LINCOLN—After reading the scouting report for Maryland, Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson couldn’t wait to get on the court.
The Terrapins entered the match as the second-best blocking team in the Big Ten and 11th in the nation. However, Maryland’s defense focuses on slowing opposing pin hitters, often leaving the middle blocker one-on-one at the net.
The middle blockers for the top-ranked Huskers feasted on the matchup as Allick tied her career-high with 13 kills on just 17 swings while Jackson added nine kills on an .800 hitting percentage. NU’s middles powered it to a 25-14, 27-25, 25-14 sweep over Maryland Saturday afternoon at John Cook Arena in front of 8,477 fans.
“I get so excited when Dani tells us to run (the offense) up the gut,” Allick said. “As a middle, you dream about games like this. It just makes Monday through Friday worth it, and it’s just really fun.”
Jackson said their goal was to isolate against the Maryland block and then also run routes to find the gaps in the Terps’ defense.
“Kudos to our setters. They were feeding the ball super well,” she said. “You can’t really tell from our passing, but we just talked about it in the locker room, the passes that we did get, we really capitalized on it.”
Maryland finished with just four blocks on the day as the Huskers hit .360. Setter Bergen Reilly finished with 29 assists and added four kills. Meanwhile, Nebraska (12-0, 2-0) recorded 11 blocks, led by six from Allick, who moved ahead of Sarah Pavan for No. 5 on NU’s all-time charts.
Allick said she was honored to be among players like Pavan, a four-time All-American, for her career performances and thankful for the opportunity to play for the Huskers.
“The thing about Nebraska volleyball is it’s full of giants, and it’s really cool that my name will be up there with them,” she said.
The Huskers took the lead in the first set after five straight points put them up 8-5. Maryland didn’t record a kill in the set until the 18th rally, and it finished with just five kills compared to seven errors. NU pulled away as junior outside Harper Murray, who finished with 10 kills and 10 digs, had a personal 3-0 run with a pair of kills and an ace.
In the second set, Nebraska experimented with a two-setter offensive system, as Campbell Flynn and Allie Sczech substituted for Bergen Reilly and Virginia Adriano. NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said she wanted to practice using a double substitution, in case it is needed later in the season.
The Huskers played well for most of the set and led 19-12, but then their serve receive broke down, allowing Maryland to rally and tie the score at 22-all on an ace. The Terps recorded nine aces, a season-high for a Husker opponent.
Busboom Kelly said the offense wasn’t the reason for their late struggles in the set, but rather the results of NU’s woes in serve receive. She said she was impressed with Flynn, who tallied six assists on 11 sets, and Sczech, who finished with one kill and three blocks.
“Our passing broke down a little bit, and I thought we just got complacent,” she said. “It wasn’t the intent to go 6-2, but the opportunity presented itself, and then we wanted to stick with it and see if they could finish that second set off even though it was tight.”
NU scored the first five points of the third set and was never seriously threatened. Allick continued her strong play as she ran off four straight points with three kills and a block with Taylor Landfair. Landfair then added a kill to stretch NU’s lead to 14-6, and the Huskers cruised the rest of the way.
Ajack Malual led Maryland (7-5, 0-2) with nine kills, three aces and three blocks. The Terps hit .090 for the match, their second-lowest this season.
All 14 non-redshirting Huskers got into the match, and 10 different players recorded kills.
While she dominated the net, Jackson also recorded a diving dig that eventually led to a kill from Teraya Sigler. She said it can be challenging to play back row defense in the one rotation after she serves, but she tries to take advantage of her opportunity.
“On top of having a good clean serve, you also want to play good defense, because we say it all the time in the gym, your moment is going to come, and you want to be ready for it, regardless of what that is, whether it’s a dig, a kill, a block,” Jackson said. “So switching your mindset from offense to defense, and then knowing that you have one shot to capitalize on that.”
Five Stars in the Stands
2027 prospect Decelise Champión arrived during the warm-up period before the match as part of her visit to check out Nebraska. She sat on the bench and briefly chatted with Busboom Kelly before watching the match from the stands.
The 16-year-old opposite from Puerto Rico is one of the best players in the world for her age and has already played in senior national team tournaments, including the World Championships and Volleyball Nations League this year.
Dani Busboom Kelly was talking to 2027 prospect Decelise Champión before NU’s match with Maryland. The 16-year-old opposite from Puerto Rico has already played in senior national team tournaments. Champión visited Wisconsin yesterday. pic.twitter.com/p5AJQaq5fs
— Lincoln Arneal (@Lincoln_VB) September 27, 2025
She visited Wisconsin on Friday and watched the Badgers’ straight-set win over Rutgers.
Huskers Grant Wish
NU hosted Make-A-Wish participant Rylee for a visit this weekend. She attended practice on Friday and played tennis on the “Grandmas” team, which included the upperclassmen. Rylee also got coffee with the Huskers on Saturday morning, sat on the bench before the match and attended the postgame press conference.
“We had some good one-on-one time,” Jackson said. “It’s just been super fun. It’s been great having her here.”
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