Nebraska volleyball reverse sweeps Kentucky in the Broadway Block Party
🌽 NEBRASKA SURVIVES IN 5
No. 1 Nebraska completes the reverse sweep and survives No. 7 Kentucky, 3-2, after falling in the first two sets.
The highly anticipated Broadway brawl between the Huskers and Wildcats lived up to the hype, as an absolute battle took place on the Bridgestone Arena court in Nashville. Kentucky took control of the match early on, jumping to a 2-0 lead right out of the gates with outside duo Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson looking unstoppable.
After the second set, Nebraska made some lineup changes with Olivia Mauch coming in at libero for Laney Choboy. The momentum shifted from there, as 25-19 and 25-23 wins in the third and fourth sets pushed the match to five. With their backs against the wall, the Huskers took control of set five without trailing and secured the victory in, 15-8. Harper Murray set a career-high 23 kills on the day on .340 hitting, completing a double-double with her 15 digs. Defense proved to be the difference maker in the final three sets for Nebraska, as middles Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson each recorded double-digit kills, while Virginia Adriano stepped up with three clutch blocks of her own.
Nebraska has now defeated Kentucky in twelve straight matches and continue their 2025 season undefeated while handing the Wildcats their first loss.
REVERSE REVERSE 🧹
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
🛞 Huskers in the driver's seat, push match to 5
Things are evened up at the Broadway Block Part in Nashville, TN. Nebraska takes set four in a do-or-die situation, 25-23 over Kentucky. Some monster blocks by the Rebekah Allick and Virginia Adriano duo were the difference maker in a battle of defense. Harper Murray has now posted 20 kills on a .357 clip with 15 digs headed into the fifth set.
Keep up with live stats here as the dual between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 7 Kentucky goes the distance.
🤺 Kentucky defense keeps them in Set 4
Junior transfer Molly Berezowitz lays her body out, making some key digs to keep the Wildcats in the mix during the fourth set. Nebraska leads 13-12 and will need to win set four to survive.
鷡🦸♀️🦸č♀️🦸č♀️
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB)
13-12, Nebraska | Set 4
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🥊 Nebraska punches back with a Set 3 win
Nebraska takes the 25-19 triumph in set three with their backs against the wall. Down 0-2 headed into the third set, the Huskers took command early and held control. Harper Murray leads Nebraska with 15 kills on .344 hitting, going 5-5 with no errors in the third set from the back row. Rebekah Allick has had an impressive showing of her own with some critical swings on seven kills with two digs and two monster blocks.
The Huskers cut the Kentucky lead 2-1 heading into the fourth set.
Big swing Beks 💪 ends it for S3 and we're heading to S4!
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
🔵🔵 Big Blue claims Set 2
Gaining more and more momentum throughout the match, Kentucky captured the 25-20 win over the Huskers in the second set. In a back in forth battle between the two teams, the set was tied 12 times until Kentucky went on a 7-1 scoring run to clinch the win after being down 19-18. Outside duo Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye have combined for 20 of the Wildcats' 27 kills on the day so far.
This marks Nebraska's first time trailing 0-2 in a match since the 2023 National Championship game. Keep up with live stats here.
🪢 Wildcats and Huskers tied again in Set 2
A Harper Murray dagger evens things up at 11-11 in set two, extending Nebraska's 4-1 scoring run.
Sit back and let cook 👩🍳
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
🙀 Cats take Set 1
After falling behind early, Kentucky rallied in an all-around effort to claim set one over No. 1 Nebraska. Down early and hitting in the negatives, the Wildcats flipped the script taking their first lead at 19-18. Kentucky finished the run with a 25-23 victory after taking advantage of a few Nebraska missteps. Brooklyn DeLeye tallied 11 of the Wildcats' 18 total kills in the set, helping them finish with .234 on hitting.
This marks the first set in which the Wildcats have earned a set victory over a number one ranked team since 2017. Follow along with live stats here.
👀 A Brooklyn DeLeye kill ties Set 1
Brooklyn DeLeye with the exclamation mark ties the teams up 18-18 in set one, tallying her sixth of the day.
💪💪💪💪💪 (need we say more?)
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB)
18- 18 | Set 1
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🤯 Incredible play by Sigler pushes Nebraska to an early lead
WHAT A SAVE!!
Teraya Sigler puts her body on line in set one and saves a Laney Choboy dig, helping extend Nebraska's lead to 13-8.
TERAYA SIGLER. ALL OUT HUSTLE. 😮💨, we got a Top 10 play for ya 👀
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 7 Kentucky 🔜
It's almost that time! Tune in at 12 p.m. ET for when the top ranked Huskers take on the No. 7 Wildcats at the Broadway Block Party in Nashville, TN. The top-10 matchup features highly touted talent on both sides in Andi Jackson and Brooklyn DeLeye as they lead their undefeated teams into the Bridgestone Arena.
The contest marks the fourth straight year in which the high-profile programs have faced each other in early season non-conference play, fueling a growing rivalry. Adding another layer, Dani Busboom Kelly steps into her inaugural season leading the Nebraska program, arriving in Lincoln from the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky's bluegrass rival.
Though the ties between the two teams go further than that.
Kentucky's head coach, Craig Skinner, served as an assistant at Nebraska from 2003-04 during which Busboom Kelley, played her freshmen and sophomore seasons as the Huskers' setter.
Marking the first ever ݮվ߿ volleyball match aired on ABC, keep up with live stats and watch Nebraska dual Kentucky in this highly anticipated matchup.
📝 Pre-match tests
Ahead of their clash tomorrow at the Broadway Block Party, No.1 Nebraska and No. 7 Kentucky underwent tests earlier in the weekend. Both teams faced Lipscomb at the Allen Arena in Nashville, TN., and both walked away with decisive 3-0 victories over the Bison.
No. 1 Nebraska 3, Lipscomb 0
The top ranked Cornhuskers faced Lipscomb on Friday, stacking steady 25-13, 25-21, and 25-15 set wins to clinch the sweep. Taylor Landfair and Harper Murray lead the Husker offense, sharing seven kills each. Landfair's impact was amplified by her .778 clip with a dig and two monster blocks. Nebraska is now three undefeated matches into their 2025 season, with two top-10 wins, as they look ahead to No. 7 Kentucky.
No. 7 Kentucky 3, Lipscomb 0
The Wildcats saw their first action of the 2025 regular season on Saturday against the Bison. Outside Brooklyn DeLeye posted 18 kills on .429 hitting with eight digs and two aces, leading Kentucky to their 25-12, 25-20 and 25-23 set wins in their Lipscomb sweep. Her counterpart in transfer Eva Hudson also tallied 10 kills and eight digs, confirming how dangerous this duo can be. Kentucky will have their first true test of the season against No. 1 Nebraska.
A connection we love to see😻
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB)
25-23, Kentucky | Set 3
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The two undefeated teams meet tomorrow at 12 p.m ET at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN for the first match of the Broadway Block Party. Who will walk away with the clean record? Keep up with the live stats here.
⏮️ History of Nebraska vs. Kentucky
This nonconference showdown has been brewing between these two high-profile teams in the past couple of years. Their matchup at the 2025 Broadway Block Party will mark the fourth consecutive year that Nebraska and Kentucky have gone head-to-head.
The last time these two programs faced each other was at the 2024 AVCA First Serve Showcase at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. The Huskers topped the Wildcats, 3-1, headlined by Bergen Reilly's seamlessly orchestrated offense and their 47 kills on .258 hitting.
What a missile from ! 🚀😮💨
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
Kentucky has not defeated Nebraska since 1983, as the Huskers are 12-2 all-time against the Wildcats, with 11 wins in a row.
Nebraska opened its 2025 season at the AVCA First Serve Showcase in Lincoln, Neb., this past weekend, picking up back-to-back top-10 wins against No. 3 Pitt and No. 6 Stanford. Riding their perfect record, the Huskers look ahead to their third top-10 matchup in a row against the Wildcats, whose first test of the year will be against Nebraska.
Tune in at 12 p.m ET and keep up with live stats here.
📺 How to watch Nebraska face Kentucky
Top-ranked Nebraska will take on No. 7 Kentucky at 12 p.m. ET Sunday Aug. 31 in the opening match of the Broadway Block Party triple-header at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Where to watch:
- Sunday Aug. 31, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN:
- No. 1 Nebraska vs. No.7 Kentucky | 12 p.m. | ABC | Live stats
All times ET
The next two matches will feature No. 15 Purdue vs. Tennessee at 3 p.m ET on ESPN2 and Illinois vs. Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
🪜 Preseason Power Rankings
ݮվ߿'s Michella Chester ranked her top teams headed into the 2025 season, with Nebraska claiming the No. 1 spot and Kentucky sitting at No. 6. Here is the full preseason Power 10 rankings:
- Nebraska
- Penn State
- Texas
- Pitt
- Wisconsin
- Kentucky
- Stanford
- Louisville
- Texas A&M
- UCLA
Check out the AVCA top 25 preseason rankings here.