EUGENE, Ore. -- Saturday, November 7th saw history broken at Matthew Knight Arena. The No. 12-ranked Oregon Ducks played host to the unanimous best team in the country, the No. 1-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, with the matchup being the first sold-out volleyball game in the history of the Oregon program.
The Cornhuskers entered Eugene with a perfect 23-0 record and were coming off a successful road trip north where they beat both Michigan State and Michigan by a score of three sets to one. This Nebraska team has been a juggernaut for every foe they’ve faced for the last two seasons and is on a 54-game regular season winning streak, with their last loss coming on November 29th, 2024, when they fell to No. 4-ranked Penn State.
The Oregon Ducks had this match circled on their calendar since the Big Ten schedule came out in May. With a 19-3 record and all of those losses coming against ranked teams, Coach Trent Kersten was ready to lead his refined Duck squad into what could possibly be a career-defining win.
Last time out, Oregon tallied their first sweep of Big Ten opponents this season after two outstanding performances by Alanah Clemente against Maryland and Iowa.
This game is a tale of veteran setters, blockers, and opposite hitters on both squads. Fifth-year senior and Missouri transfer Marina Crownover is closing in on 3,000 assists, and her favorite target to go to is the aforementioned Clemente. Nebraska has their own duo among the absolutely star-studded roster that head coach Dani Busboom Kelly has turned into a well-oiled machine. Seniors Bergen Reilly and Harper Murray had no intention of letting the win streak that they built in their time in Lincoln come to an end in Eugene.
Nebraska began with a seven-to-one lead in set one before Clemente put a stop to Nebraska’s quick run with her first kill of the game. Nebraska’s defense and ability to get Reilly a quality set opportunity after Oregon returns and serves was going to be key. Nebraska implemented their plan immediately, never really letting the Ducks make them uncomfortable with their kill opportunities. Nebraska wins the first set 25-13.
Clemente had four kills, and Jackson had five to lead their teams into the first break.
Much of the same was seen in set number two, as the Cornhuskers once again built themselves an early 8-2 lead, and once this team creates a lead, they do not give it away. They are undefeated in sets when reaching 20 points first.
Senior outside hitter Murray really came into the game in the second set, racking up six kills. Clemente continued to carry Oregon’s offensive threat on her shoulders, and against this Nebraska team, Coach Kersten was hoping for the help of some of Oregon’s supporting cast. The final point of the set came after a Clemente attack error, and a block effort from Reilly, sophomore Teraya Sigler and Sophomore Manaia Ogbechie made the set score 25-16
Trent Kersten was asked about what he said to his squad heading into set three, down 2-0.
“I’ll try and keep it PG, but it was just to have a little bit more of a screw-you mentality. Like we’re going to come out, and we’re going to take some bigger swings in this set.” Kersten said.
As “Shout” serenaded the 12,000-plus in Matthew Knight Arena, set three began. There was no doubt Oregon played with a sense of desperation this set. Going back-and-forth trading with Nebraska for 15 points straight. Clemente continued to rack up kill after kill and gave the Oregon faithful something to make a ruckus about as they tried to keep the match alive.
But once the Huskers were able to find that 15th point, there was no stopping them out of the timeout. Sigler contributed to eight of the winning Nebraska points, with Jackson gaining the match-winning kill off the assist from Reilly. Oregon broke 20 points for the first time in the match, but it did not matter because Nebraska scored 25.
Clemente finished the game with a team high of 16 kills, which has really become a routine night for her. Crownover set up 26 assists, breaking the 3,000 career assists mark.
Clemente spoke about her newfound role as a leader on this team and what the message is to her teammates.
“Just kind of what we’ve been harping on: a lot of belief, playing for each other because we’re such a tight-knit team, and we have so much love and joy for the game.”
Sigler and Murray led the kill count for Nebraska with 14, and sophomore Virginia Adriana had 11 in a close second. Reilly had another consistent performance with 43 assists to her hitters.
The Nebraska defense continued to shine, and the Oregon defense could not do enough as Oregon was held to a .152 attacking percentage while the Huskers finished with a .425 attacking percentage. This was another test of high-level championship volleyball for the Ducks, who ended up coming short, dropping to 19-4. On Sunday, November 8th, Oregon will host Northwestern for a special senior night.
Nebraska will stay undefeated and will keep their regular-season win streak intact as they head to Seattle for another ranked matchup in the Pacific Northwest against No.18 Washington.