Nebraska
VB Previews: Nebraska hosts Minnesota and Indiana amid 21-game win streak
VB Previews: Nebraska hosts Minnesota and Indiana amid 21-game win streak
Slowly but surely, the Nebraska volleyball team is grinding its way into the No. 1 spot in the Top 25 national rankings.
The Huskers (24-1 overall, 14-0 Big Ten) remain just behind Pittsburgh (23-1) in the latest AVCA Top 25, released on Monday, in the No. 2 spot. They garnered their most first-place votes (12) in the poll in the last four weeks, however, amid their current 21-game win streak.
Now, they will be putting that dominant run to the test once again as they match up with Minnesota (16-8, 9-5) and Indiana (12-12, 5-9) this week in Lincoln.
Below are the stats to know, players to watch and more information on the Huskers’ upcoming home matches against the Gophers and Hoosiers.
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HOW TO WATCH, STREAM & LISTEN
#2 NEBRASKA (24-1 overall, 14-0 Big Ten) vs. MINNESOTA (16-8, 9-5)
Time: 8:00 p.m. CT on Thursday
TV Channel: Big Ten Network
Commentators: Larry Punteney (play by play) and Emily Ehman (color)
Streaming: Fox Sports App
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 (24-1 overall, 14-0 Big Ten) vs. INDIANA (12-12, 5-9)
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday
TV Channel: Big Ten Network
Commentators: Larry Punteney (play by play) and Lauren Stivrins (color)
Streaming: Fox Sports App
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-MINNESOTA:
>> Nebraska is 38-12 all-time against Minnesota and won both matches against the Golden Gophers last year.
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NEBRASKA-INDIANA:
>> Nebraska is 23-1 all-time against Indiana and has won 23 straight against the Hoosiers since Indiana’s lone win in 1978.
SCOUTING REPORTS
NEBRASKA
All stats and info provided courtesy of Nebraska Athletics Communications
>> Nebraska has won 21 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Seventeen of the 21 wins have been sweeps, including the last four matches.
>> Entering Thursday’s match, Nebraska has won 15 sets in a row.
>> Nebraska is 6-0 against top-10 teams this season, which is the most top-10 wins in a regular season in school history.
>> Nebraska is 9-0 against ranked foes this season, as SMU was not in the AVCA Top 25 at the time of that match.
>> The Huskers rank 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .295.
>> Nebraska ranks seventh nationally in kills per set (14.28).
>> Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.30 kills per set and 25 service aces and is hitting .255. Murray also adds 2.15 digs per set.
>> Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 3.06 kills per set for the Big Red and is hitting .258 with 1.30 digs per set and 23 aces.
>> Taylor Landfair is putting up 2.51 kills per set and hitting .254.
>> Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.67 kills with a .444 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the nation.
>> Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.68 kills per set on .337 hitting with 1.28 blocks per set. Allick has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks with 354.
>> Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.12 assists per set, which ranks sixth in the nation and leads the Big Ten. She also adds 2.90 digs per set and has 17 aces. Reilly has 13 double-doubles and has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this season.
>> Three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.70 digs per set. Last week, Rodriguez passed Kayla Banwarth for No. 2 all-time in career digs at Nebraska. Rodriguez now has 1,731 and is chasing Justine Wong-Orantes (1,890).
SCOUTING REPORT: MINNESOTA
>> No. 16 Minnesota is 16-8 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play after suffering home defeats to Washington (3-1) and No. 12 Oregon (3-0) last week.
>> Julia Hanson leads the Golden Gophers with 3.73 kills per set and is hitting .270. She also has a team-high 26 aces.
>> Lydia Grote adds 2.87 kills per set and also has 26 aces.
>> Phoebe Awoleye ranks seventh nationally in blocks per set with 1.49. As a team, Minnesota ranks 13th (2.78).
SCOUTING REPORT: INDIANA
>> Indiana is 12-12 overall and 5-9 in the Big Ten after losses at home to No. 9 Purdue (3-1) and No. 20 USC (3-1) last week.
>> Candela Alonso-Corcelles paces the Hoosiers with 3.58 kills per set, while Avry Tatum adds 3.42 kills per set.
>> Camryn Haworth averages 9.96 assists per set and has 42 aces on the season.
>> Libero Ramsey Gary ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.20 digs per set.
STATS TO KNOW: NEBRASKA
SERVE AND PASS
>> Nebraska has allowed just 46 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest team is Pittsburgh with 54 aces allowed.
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BALANCED ATTACK
>> Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.68 and 3.30 kills per set.
>> Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match this season.
>> Reilly ranks sixth nationally averaging 11.12 assists per set.
>> Nebraska’s attack has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank 11th in hitting percentage (.295) and seventh in kills per set (14.28).
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HOME SWEET HOME
>> Nebraska has won 38 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.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Patrol troopers find 242 pounds of cocaine during commercial truck inspection
LEXINGTON, Neb. (KOLN) – Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested one person after finding more than 240 pounds of cocaine during a commercial vehicle inspection.
On Tuesday afternoon, an NSP Carrier Enforcement trooper conducted a commercial vehicle inspection on a semi tractor/trailer driven by Arwinderjit Singh, 30, of California, near mile marker 254 on Interstate 80.
During the inspection, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity. An NSP K-9 detected the odor of a controlled substance inside the cab of the semi, troopers said.
After searching the cab, troopers located 242 pounds of cocaine concealed underneath the sleeper bed, NSP said.

Singh was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, possession of an open alcohol container, no drug tax stamp and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Singh was lodged in Dawson County Jail, and his bond was set at 10% of $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Athlete of the Week: Creighton Prep boys wrestling’s Zaiyahn Ornelas
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton Prep senior Zaiyahn Ornelas won his fourth consecutive Nebraska state wrestling title on Saturday.
According to NSAA records, he joins 39 other wrestlers in state history to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a great feeling,” Ornelas said. “It’s a feeling everybody wants.”
Ornelas won three Class C state titles at Wilber-Clatonia at 106, 113 and 120 pounds before transferring to Creighton Prep for his senior season, where he competed in Class A at 126 pounds.
“Three state titles there and then just thought I could bump up my competition,” Ornelas said.
“Zaiyahn is one of the cleanest technicians I’ve ever seen. That’s a huge testament to his coaching staff at Wilber,” Fisher added.
Ornelas was one of four Creighton Prep wrestlers to win state titles this season, helping lead the Jr. Jays to the Class A team title. Teammates said his presence in the practice room raised their level of competition.
“I could never slack off just because my competition in the state was easy. I always had to come in this room and get better or else I was going to get beat,” said sophomore Cruzer Dominguez, a two-time Class A state champion at 106 and 120 pounds.
Sophomore Kameron Green, the Class A 144-pound state champion this year, also credited Ornelas for aiding in his development.
“Zaiyahn being a training partner has helped me in tremendous ways,” he said. “When he wrestles, he’s not the nicest or shyest kid, but he’s tenacious and tough.”
Junior JT Smith, a two-time state champion at 175 and 190 pounds, said the achievement carries weight for the entire team.
“It’s something really special to have a teammate that’s a four-time state champion,” he said. “That’s something everyone wants to be.”
Fisher said Ornelas’s attitude set the tone from the start.
“He has so many skills and then coming into our room, he’s extremely coachable. Every time he came in here he was humble, ready to work, wanting to get better and that’s why he is as good as he is,” Fisher said.
Ornelas signed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska in November. He said the move to Creighton Prep delivered what he was looking for.
“This is the reason why I came here. I went out to explore, to find the best, and this is the territory that I found. If it wasn’t for these guys — the push — I would have not been there,” Ornelas said.
“It’s hard to believe. That’s kind of what I wanted since the beginning, freshman year,” he said.
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Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Nebraska Chamber taps former state senator to lead during leadership transition
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry has selected a former state senator and longtime board member to lead the chamber while it searches for a new president and CEO.
Board of Directors Chair Pat Keenan said Thursday that Matt Williams of Gothenburg agreed to serve as interim president.
ALSO READ: Nebraska Chamber president and CEO resigns after less than a year
“The Board is grateful to Matt for stepping into this role during a very active and productive time for the Nebraska Chamber,” Keenan said. “He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives.”
Williams represented District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015 to 2023.
The chamber said Williams has had a lifelong career in banking and serves as chairman of Flatwater Bank. He previously served as chair of the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association.
His long involvement with the chamber includes membership on the Board of Directors; he currently serves as director for District 6. In 2025, he was named to the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.
“The Nebraska Chamber is on rock-solid footing, with the clear vision of the Board, and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride in legislative policy and advocacy, technology, manufacturing, leadership-development, fund-raising and membership. The success of cutting-edge initiatives like 6 Regions, One Nebraska, the launch of the Go Big Future series, and the strong member engagement across the state demonstrate the success and strength of this organization. I’m excited to lend my support in whatever way I can for the Chamber. I know how strong businesses and communities make for a stronger Nebraska, and I’m glad to be part of that.”
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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