The no. 2 Nebraska Volleyball Team became the third behemoth in college volleyball to be surprised in the first two weeks of the season. Plagued by sloppy passing, passive serving and an inability to mount a consistent offense, the Huskers were swept 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 by a motivated SMU team on Tuesday night before 6,773 spectators at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.

What made the result so bizarre was the Huskers’ blazing start. Nebraska recorded seven kills in its first 13 swings, but three service errors kept the opening set close. Sophomore Andi Jackson scored five kills and her first career ace to go up 21-16. An unassailable lead disappeared before Nebraska’s eyes with a 6-0 run by SMU to take a 22-21 lead. The backbreaker came with the score tied at 23 where consecutive kills from SMU’s Nnedi Okammor and Natalie Foster secured the 25-23 comeback set win to set the tone for the night.

“We got hit in the face and we let them keep hitting us,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “I’m pretty disappointed with how we responded tonight, but to be honest, I’ve seen this. This all started Saturday night. We talked about frustration and we didn’t resolve it. We had a great practice last night, but we didn’t compete tonight. It was pretty disappointing.”

It’s the first loss to an unranked opponent since 2017 for Nebraska, which hasn’t had the best start to its 2024 campaign. After a four-set win over No. 9 Kentucky in its season opener, cracks were beginning to appear in the Huskers, particularly on offense. A four-set win over TCU exposed some holes in the offense, while Tuesday showed just how far the Huskers have to go with their serving game, which rarely gets the Mustangs out of system.

Nebraska was limited to a .171 hitting percentage with 18 errors compared to 36 kills. SMU hit a superior .242. The Mustangs outshot the Huskers 43-36 as SMU led from the service line with seven aces to Nebraska’s one. The Mustangs also had the upper hand with 10 blocks while the Huskers collected nine.

No player reached double figures in kills. Merritt Beason led NU with nine kills, while Naya Shime and Maya Tabron also had nine kills each. Jackson recorded eight kills on a .667 hitting percentage with six blocks. Foster also recorded eight kills on a .462 clip.

Bergen Reilly recorded a double-double for the Huskers with 31 assists and 11 digs. Lexi Rodriguez matched her teammate with 11, but SMU winger Jamison Wheeler had a game-high 13 digs.

“They’re going to have to step up,” Cook said. “Part of it is we think we’re Nebraska and we’re going to come out here and smoke teams. This team (SMU) played very inspired tonight. They played great. They won all the long rallies, let’s put it that way. That’s attitude and effort.”

Nebraska needs to bounce back quickly as it prepares to host the Huskers Invitational. NU takes on The Citadel on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. CDT on BTN+ and plays Montana State on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Nebraska Public Media.

Scoreboard

MORE: Nebraska-Colorado: It’s Big Game Week