Nebraska vs. Minnesota and Indiana volleyball game previews

Slowly but surely, Nebraska’s volleyball team is grinding its way into the No. 1 place in the Top 25 national ranking.

The Huskers (24-1 overall, 14-0 Big Ten) remain just behind Pittsburgh (23-1) in the latest AVCA Top 25, released Monday, at No. 2 place. However, they received their most first-place votes (12) in the poll in the past four weeks as they continue their current 21-game winning streak.

Now they will put the dominant run to the test again as they match up with the no. 16 at Minnesota (16-8, 9-5) and Indiana (12-12, 5-9) this week in Lincoln.

Below are the stats to know, players to watch and more information on the Huskers’ upcoming home games against the Gophers and Hoosiers.

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#2 NEBRASKA (24-1 overall, 14-0 Big Ten) vs. #16 MINNESOTA (16-8, 9-5)

Time: 8:00 PM CT Thursday

TV channel: Big Ten Network

Commentators: Larry Punteney (acting) and Emily Ehman (color)

Streaming: Fox Sports app

Radio: The Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations

Listen online: Huskers.com (CONNECTION)

App sound: Official Huskers App

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#2 NEBRASKA (24-1 overall, 14-0 Big Ten) vs. INDIANA (12-12, 5-9)

Time: 7:30pm CT Saturday

TV channel: Big Ten Network

Commentators: Larry Punteney (play-by-play) and Lauren Stivrins (color)

Streaming: Fox Sports app

Radio: The Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations

Listen online: Huskers.com (CONNECTION)

App sound: Official Huskers App

NEBRASKA-MINNESOTA:

>> Nebraska is 38-12 all-time against Minnesota and won both games against the Golden Gophers last year.

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NEBRASKA-INDIANA:

>> Nebraska is 23-1 all-time against Indiana and has won 23 straight against the Hoosiers since Indiana’s lone win in 1978.

All statistics and information provided courtesy of Nebraska Athletics Communications

>> Nebraska has won 21 straight games since a Sept. 3 loss at SMU. Seventeen of the 21 wins have been sweeps, including the last four games.

>> Entering Thursday’s game, Nebraska has won 15 straight sets.

>> Nebraska is 6-0 against top-10 teams this season, which is the most top-10 wins in a regular season in school history.

>> Nebraska is 9-0 against ranked foes this season as SMU was not in the AVCA Top 25 at the time of that game.

>> The Huskers rank 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting .295.

>> Nebraska ranks seventh nationally in kills per set (14.28).

>> Outside hitter Harper Murray leads the Huskers with 3.30 kills per set and 25 service aces and is hitting .255. Murray also adds 2.15 digs per game. set.

>> Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is an average of 3.06 kills per set for the Big Red and is hitting .258 with 1.30 digs per sets and 23 aces.

>> Taylor Landfair adding up to 2.51 kills per set and hitting .254.

>> Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.67 kills with a .444 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the nation.

>> Middle blocker Rebecca Allick adds 1.68 kills per put on .337 hits with 1.28 blocks per set. Allick has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks with 354.

>> Sets The mountain Reilly is averaging 11.12 assists per set, which ranks sixth in the nation and leads the Big Ten. She also adds 2.90 digs per set and has 17 aces. Reilly has 13 double-doubles and has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this season.

>> Three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez guides Husker back row with 3.70 digs per set. Last week, Rodriguez passed Kayla Banwarth for the no. 2 all-time in career digs at Nebraska. Rodriguez now has 1,731 and is chasing Justine Wong-Orantes (1,890).

>> No. 16 Minnesota is 16-8 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play after suffering home losses to Washington (3-1) and No. 12 Oregon (3-0) last week.

>> Julia Hanson leads the Golden Gophers with 3.73 kills per set and is hitting .270. She also has a team-high 26 aces.

>> Lydia Grote adds 2.87 kills per set and also has 26 aces.

>> Phoebe Awoleye ranks seventh nationally in blocks per game. set with 1.49. As a team, Minnesota ranks 13th (2.78).

>> Indiana is 12-12 overall and 5-9 in the Big Ten after losing at home to no. 9 Purdue (3-1) and no. 20 USC (3-1) last week.

>> Candela Alonso-Corcelles paces the Hoosiers with 3.58 kills per game. set, while Avry Tatum adds 3.42 kills per set.

>> Camryn Haworth is averaging 9.96 assists per game. set and has 42 aces on the season.

>> Libero Ramsey Gary ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.20 digs per game. set.

SERVE AND KEEP

>> Nebraska has allowed just 46 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest team is Pittsburgh with 54 aces allowed.

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BALANCED ATTACK

>> Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.68 and 3.30 kills per game. set.

>> Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a game this season.

>> Reilly is sixth nationally with an average of 11.12 assists per game. set.

>> Nebraska’s offense has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank 11th in hitting percentage (.295) and seventh in kills per. set (14.28).

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HOME SWEET HOME

>> Nebraska has won 38 consecutive home games dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, the longest active streak in the nation.

>> The Huskers’ home winning streak is the longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013.

>> Nebraska’s longest home hitting streak ever was 88 games from 2004-09. The side NU also has a home winning streak of 38 games in a row from 2009-11.