Sheldon: 3 Quick Sideouts from Nebraska's Regular-Season Finale Sweep of Ohio State

Nebraska stayed perfect with yet another sweep, this time against Ohio State to cap an undefeated regular season. Below are three quick sideouts after the match.

A dominant finale

The numbers don’t tell the entire story of Nebraska’s historically dominant season, but they provide important context. 

Nebraska’s 20-0 run through the league this season was the first since Penn State in 2009. Maybe more impressive is the Huskers’ 60-1 mark in sets, dropping just one frame at UCLA.

It puts Nebraska just below the rarest air in NCAA history, the unapproachable 2008 Penn State team that didn’t drop a set all season until they reached the Final Four in Omaha. 

You want offense? The Huskers had that, with Saturday’s .435 mark against Ohio State bringing the school-record attacking clip up to .352. While that could dip with a late postseason run, NU is currently shattering the old school record of .331 set in what seems like volleyball’s Mesozoic Era (1986).

Junior middle blocker Andi Jackson raised her hitting percentage to .464 on the season, and set a new Big Ten record, hitting .559 in conference matches, breaking the previous mark set by former Penn State great Arielle Wilson.

Defense? Ok. Nebraska held its regular season opponents to a nation-low .125. They let opponents break .200 just four times. The Huskers also became the first team to hold a defending national champion to fewer than 40 total points in a match, which they did to Penn State twice, something Coach Dani Busboom Kelly highlighted Saturday night as one of her proudest accomplishments in a season full of superlatives.

“I do think that when you combine both our wins against Penn State and that we played great twice, home and away,” she said, “I think that was a pretty, pretty big statement. So I think that ranks up there for me.”

Over the last three seasons, Nebraska has gone 58-2 in regular season Big Ten play. One of the most dominant three-year stretches in the conference's history.

But, not to be a wet blanket, this is exactly how people were talking about Pitt last season. Much is expected of Nebraska in December. But it still must be taken.

Huskers spread the love on Senior Night

Nebraska hasn’t been afraid to showcase its depth this season, so it wasn’t a surprise to see a senior-laden starting lineup. Busboom Kelly gave senior Maisie Boesiger the start at libero and Baylor transfer Allie Sczech the start at opposite in a lineup that also featured seniors Taylor Landfair and Rebekah Allick, both regular starters.

Sczech put away six kills on 12 swings, her highest total since also notching six against Utah on Sept. 12.

“Honestly, just to be at Nebraska, it's so cool, and it's something we kind of talk about, but like, it's something you will never forget,” Sczech said. “And so, you know, being able to hit off of Bergen is like a dream.”

Boesiger was told Friday that she would be given the start at libero in the regular season finale, and the Huskers’ contingency in suiting up a second libero, sophomore Olivia Mauch, was never needed.

The senior from Firth, Neb., had a team-high 13 digs and led Nebraska with 11 serve receptions. She was particularly effective from the service line, serving a team-best 22 times and going on multiple runs of points.

“I have loved Nebraska volleyball my whole life, and once again, it was just like a dream come true,” Boesiger said. “I just wanted to take in every single minute. It kind of felt like the stadium match where I woke up and I was like, okay, and you enjoy every second today. And that's kind of how I went into this day feeling,”

Busboom Kelly was able to flex almost all of her depth against the Buckeyes, playing 13 of the 14 players who are not redshirting this season. Ten Huskers put down kills, including redshirt freshman Skyler Pierce, who had a pivotal service run late in Game 3 after Ohio State cut NU’s lead to 20-19.

Flipping the switch to the postseason

With the overall No. 1 seed assured and the Final Four to be played in Kansas City, the Huskers’ search for their first national title since 2017 will have favorable crowds. Nebraska will learn its potential postseason match-ups Sunday at 5 p.m. on the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.

Despite all of the accolades the Huskers earned during an unbeaten regular season, the tournament brings its own pressures, with Nebraska considered a prohibitive favorite. Three of the last four seasons have ended in the Final Four, but a sixth NCAA title trophy has remained elusive.

“Making it so far and falling short is it's hard to forget,” Boesiger said, “and I feel like it's just a huge motivation for everyone who was on this team last year, all the returners, just knowing what that feeling feels like, and just knowing that we want to do anything to not feel like that again at the end of this year.”

Maybe the key to finishing the run this season isn’t turning a page but keeping right on schedule. Busboom Kelly said consistency has been one of this year’s team’s hallmarks. 

With the results being what they’ve been so far, what would tempt you to try anything else?

“They've been super competitive. You know, they find ways to compete, which has allowed us to continue to improve when we're already playing at a high level,” Busboom Kelly said.

“So they're really ready, ready for the tournament. And now it's a new season. Everybody's zero wins, zero losses. So you know, we're going to try to be the first and the best to six wins.”

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