Huskers Drop First Set, Rebound to Down No. 22 Utah

LINCOLN—The vibes were not great for Nebraska in the first set against No. 22 Utah. 

The top-ranked Huskers missed a serve on the first serve of the match. They let multiple serves fall to the floor untouched for aces. And they struggled to pass and slow down Kamryn Gibadlo and the Utah attack. 

NU eventually settled in, dominated the second set, and smothered the Utes with its serving and defense on its way to a 21-25, 25-8, 25-18, 25-13 victory Friday evening at the Devaney Center.

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said Utah served well and was aggressive on offense early on. 

“We just started slow, and then they started getting a lot of momentum, and it was hard to catch up,” she said. “We started playing better at the end of Game 1, and it was too late, but it was good to see that carry over and us start super strong in Game 2.”

After Kamryn Gibadlo went off for seven kills on 17 swings in the first set, NU adjusted its starting rotation to line up middle blocker Rebekah Allick against her. The Huskers (7-0) shut Gibaldo down in the second set as she didn’t record a kill on her five attacks and committed two hitting errors. 

Senior opposite Allie Sczech helped provide a spark on offense, recording kills on her first four attacks, as NU stormed out to a 9-3 lead in the second set.

Then NU’s serving took over. Andi Jackson was at the end line for a 7-0 run where the Utes struggled to run their offense in system. Taylor Landfair then closed out the set with another 7-0 run that included three Utah hitting errors and an overpass kill from Allick. 

Landfair finished the match with two aces on 27 serves and tied her season high with eight kills on a .467 hitting percentage. 

“She’s got one of the toughest serves on the team, so when she starts hitting it and gets on a roll, it’s great for us,” Busboom Kelly said about Jackson. “Taylor Landfair had an amazing serving night, and we’ve unlocked a couple of things with her serve in practice. It’s been awesome to see her apply that in the first game out.”

The eight points allowed were the fewest by a Husker opponent in a 25-point set this season, besting the previous mark of 11 by Pittsburgh. 

For Reilly, who finished with 32 assists and 18 digs, the difference between the first two sets came down to serving. Utah (5-2) controlled the first set, but when the Huskers increased the pressure, they took control of the match. 

NU’s defense also stepped up and didn’t allow an ace after the first set. Olivia Mauch switched to libero in the third set and was perfect in her four serve receptions. 

“We didn’t serve it tough enough,” Reilly said. “They’re a great team when they’re in system, so when they had all their options, they were tough to stop. Once we picked up our serving, the game really changed, and we were in control after that.”

In the second set, Nebraska’s offense played its best offense of the season as it terminated on 15 of its 20 kills without committing an error. Harper Murray, Allie Sczech and Landfair all tallied three kills in the set, and Reilly, who recorded two kills in the set, dished out seven assists. 

Sczech credited Reilly with giving them a favorable matchup on the pins and keeping the offense running smoothly. 

“Bergen did a great job,” she said. “I think that’s kind of what runs our offense. She’s like the quarterback of our team, and she did a really good job getting us one-on-ones.”

For the match, the Huskers finished with a .303 hitting percentage. Allick led the way with 13 kills, including several on overpasses, on a .667 hitting percentage to go with seven blocks. Murray and Andi Jackson each recorded nine kills.

The NU defense also locked up the Utes’ attack. After her strong first set, Gibadlo finished with just 11 kills. Emier Moea’i added nine kills and hit .304. 

As a team, Utah finished with a .063 hitting percentage, which was 170 points below its previous season low of .236, set in a straight-set loss to Texas A&M. The Huskers held Utah to negative hitting percentages in the second and fourth sets. Jackson added five blocks, and Laney Choboy recorded 12 digs. 

“If they can get it past our block, our defense usually takes care of it, and it doesn’t really matter who’s up there,” Busboom Kelly said. “Bergen’s a fantastic blocker. I thought Virginia (Adriano)  is a great blocker. Allie has significantly improved. She had a great blocking night.

”So just like our right side options are super strong, and then again, when you have Laney and Liv back there defending and T (Sigler) and Harper. It’s a pretty impressive back row combined with an awesome front row.”

Freshman defensive specialist Keri Liembach was not in uniform or on the bench Friday night. Bubsoom Kelly said she is out with an unspecified injury, but shouldn’t be out long. Earlier this week, she said Leimbach was likely headed for a redshirt this season. 

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