Match one. Match won.
Nebraska volleyball (1-0) opened the season with a four-set win over No. 9 Kentucky (0-1) on Tuesday, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25. The No. 2 Huskers are now 12-2 against the Wildcats and have won the last 11 meetings.
Defense was the name of the game for the Big Red during the first match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville. NU made 18 blocks, led by Rebecca Ellick's 12. In addition to the tremendous defense, Lexi Rodriguez had a team-high 15 digs, while Bergen Reilly added 11 digs.
Reilly had a double-double, notching 39 assists along with double-digit digs.
Offensively, Nebraska hit .258 for the match. The Huskers had a poor second set, hitting just .054, but hit at least .333 in three other sets.
The Wildcats shot .139 in the match, including a .257 score in their only set win.
A balanced attack put Nebraska in rhythm. Alik and Merritt Beeson scored a team-high 11 kills. Andi Jackson finished second with 10 kills, followed by Harper Murray with eight and Lindsay Crouse with seven.
Nebraska will return to Lincoln this weekend for two games: Friday vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Saturday vs. TCU.
MORE: Husker Doc Talk: The season starts! UTEP-Nebraska football preview
More: SMQ predicts huge success and playoff berth for Husker football
MORE: Three games that will define Nebraska football's season in 2024
More: Nebraska football: A dozen players on defense win prestigious Blackshirt Award
MORE: 2024 Nebraska football: Due for a reality check
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers on SINext HuskerMax on Xand touring huskermax.com Daily.