Now through the first third of the Big Ten Volleyball season, two teams near the top of the standings came through with important wins, while the Purdue-Illinois top-25 matchup provided one of the best games of the weekend. Take a look at the biggest weekend updates.
Nebraska Passes Top-of-Table Test
In the highest-stakes match of the Big Ten season so far, No. 1 Nebraska trounced No. 7 Wisconsin 3-0 behind a commanding season-high 20 kills and .471 hitting percentage from Harper Murray. With the victory, the Huskers:
The first set was a tight 25-23 contest, but Nebraska seized momentum with a 10-1 run in the second which it rode to 25-14 and 25-20 victories.
There’s plenty of action left before we can really talk Big Ten titles, but if the Huskers maintain this level of play, they’ll be the ones to beat.
Read more.
Oregon Sweeps Mitten State Trip
No. 13 Oregon is tied for second place in the Big Ten standings after taking care of No. 22 Michigan State on Friday before dispatching Michigan on Saturday. In East Lansing, Alanah Clemente and Sjakkie Donkers lead the way with 17 kills apiece while the Ducks held the Spartans — who boasted the nation’s fifth-ranked offense — to a .147 hitting percentage. Clemente posted an absurd .520 clip in the 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20 victory. Read the recap.
The Ducks’ 3-1 win over the Wolverines improved their conference record to 5-1 and an overall mark of 14-2. The dynamic duo was back at it again, with Clemente and Donkers combining for 29 kills. More here.
Boilers Survive Top-25 Nail-Biter
Sunday’s tilt in West Lafayette provided one of the best matches of the weekend, with No. 16 Purdue defeating No. 24 Illinois in five sets. The Boilermakers had their backs against the wall multiple times, including in the fourth set with the match on the line; trailing 22-18, Purdue denied Illinois four times before winning the set 28-26.
Then, come the fifth set, Purdue’s defense shined, holding Illinois to its lowest hitting percentage of the match (.105%) en route to the win. Individually, it was a historic night for Dior Charles, who set the highest mark in program history for hitting percentage in a five-set match with a minimum of 15 attempts (.706% with 13 kills, 1 error on 17 swings). Along with Charles, Taylor Anderson had over 50 assists for the first time this season.
The win was Purdue’s third top-25 victory of the season, and 31st ranked win at Holloway Gymnasium in the last 15 years. Read more here.
Penn State Cruises to Top-20 Win
In Sunday afternoon’s ranked matchup, No. 18 Penn State came out strong and never looked back, decisively sweeping No. 20 Washington 25-14, 25-19, 25-23. Kennedy Martin led the way for the Nittany Lions, posting a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs to help PSU improve to 12-4 overall, 4-2 in Big Ten play, and 2-0 in the Discover Volleyball Challenge.
Read more from State College.
Trojans Upset Sweep Hoosiers
Inside a rowdy Wilkinson Hall, USC Volleyball got back in the win column with a 3-0 stunner over No. 15 Indiana.
The Trojans held the Hoosiers to one of their lowest hitting clips of the season (.206) behind big efforts on both sides of the ball from Leah Ford (six blocks, eight kills) and Abigail Mullen (nine digs, 11 kills). The victory also marked the first career win for interim head coach Megan Moenoa.
Check out USC’s story.
There’s more Big Ten Volleyball coming up this week. See the schedule.
Photo via huskers.com.