Nebraska women’s volleyball is on fire as pre-conference slate comes to a close

The GIST: Women’s volleyball is known for packing pre-conference schedules with elite matchups, and as teams turn toward conference play later this week, one squad has racked up more impressive wins than any other: the No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

• The volleyball blue-blood has one blemish on their record — a shocking 3-0 loss to then-unranked SMU on September 3rd — but they’ve only dropped two sets in their seven matches since. And after two massive dubs this week, Nebraska is looking damn near unstoppable.

The latest: The Huskers followed Wednesday’s home sweep of No. 2 Stanford with a road sweep of No. 4 Louisville yesterday, easily crushing the Cardinals on their home court. Nebraska controlled the match from start to finish, blocking their way to another bold dub.

• Big Red has now racked up five ranked wins — four of ’em over Top-10 teams — building what is arguably the most impressive resume in the country.

The stars: The Cornhuskers’ roster is stacked, featuring four names on the Player of the Year watchlist, more than any other team. Outside hitters Harper Murray and Merritt Beason, setter Bergen Reilly, and libero Lexi Rodriguez are all among the nation’s best in their respective positions — and they boast a deep, talented bench.

The competition: There’s just one thing standing between Nebraska and the top spot in today’s poll: current No. 1 Pitt, who captured their ninth straight sweep (!!!) over a tough Marquette squad yesterday. The Panthers haven’t dropped a single set all season and are the only team that can out-rank the Huskers…for now.