LINCOLN, Neb. - The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team remained unbeaten with a 25-23, 25-20, 25-22 sweep of No. 12 Minnesota on Sunday night in front of 8,591 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. 

The Huskers (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten) have won four straight matches against ranked opponents and will face a fifth ranked foe in a row at No. 19 Purdue on Friday night. Nebraska earned its sweep on Sunday behind 13 kills and eight digs by Harper Murray and 11 kills and 10 digs by Merritt Beason. 

Ally Batenhorst hit .333 on the night and finished with nine kills, and Andi Jackson posted seven kills and hit .357. Bekka Allick added five kills and three blocks. 

Bergen Reilly set the Huskers to a .223 hitting percentage with 39 assists and added eight digs and a team-high four blocks. 

The Huskers outkilled the Golden Gophers 47-32 and had a decisive advantage in digs, 52-36. Lexi Rodriguez had a match-high 12. Laney Choboy added eight. Minnesota had nine blocks to seven for the Huskers. 

Mckenna Wucherer had 11 kills to pace Minnesota (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten). All five of Minnesota's losses are to teams currently ranked in the top 11 of the AVCA Coaches Poll. 

Set 1: The Huskers were behind 8-4 before a 4-0 run to tie it. Reilly had two blocks and Murray had two kills to make it 8-8. The Huskers went up 12-10 after two kills by Allick and one by Beason. Nebraska pushed its lead to five, 18-13, after two aces by Beason and kills by Jackson and Batenhorst. But the Golden Gophers answered with a 9-3 run to claim a 22-21 lead. A service error by Minnesota tied it, and Beason posted a solo stuff before a Murray kill made it 24-22 NU. A service error by the Huskers gave the serve back to Minnesota, but Batenhorst put the set away with her fourth kill that made it 25-23. 

Set 2: NU held a 5-2 lead early but Minnesota came back to tie it at 6-6. A kill by Batenhorst started an 8-0 run that put the Huskers up 14-6. Beason and Murray had kills during that stretch. However, Minnesota went on a 5-0 run to cut Nebraska's lead to 16-14 on the strength of three straight blocks. But the Huskers settled down after Murray earned a sideout kill. Beason followed with a kill, and Batenhorst added one between two Minnesota hitting errors, and the Huskers rebuilt their lead to 21-14. Another Batenhorst kill pushed the Huskers' lead to 22-15, but Minnesota chipped away to get within 23-19. After a timeout, Reilly dumped a kill for set point, and a kill by Murray ended the set at 25-20. 

Set 3: Nebraska led 8-5 before Minnesota rallied back to go up 10-8. The teams went back and forth and were tied 15-15 before a Nebraska service error and hitting error made it 17-15 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers led 20-18 before back-to-back kills by Beason off of assists from Rodriguez tied the set at 20-20. Murray then served an ace to make it 21-20 Huskers. After a Minnesota timeout, the Golden Gophers won a long rally to tie the score at 21-21 but then committed a hitting error for a 22-21 Husker lead. Reilly then set Jackson for a kill and a 23-21 advantage, and Minnesota used its final timeout. Taylor Landfair terminated for the Golden Gophers out of the break, but Beason won a joust to earn match point at 24-22, and Jackson put the match away with her seventh kill for a 25-22 win. 

Up Next: Nebraska hits the road for two matches next weekend. The Huskers play at No. 19 Purdue on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) and at Indiana on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT). Both matches are set for Big Ten Network broadcasts.

HUSKERS FALL 1-0 AT #4 PSU

University Park, Pa. – Despite outshooting No. 4 Penn State 16-13 on the road, the Nebraska soccer team dropped its first conference match of the season, falling 1-0 to the Nittany Lions on Sunday afternoon.

Overall, the Huskers also led in shots on goal (4-3) and corners (5-4), but it was not enough as NU fell to 7-2-2 and 1-1-1 (Big Ten) on the season, and PSU improved to 9-0-1 and 3-0 (Big Ten).

In the first half, Penn State had an early chance with a shot hitting the inside of the post, but the Huskers responded with the match’s first shot on goal in the 11th minute by Sadie Waite. Both teams had additional opportunities to score, but no finishes were tallied, and the Huskers held Penn State scoreless in the first 45 minutes. The teams were tied with two shots on goal apiece at halftime, but NU held the advantage in corner kicks (3-2).

The Huskers continued to fight for the first goal recording two shots and earning a corner kick in the opening five minutes of the second half. NU’s defense then proved resilient staving off four shots and two corner kicks to keep the game scoreless over halfway through the second half.

Then highlighting NU’s second-half play was a cross sent in by Abbey Schwarz, tied for the team-high with five assists, met by Briley Hill who took a sliding shot which was saved by the Penn State goalie in the 72nd minute. Schwarz then did it again in the 76th minute with another cross, this time just outside the goal box, to Sadie Waite who took a shot that was also saved for PSU’s Katherine Asman’s fifth save of the game.

After a Husker foul just outside the 18-yard box, Penn State took advantage of a free kick as Cori Dyke found the back of the net for the game winner, off assists from Kate Wiesner and Eva Alonso in the 81st minute.

NU was unable to score the equalizer in the final nine minutes of the game and dropped its first conference match of the season.

In the goal, Sami Hauk played the complete game and tallied two saves. Hauk was joined by defenders Nicola Hauk and Lauryn Anglim, and forward Dale who also played the full 90 minutes.

Up next, the Huskers return home and host Rutgers on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7:05 p.m. (CT). Action will be aired on BTN.