and we let them keep punching us,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “I’m pretty disappointed in how we responded tonight, but to be honest I saw this. This was all starting Saturday night. We talked about frustration and we didn’t fix it. We had a great practice last night, but we did not compete tonight. It was pretty disappointing.” 

It’s the first loss to an unranked opponent since 2017 for Nebraska who hasn’t had the best start to its 2024 campaign. After a four-set win over No. 9 Kentucky in its season-opener, cracks within the Huskers started to show, especially offensively. A four-set win over TCU exposed some holes in the offense while Tuesday showed how far the Huskers need to go in its serving game, which rarely put the Mustangs out of system. 

Nebraska was limited to a .171 hitting percentage with 18 errors compared to 36 kills. SMU hit a superior .242. The Mustangs out dug the Huskers 43-36 while SMU had its way from the service line with seven aces versus Nebraska’s one. The Mustangs also had the upper hand with 10 blocks while the Huskers mustered nine. 

No player reached double-digit kills as Merritt Beason led NU with nine kills while Naya Shime and Maya Tabron also each had nine tallies. Jackson recorded eight kills on a .667 hitting percentage with six blocks. Foster also totaled eight kills on a .462 clip. 

Bergen Reilly tallied a double-double for the Huskers with 31 assists and 11 digs. Lexi Rodriguez tied her teammate with 11, but SMU outside hitter Jamison Wheeler had a match-high 13 digs. 

“They’re going to have to step up,” Cook said. “Part of it is we think we’re Nebraska and we’re going to roll out here and smoke teams. This team (SMU) played very inspired tonight. They played great. They won all the long rallies, let’s put it that way. That’s attitude and effort right there.” 

Nebraska has to regroup quickly as they prepare to host the Huskers Invitational. NU will take on The Citadel on Thursday at 6 p.m. CDT on BTN+ before facing Montana State on Saturday at 2 p.m. CDT on Nebraska Public Media. 

Box score

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