No. 1 Nebraska volleyball (5-0) took on Wright State (2-2) in its first official home match of the season at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers swept the Raiders in the opening match of the Ameritas Players Challenge (25-16, 25-16, 25-20).
Dani Busboom Kelly gave Manaia Ogbechie the nod at middle blocker for her first career start, giving Rebekah Allick the night off. However, the true freshman looked just like the senior on the court, finishing with six kills and five blocks while hitting a team-high .625.
Nebraska as a team hit .322 while holding Wright State to a .073 mark.
Set 1: Huskers catch fire
In what was shaping up to be a competitive first set, Nebraska flipped the switch and ran away with a 25-16 victory. After hitting as low as .150 in the set, the Huskers battled back and finished with a .357 hitting percentage. They held Wright State to a -.030 clip.
A Teraya Sigler service ace kicked off the scoring with the Huskers scoring the first three points of the match. The Raiders kept up, however, with perfectly placed kills catching Nebraska off guard.
Wright State took a 13-12 lead, but three consecutive errors helped the Huskers regain the lead. Nebraska never let them lead again, ending the set on a 13-3 run.
The Raiders were no match for Nebraska’s powerful swings, as eight of its 13 first set kills came during the run. Bergen Reilly capped things off with a dump kill. Every front row player for the Huskers recorded a kill in the first set.
Set 2: Ogbechie takes over
Similar to the first set, the second set saw Nebraska and Wright State go back and forth before the Huskers took the lead for good, winning 25-16. Nebraska hit .406 in the set compared to the Raiders’ .032.
After having a kill in set one, Ogbechie dominated the second with five kills and five blocks. She made her presence felt early in the set with three kills and two block assists, putting the Huskers up 11-7.
The Raiders stayed persistent, making things difficult for Nebraska at times. However, four straight Husker points off of Harper Murray kills gave them a comfortable lead.
Ogbechie continued to make plays while Skyler Pierce added two kills and a block in her first action on the night. The Huskers ended the set on a 6-2 run with a Virginia Adriano set point kill going off the arm of a Wright Player and deep into the John Cook Arena crowd.
Set 3: Nebraska closes out sweep
The Huskers got out of the gates slowly in the third set, but still managed to win convincingly and earn the sweep 25-19.
Wright State once again gave Nebraska problems early. The Raiders forced Busboom Kelly to use her first timeout of the match after jumping out to a 9-4 lead.
Down by as many as five, the Huskers came back swinging, rattling off a 10-2 run to take the lead back. The three-point deficit was too much for Wright State to overcome, as Nebraska completed the sweep. The Raiders made it interesting, fighting off four Husker match points. However, Nebraska clinched the victory on a Jackson kill.
The Huskers will be back in action on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. CT, taking on California in the final match of the Ameritas Players Challenge.
