The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team is heading into conference play.

Since falling victim to the biggest upset of the college volleyball season with a straight-sets loss at SMU on Sept. 3, the Huskers have responded with eight straight wins. After two easy shots, a five-set thriller was over Creighton seemed to inspire NU. The Huskers have won 12 straight sets, including back-to-back wins over No. 2 Stanford at home and No. 4 Louisville in front of over 14,000 fans at the KFC Yum! Arena.

As the defending conference champions, Nebraska will have a target in its sights, especially since the Huskers welcome two of the four new members from the West Coast.

Here’s everything you need to know as the Huskers open Big Ten play.

How to get involved

Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (10-1) vs. UCLA (6-3)

Where: Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Time: 7:00 p.m. CDT

Regard: Big Ten Network

Hear: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

UCLA scout

Head Coach: Alfee Reft | 2nd season | 24-15 (.615) career HC record | Assistant coach for the United States Women’s National Team at Paris 2024, which won a silver medal.

Record 2023: 18-12 (10-10 Pac-12, 6th) | An honorable mention from the AVCA | An All-Pac-12 selection | Did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Record against Nebraska: 5-13 (last game 2019, Nebraska won 3-0)

Fun fact: The Huskers have won four straight games against the Bruins since 2012. NU last lost at home to UCLA in 2009 John Cooks Daughter, LaurenShe was the Bruins’ starting player before moving to the Huskers.

Important returnees: Anna Dodson, MB, Gr. | Cheridyn Leverette, OH, Jr. | Grayce Olson, OH/OPP, Jr. | Peyton Dueck, L, Sr. | Audrey Pak, S, size

Important additions: Kiki Horne, OH, Fr. (Recruiting) | Kate Reilly, DS / L, Gr. (Stanford)

Most important departures: Iman Ndiaye, OH/OPP (Eligibility) | Desiree Becker, MB (authorization)

Outlook: It was a mediocre debut season for new UCLA head coach Alfee Reft in 2023. A .500 conference record in the Pac-12’s final year didn’t guarantee him a postseason berth despite an 18-12 record. The Bruins were among the first eight teams to fail.

However, five of the seven starters return for the 2024 season. Unfortunately, one of these departures occurred with the leading point player and opponent Iman Ndiaye. She posted a statistic of 3.14 kills per set with a team-high 441 points in 118 sets. Additionally, starting middle blocker and Northwestern transfer Desiree Becker graduated after leading UCLA with 136 total blocks complemented by 1.42 kills per set at a .342 clip.

Despite the losses, Reft and the Bruins return an intriguing core that gave UCLA a 6-3 record entering the weekend. The Bruins’ only impressive win so far is a five-set victory over No. 14 Georgia Tech in the season opener. They were later defeated by No. 17 Tennessee and lost in four sets to No. 25 TCU in the other top-tier games.

Leading the way was breakout junior Cheridyn Leverette. After taking on a supporting role last season, Leverette was unleashed as the primary attacker, posting 4.07 kills per set (6th in B1G) for a .325 hitting percentage. She also leads the team with 3.0 digs per set and has five aces. Freshman Kiki Horne completes a dynamic duo for the Bruins. The North Carolina native is second on the team with 3.04 kills per set at a .218 clip with 11 blocks. She was the state’s 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year and also the VolleyballMag.com Player of the Year for North Carolina. Grayce Olson will be seen as both an outside hitter and receiver. The 6-foot-4 hitter ranked second on the team in kills in 2023 and is on a similar pace entering 2024 with 2.48 kills per set.

Anna Dodson, who received an AVCA Honorable Mention last season, returns for her graduate season after spending the summer with the U.S. Volleyball Collegiate Women’s National Team. Dodson shined during her senior season with 233 kills at a .374 clip with 1.24 blocks per set. Their efficiency has dropped this year with just .262 hitting percentage and 2.14 kills per set. She also leads the team with 31 blocks (1.11 per set). Following in Becker’s footsteps is redshirt freshman Brooklyn Briscoe as the second midfielder. She recovered from an injury in 2023, but brings plenty of experience from Hollywood as the former No. 12 overall recruit in her class, according to PrepVolleyball. She was the one who was efficient at a .352 clip with 71 swings, 34 kills and 22 blocks.

Graduate student Audrey Pak returns to lead the offense as the starting player. She split time with freshman Ashley Mullen for the first half of 2023 before making the final 15 starts. She has improved her numbers as a starter this season with 9.03 assists and 2.45 digs per set. Returning senior Peyton Dueck is back at libero and is averaging 3.0 digs per set in nine games. Kate Reilly transferred from Stanford and has provided valuable playing time as a defensive specialist with 2.52 digs per set.

The Bruins appear to be on the upswing under Reft, who was part of the 2022 Final Four San Diego team that played in Omaha. The Bruins should be gunning for a top-half finish in the Big Ten, but it will be tough to end Nebraska’s 31-game winning streak on Friday.

How to get involved

Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (10-1) vs. No. 20 USC (8-2)

Where: Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Time: 6:30 p.m. CDT

Regard: Big Ten Network

Hear: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

USC scout

Head Coach: Brad Keller | 5th season | 71-49 (.592) USC record | Former assistant coach for men’s and women’s volleyball at UCLA

Record 2023: 19-13 (12-8 Pac-12, 5th) | AVCA First Team All-American | Two All-Pac-12 selections, one Pac-12 All-Freshman team selection | 3-1 loss to No. 4 Pittsburgh in the round of 32.

Record against Nebraska: 7-2 (2008 last game, Nebraska won 3-1)

Fun fact: Nebraska has played USC at home only once in a regular season, losing in four sets in 1985. This will also be the first matchup between the two schools since 1997 to be part of the regular season. The last three games have all come in the postseason, with the Trojans winning two of those three games.

Important returnees: Lindsey Miller, MB, Sr. | London Wijay, OH, Soph. | Gala Trubint, L, Jr. | Mia Tuaniga, S, Sr. | Tyrah Ariail, MB, R-Jr.

Important additions: Ally Batenhorst, OH, Gr. (Nebraska) | Grae Gosnell, OH, Gr. (Indiana)

Most important departures: Skylar Fields, OH (Eligibility) | Kalyah Williams, OPP (Eligibility) Ellie Snook, DS (Eligibility)

Outlook: USC enters its first season in the Big Ten looking to improve from its 19-13 2023 season. Head coach Brad Keller lost one of the program’s best players in history in Skylar Fields, who earned AVCA First Team All-American honors in her final season after averaging over five kills per set and 666.5 points. The former No. 1 overall recruit shined after transferring from Texas, leaving a big hole for Keller and the Trojans to fill.

Nebraska is moving there Ally Batenhorst Unable to secure consistent playing time during her tenure at Lincoln, Batenhorst has emerged as the Women of Troy’s first choice. The Houston native leads the team with a career-high 3.84 kills per set at a .219 clip with 2.18 digs per set and 32 blocks. She is supported by her opponent Adonia Faumuina (2.14 K/S) and the combination of London Wijay (2.29 K/S) and the absolute newcomer Jadyn Livings (3.29 K/S), who has scored many kills , but with a . 188 hit rate.

However, setter Mia Tuaniga may be the best player on the court for the Trojans. She averages 10.39 assists and 2.34 digs per set and is tied for the team lead with 18 aces in just 10 games played. The senior wears the unique number 91 and was twice selected to the All-Pac 12 All-Conference team. She also received an AVCA Honorable Mention in 2022. Junior libero Gala Trubint provides a veteran presence and leads the team with 3.53 digs per set.

Tyrah Ariail returns as the leading middle blocker with a team-high 42 blocks and 1.6 kills per set at a .325 clip. The sophomore middle blocker was something of a rotating door, as redshirt freshman Leah Ford (1.64 B/S) and freshman Favor Anyanwu (1.83 K/S) saw playing time. Lindsey Miller was missing despite producing 107 blocks and 1.59 kills per set at a .335 clip last season.

The Trojans are nearly halfway to their 2023 win total, but getting 11 wins in the Big Ten to reach that total will be a challenge. USC’s only two losses came against two of the top teams in the country, with a four-set loss to No. 6 Creighton and a loss to No. 1 Pittsburgh at home. The return of Batenhorst and former assistant coach Tyler Hildebrand will provide some emotions on Sunday night, but Nebraska is a favorite for a reason.

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