A challenging period for the #5 Nebraska Volleyball Team continues this weekend as the Huskers prepare to host the Nebraska Classic.

NU’s season could have been turned upside down on Tuesday, narrowly escaping with a five-set victory over state rival No. 9 Creighton thanks to some heroic deeds in the fifth set of Harper Murray And Lindsey KrauseThe win over the Bluejays was easily the Huskers’ best win this early in the season.

Rather than succumb to Creighton’s attempted reverse sweep, Nebraska provided a reminder of why this group reached the national championship game last December, jumping out to an early 5-1 lead before burying the hatchet on a Murray kill to secure a 15-10 fifth-set victory. It moved the Huskers to 23-0 all-time against CU, but the job isn’t done yet.

Tuesday kicked off one of the toughest stretches of NU’s schedule, as the Huskers now host No. 14 Arizona State and perennial AAC contender Wichita State on consecutive nights. Plus, No. 2 Stanford comes to town next week for a Wednesday night blockbuster, followed by Nebraska visiting Louisville for the first-ever regular-season college volleyball game to be televised on ABC.

It’s a busy time if you’re a Nebraska Volleyball fan, so here’s everything you need to know for this weekend Classic from Nebraska.

How to participate

Match: No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. No. 14 Arizona State (6-0)

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Time: 7:00 PM CDT

Watch: B1G network

Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Arizona State Scout

Head coach: JJ Van Niel | 2nd season | 34-7 school record | 2023 Pac-12 Coach of the Year

2023 record: 28-7 (14-6 Pac-12, T-3rd) | AVCA All-American First Team, two AVCA honorable mentions, one All-Pac-12 selection | Lost in four sets to regional No. 1 seed Stanford in Sweet 16

Record against Nebraska: 1-4-1 (last match 2021)

Main returnees: Claire Jeter, MB, Gr. | Mary Shroll, L, Gr. | Geli Cyr, OH, Sr. | Roberta Rabelo, OH, Gr. |

Main additions: Argentina Ung, S, Gr. (Washington State) | Savannah Kjolhede, MB, Gr. (Indiana) | Bailey Miller, OH, Jr. (West Virginia)

Main deviations: Marta Levinska, OPP (Admission Requirements) | Shannon Shields, S (Admission Requirements) | Maddie McLaughlin, MB (Admission Requirements)

Prospect: It was a banner year for first-year head coach JJ Van Niel in the desert. Van Niel came over from USC as associate head coach of the Trojans and went 28-7 in his first season at the helm. He was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year and helped the Sun Devils to their second-highest win total in school history.

Arizona State lost a lot of production from that 2023 team when AVCA First-Team All-American winger Marta Levinska became ineligible. She had 517 kills at a .348 clip and 75 blocks. Shannon Shields spent her senior season running the ASU offense and was named an AVCA Honorable Mention. Additionally, middle blocker Maddie McLaughlin had 109 blocks but became ineligible and signed with a professional team in Puerto Rico.

Claire Jeter leads the returnee group for ASU, which is off to a rapid 6-0 start to begin 2024. Jeter posted a team-high 130 blocks with 195 kills for 315 points last season. She’ll anchor the middle alongside Indiana transfer Savannah Kjolhede. She brings experience from a Big Ten program in Indiana that has been on the rise.

Libero Mary Shroll is another big returnee for ASU at the libero position. Shroll ranked second on the team last season with 43 aces and averaged 3.79 digs per set. The Tempe native will conclude her collegiate career at ASU after four seasons at Loyola Marymount from 2019-22.

Geli Cyr and Roberta Rabelo both bring experience and grit to ASU’s hitting core. Cyr is expected to fill the void left by Levinska after averaging 2.76 kills per set last season, which was second on the team. Rabelo will also need to step up her production after averaging 2.08 kills per set last year. West Virginia transfer Bailey Miller provides depth and another forward at Van Niel’s disposal. Miller excelled in her first two collegiate seasons with the Mountaineers, leading the team in kills her freshman season with 293 before increasing that to 339 her sophomore year.

With Shields gone, Van Niel entered the transfer portal to acquire his setter in Argentina Ung from Washington State. The graduate student played four seasons with the Cougars, posting a 5-1 offense as a starter in 2022 and 2023. She was an AVCA Honorable Mention last season after leading WSU to the Sweet 16. She has amassed 2,513 career assists in Pullman and has tallied more than 1,200 assists in consecutive seasons.

Friday should be a great litmus test for this Arizona State team whose schedule is starting to heat up. Ung will need to put together a clean sweep while ASU’s servers get Nebraska out of the system. With Creighton’s win creating some momentum, the Huskers should be rolling in this one, but don’t be shocked if the Sun Devils win a set if they pull away from NU. Friday should show whether or not ASU is a top 15 pick. Nebraska native Estella Zatechka returns to her home state. She is a junior libero for the Sun Devils after transferring from Missouri after the 2022 season.

How to participate

Match: No. 5 Nebraska (5-1) vs. Wichita State (3-3)

Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Time: 2:00 PM CDT

Watch: B1G+

Listen: Huskers Radio Network and affiliates

Wichita State Explorer

Head coach: Chris Lamb | 25th season | 511-239 record at school | 19th active HC in NCAA D1 with 500 wins | Leads active AAC coaches in career wins

2023 record: 26-8 (15-4 AAC, 2nd, East Division) | Swept away UTEP and won NIVC

Record against Nebraska: 0-13 (last match 2019)

Main returnees: Morgan Stout, MB, Sr. | Emerson Wilford, OH, Jr. | Gabi Maas, L, Jr. | Izzi Strand, S, Gr.

Main additions: Sarah Barham, MB, Gr. (Wofford) | Alyssa Gonzales, OH, R-Fr. (TCU)

Main deviations: Natalie Foster, MB (SMU) | Sophia Rohling, OPP (Admission Requirements) | Brylee Kelly, OH (Admission Requirements) | Barbara Koehler, OH (FGCU)

Prospect: Chris Lamb, who has been at Wichita State longer than John Cook has been at Nebraska, led Wichita State to 20 wins in 2023 for the 16th time in the last 21 years. It ended with the program’s first national postseason tournament victory by winning the NIVC. The Shockers dropped just one set in five games en route to the title.

Unfortunately, WSU lost its point leader and best player in middle blocker Natalie Foster to SMU. Foster played a key role in the Mustangs’ upset of Nebraska earlier this season. Additionally, leading tackle Sophia Rohling was stripped of her eligibility and multiple all-conference selection Brylee Kelly suffered an injury-plagued senior campaign to end her career. Then, bench hitter Barbara Koehler transferred to Florida Gulf Coast in January.

Middle blocker Morgan Stout is back after totaling 381.5 points and being named an AAC Second Team All-Conference in 2023. Lamb convinced setter Izzi Strand to return for her sophomore season in Wichita. Strand, a transfer from San Diego, was an all-conference second teamer alongside Stout last season, dishing out 1,340 to rank first in the AAC and sixth in the nation. She was even named NIVC MVP after averaging 11.2 assists per set in five matches.

Libero Gabi Maas had a strong first season in Wichita after transferring from TCU, scoring 496 goals, which ranked him 65th nationally.

Emerson Wilford is the only forward returning to score over 100 points last season. She has double-digit kills in three of her six matches this season. Brooklyn Leggett takes over as the primary forward after only four matches and eight sets last season. She leads the offense with 64 kills in 24 sets so far in 2024.

Lamb had to dip into the transfer portal to bolster his roster, grabbing middle blocker Sarah Barham from Wofford. The 6-foot-1 North Carolina native was one of the most decorated players in program history, making the SoCon All-Conference team all four seasons while helping the Terriers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. Additionally, redshirt freshman Alyssa Gonzales brings plenty of potential with her transfer from TCU.

Expect Nebraska to cruise in this one unless there is a complete breakdown. The Shockers do have two Nebraska natives on the field at freshman middle blocker Haley Wolfe by Elkhorn and junior libero Katie Galligan by Elkhorn South.

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