No. 2 Nebraska volleyball extends winning streak to 13 matches, while No. 1 Pittsburgh suffers a defeat against SMU.
Harper Murray contributed 12 kills, 11 digs, and two aces to lead Nebraska volleyball to a dominant 25-15, 25-16, 25-12 victory over Rutgers on Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Middle blocker Leyla Blackwell had another strong performance with nine kills and seven blocks, while Taylor Landfair added six kills.
Nebraska (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) has now won 13 consecutive matches since their September 3 loss to SMU, with 10 of those victories being sweeps.
This match came just 21 hours after Nebraska’s five-set battle with Purdue on Friday.
Nebraska outperformed Rutgers in kills (43-28), blocks (9-5), and aces (3-2).
Rutgers’ .083 hitting percentage was the lowest Nebraska has held an opponent to this season, while Nebraska hit .314. Murray was instrumental in Nebraska’s first set win, recording five kills on nine attempts.
Nebraska’s five blocks and 16 digs stifled Rutgers in the first set, holding the Scarlet Knights to a .000 hitting percentage.
Rutgers libero Kenzie Dyrstad, a sophomore from Papillion-La Vista South, tallied 12 digs.
Earlier on Saturday, top-ranked Pittsburgh lost its first match of the season in five sets to SMU. Having already defeated Nebraska, SMU now boasts wins over both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams this season.
SMU (13-4), previously unranked, is currently No. 15 and expected to rise in the rankings on Monday.
