A challenging route for the Nebraska No. 5 Volleyball Team continues this weekend as the Huskers prepare to host the Nebraska Classic.

NU’s season could have taken a turn on Tuesday when they narrowly escaped with a five-set win over an in-state rival. No. 9 Creighton thanks to some heroic deeds in the fifth movement of Harper Murray And Lindsey KrauseThe win over the Bluejays was by far the best for the Huskers earlier this season.

Instead of succumbing to Creighton’s attempt at a reverse sweep, Nebraska served as a reminder of why this group reached the national championship last December, quickly building a 5-1 lead before burying the hatchet with a Murray kill to secure the 15-10 fifth-set victory. That puts the Huskers at 23-0 overall against CU, but the work isn’t done yet.

Tuesday marked the beginning of one of the most difficult stretches of NU’s schedule, as the Huskers now host No. 14 Arizona State and perennial AAC contender Wichita State on back-to-back nights. Also next week, No. 2 Stanford comes to town for a blockbuster Wednesday night game, followed by Nebraska visiting Louisville for the first regular-season college volleyball game televised on ABC.

It’s a busy time if you’re a Nebraska volleyball fan, so here’s everything you need to know for this weekend Nebraska classic.

How to follow the instructions

Comparison: No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. No. 14 Arizona State (6-0)

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska

Time: 7pm CDT

Regard: B1G network

Hear: Huskers Radio Network and Partners

Boy Scouts of the State of Arizona

Head coach: JJ Van Niel | 2nd season | 34-7 record at school | 2023 Pac-12 Coach of the Year

Record 2023: 28-7 (14-6 Pac-12, T-3.) | AVCA All-American First Team, two AVCA honorable mentions, one All-Pac-12 selection | Lost in four sets to regional No. 1 seed Stanford in Sweet 16

Record against Nebraska: 1-4-1 (last game 2021)

Important returnees: Claire Jeter, MB, Gr. | Mary Shroll, L, size | Geli Cyr, OH, Sr. | Roberta Rabelo, OH, Gr. |

Important additions: Argentina Ung, S, Gr. (Washington State) | Savannah Kjolhede, MB, Gr. (Indiana) | Bailey Miller, OH, Jr. (West Virginia)

Important departures: Marta Levinska, OPP (Authorized) | Shannon Shields, S (Authorized) | Maddie McLaughlin, MB (Authorized)

Outlook: It’s been a banner year in the desert for new head coach JJ Van Niel. Van Niel, who joined the Trojans from USC as an assistant head coach, posted a 28-7 record in his first season at the helm, was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year and helped the Sun Devils to their second-highest winning percentage in school history.

Arizona State lost a lot of production from the 2023 roster as AVCA First-Team All-American outside hitter Marta Levinska lost her eligibility. She had 517 kills on a .348 average and 75 blocks. Shannon Shields led the ASU offense in her final season and received honorable mention from the AVCA. Additionally, middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin had 109 blocks, but she lost her eligibility and signed with a professional team in Puerto Rico.

Claire Jeter leads the group of returners for ASU, which is off to a quick 6-0 start in 2024. Jeter recorded a team-leading 130 blocks with 195 kills for 315 points last season. She will anchor the center along with Savannah Kjolhede, who transferred from Indiana. She will bring necessary experience from a Big Ten program in Indiana that was on the rise.

Libero Mary Shroll is another big returner for ASU at the libero position. Shroll ranked second on the team with 43 aces last season and averaged 3.79 digs per set. The Temper native is finishing her college career at ASU after four seasons at Loyola Marymount from 2019-2022.

Geli Cyr and Roberta Rabelo both bring experience and grit to ASU’s hitting lineup. Cyr is expected to fill the void left by Levinska after she averaged 2.76 kills per set last season, which was second-best on the team. Rabelo will also need to step up her production after she totaled 2.08 kills per set last year. Bailey Miller, a West Virginia transfer, provides depth and is another attacker at Van Niel’s disposal. Miller shined in her first two collegiate seasons with the Mountaineers, leading the team with 293 kills in her freshman season before increasing that number to 339 in her sophomore year.

With Shields gone, Van Niel used the transfer portal to acquire his setter, Argentina Ung, from Washington State. The graduate student played four seasons with the Cougars, leading a 5-1 offense as a starter in 2022 and 2023. She earned honorable mention from the AVCA last season after leading WSU to the Sweet 16. She collected 2,513 assists in her career in Pullman, and tallied over 1,200 assists in back-to-back seasons.

Friday should be a great litmus test for this Arizona State team whose schedule is starting to pick up steam. Ung will need to play a clean game while ASU’s servers will need to knock Nebraska out of the system. With the Creighton win providing some momentum, the Huskers should win here, but don’t be surprised if the Sun Devils take a set if they run away from NU. Friday should show whether or not ASU is in the top 15. The Nebraska native Estella Zatechka returns to her home state as a junior libero for the Sun Devils after transferring from Missouri following the 2022 season.

How to follow the instructions

Comparison: No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. Wichita State (3-3)

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska

Time: 2:00 p.m. CDT

Regard: B1G+

Hear: Huskers Radio Network and Partners

Wichita State Scout

Head coach: Chris Lamb | 25th season | 511-239 record at school | 19th active HC in NCAA D1 with 500 wins | Leads active AAC coaches in career wins

Record 2023: 26-8 (15-4 AAC, 2nd, East Division) | Defeated UTEP to win the NIVC

Record against Nebraska: 0-13 (last meeting 2019)

Important returnees: Morgan Stout, MB, Sr. | Emerson Wilford, OH, Jr. | Gabi Maas, L, Jr. | Izzi Beach, S, size.

Important additions: Sarah Barham, MB, Gr. (Wofford) | Alyssa Gonzales, OH, R-Fr. (TCU)

Important departures: Natalie Foster, MB (SMU) | Sophia Rohling, OPP (eligibility) | Brylee Kelly, OH (eligibility) | Barbara Koehler, OH (FGCU)

Outlook: Chris Lamb, who has been at Wichita State longer than John Cook has been at Nebraska, led Wichita State to 20 wins for the 16th time in the last 21 years in 2023. The team won the NIVC and its first victory in a national postseason tournament. The Shockers lost just one set in five games en route to the title.

Unfortunately, WSU lost its best player and point scorer, middle blocker Natalie Foster, to SMU. Foster played a key role in the Mustangs’ win over Nebraska earlier this season. Additionally, top player Sophia Rohling lost her eligibility and multiple all-conference selection Brylee Kelly suffered an injury-plagued final season and ended her career. Then reserve player Barbara Koehler transferred to Florida Gulf Coast in January.

Middle blocker Morgan Stout is back after scoring 381.5 total points in 2023 and being named to the AAC Second Team All-Conference. Lamb convinced setter Izzi Strand to return to Wichita for her sophomore season. Strand, who transferred from San Diego, was a member of the All-Conference Second Team alongside Stout last season and scored 1,340 points, finishing first in the AAC and sixth in the nation. She was even named NIVC MVP after averaging 11.2 assists per set in five games.

Libero Gabi Maas had a strong first season in Wichita after transferring from TCU, totaling 496 digs, which ranked 65th nationally.

Emerson Wilford is the only returning attacker who scored over 100 points last season. She has double-digit kill totals in three of her six matches this season. Brooklyn Leggett takes over as primary attacker after just four matches and eight sets last season. She leads the offense with 64 kills in 24 sets so far in 2024.

Lamb had to resort to the transfer portal to fill out his roster, acquiring middle blocker Sarah Barham from Wofford. The 6-foot-1 North Carolina native was one of the most decorated players in program history, being named to the SoCon All-Conference team all four seasons while helping the Terriers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. Plus, redshirt freshman Alyssa Gonzales brings plenty of potential after transferring from TCU.

Nebraska will probably win this game easily, unless there is a complete collapse. The Shockers field two Nebraska natives, a freshman middle blocker Haley Wolfe out of Elkhorn and junior libero Katie Galligan out of Elkhorn South.

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