Three Thoughts on Nebraska Volleyball’s Sweep of South Dakota State in Ord

A packed Ord High School gymnasium, 2½ hours northwest of the Bob Devaney Sports Center, saw a dominant Husker volleyball performance Saturday.

Nebraska won all four sets over South Dakota State: 25-18, 19, 17, 19. The teams had agreed before the match to play at least four sets, even if one side swept the first three.

The Huskers hit .317 for the match and held South Dakota State to .015. Nebraska tallied 15 blocks.

Box Score (Sets 1-3) | Box Score (Set 4)

Below are three thoughts after the sweep for the Big Red.

Campbell Flynn can provide more than just depth at setter

The Gatorade High School Player of the Year is an absolute weapon.

With Bergen Reilly not playing due to a sore wrist, Flynn got the start and ran the offense for all four sets. She finished with 44 assists, eight digs, four kills and four blocks.

Early on, the talented lefty hammered home a second ball for the kill. For the rest of the match, the Jackrabbits committed a defender to the 6-3 Flynn, opening up one-on-ones for Nebraska’s attack.

Should Reilly be in a similar situation this fall at any point, Flynn looks like the type of setter to take the opportunity and thrive. Even if the setter position has its starter, there’s no reason to believe Flynn can’t be part of the plan, especially in matches that Nebraska puts away early.

Or, if coach Dani Busboom Kelly wants to make things interesting, a true setter competition heading into the season could push both of them to greater heights.

Andi Jackson remains ridiculous

No insane D ball, but Jackson continues to look like she’s ready to improve on her first-team All-America season from last fall. She had a double-double of 11 kills and 10 blocks.

At one point in the match, as SDSU was focusing on Flynn’s attacking ability, Jackson “murdered (a ball) through the Earth’s crust.”

Libero still in limbo

After last weekend’s win over Kansas, DBK called this “one of the deepest groups of liberos” she’s ever coached. That continued Saturday with multiple Huskers donning the libero jersey.

Olivia Mauch got the start at libero, with Laney Choboy and Maisie Boesiger getting turns in the second and third sets. Boesiger stayed in the black jersey for the fourth set as well.

Next up

Nebraska moves into the offseason, with a transfer portal window currently open. The 2025 campaign begins with the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with the Huskers facing Pittsburgh on Aug. 22 and Stanford on Aug. 24.

Nebraska Athletics Set Synopses

Set 1: The Huskers fell behind 8-2 as the Jackrabbits terminated four of their first five swings while the Huskers had two kills and three errors on their first nine swings. After a timeout, the Huskers ripped off an 8-0 run served by Sigler to go up 10-8. Flynn recorded two kills and a block with  Jackson, while Landfair and Jackson each posted kills. NU led 13-9 before SDSU went on a 4-0 run to tie the score 13-13. But the Huskers benefitted from two SDSU mistakes and got two straight blocks by Landfair and Allick to go up 17-13. With the score 20-18, Sigler had a kill and Landfair had a solo block before another Sigler kill ended the set, 25-18. 

Set 2: Allick and Pierce combined for three early kills to spark a 4-1 start. Jackson had a kill and block with Flynn before another Pierce kill made it 9-5. SDSU pulled within 11-10, but Hunter had a kill and Allick had a solo block to make it 13-10. Back-to-back kills for Allick and Jackson started a 5-0 run that put the Huskers up 18-11. Murray and Hunter also had kills, and Jackson and Murray posted a block. But South Dakota State answered with four straight kills to pull within 18-15. Murray kept the Huskers pushing forward with a pair of kills, and Jackson and Allick each added one for a 22-19 lead. NU finished off the set with three straight blocks by Allick – two with Pierce and one with Hunter – to win 25-19.  

Set 3: Nebraska jumped out to a 12-2 start with Murray recording two kills, a block and two ace serves. Jackson, Flynn, Murray and Pierce recorded kills to take the Huskers to a 17-7 lead. The Huskers closed out the set on top, 25-17, hitting .407 in the frame. 

Set 4: The teams battled back and forth to a 10-10 tie. Then Allick and Pierce had a block, Murray notched a kill, and the Jackrabbits misfired to give NU a 13-10 lead. After a timeout, Allick served an ace, and Jackson and Murray had a block to make it 15-10. Another block by that duo and a kill by Jackson pushed the advantage to 19-14. But the Jackrabbits scored four in a row to cut it to 19-18. NU answered with two kills and a solo block by Landfair, and a kill by Allick to go up 23-18.  NU closed out the match with a 25-19 win.

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