The Nebraska victory over the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday was more than just another win for the No. 6 ranked Cornhusker volleyball team.
This win marks the Huskers’ 88th straight home victory, an all-time NCAA record. NU was previously tied with Penn State, who won 87 in a row from 1995 to 2000, before the Huskers’ sweep of Creighton at the NU Coliseum. Nebraska’s streak dates back to 2004.
“That’s a reflection of Nebraska volleyball and our program, the way we approach it, how hard our kids work, and of course the fans always make a big difference,” NU coach John Cook said. “It’s pretty incredible when you think about it.”
In set one, the Huskers were able to use the energy of a packed Coliseum to rally for a 25-19 victory.
Nebraska began the opening set with a 5-0 run with two kills by Jordan Wilberger. Wilberger played a vital role in the first-set victory for the Huskers. The sophomore ended the first set with four kills and a perfect hitting percentage.
Fellow sophomore Brooke Delano also aided in NU’s first set victory. Delano had five kills and a .833 hitting percentage. Junior Tara Mueller also had five kills in the opening set.
In the second set, Nebraska came out just as fired up as the first.
The Huskers took the first three points of the second set and assembled another four-point run to carry them to a 25-23 victory.
Wilberger again led the Huskers’ offense in the second set, notching four more kills and posting a .417 hitting percentage. Mueller put up a .389 hitting-percentage, adding five more kills in the second. The team offensively out-hit the Bluejays .179-.229.
Early in the third and final set, NU rallied for a 4-0 run started by a Delano kill and a Megan Pendergast service ace.
Nebraska revved up its offense in the third, out-hitting Creighton .335-.107. Wilberger hit a .667, and Lindsey Licht and Sydney Anderson both had hits to chalk up Nebraska’s first home victory of the season.
“At times I think we did some great things tonight and, at times, we did some bone-head things tonight,” Cook said. “We have some great teaching moments for practice tomorrow and going into this weekend.”
After the game, Cook talked at length about the way he would be shuffling players in and out during the busy week.
“This week, our plan is to rotate (Kori) Cooper. We’re going to rotate our outsides because we’re playing four matches in six days,” Cook said. “So, I want to make sure these kids stay fresh.”
Along with the NCAA consecutive home-winning streak record, Wilberger rewrote her personal record book. The Scottsbluff native had a career-best 10 kills on Tuesday.
“Coach tells us to trust our training,” Wilberger said. “So, I just went out there and acted like it was a practice and had an amazing set. So, it was really easy.”
Wilberger came into last weekend’s game against Minnesota as a backup to senior Cooper, who is recovering from a knee injury. Wilberger was a vital part in the Minnesota victory, enough so that Cook gave her the start against Creighton.
The NCAA record was far off the minds of both Cook and the team, though. Wilberger and junior libero Kayla Banwarth were both unaware of the feat.
“I think it almost gets repetitive with the record breaking stuff,” Banwarth said. “We just enjoy coming out every evening and playing to our fullest ability. Those things are cool to be a part of, and we’re going to remember those things, but it’s exciting that we can experience those things as a team.”
jaybsloan@dailynebraskan.com
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