Indiana volleyball was last in action in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the team fell to its in-state rival Purdue on Sunday. The 3-1 loss against Purdue snapped Indiana’s four-match winning streak, but the team will look to start a new streak when it hits the road to face No. 4 Nebraska at 9 p.m. Wednesday in Lincoln.
The Cornhuskers hold a 19-2 record and are in a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten. Their two losses this season came against then-top-10 ranked opponents, Stanford University and Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers haven’t lost to an unranked opponent at home since 2013 against Ohio State.
In the previous season, Nebraska head coach John Cook guided his team to the national championship game where they lost to Wisconsin. The national runners-up entered this season with a top-five recruiting class.
[Related: Indiana volleyball goes 1-1 over weekend against Rutgers, No. 12 Purdue]
The Cornhuskers’ stars include sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez, who holds the honors of being the 2021 National Freshman of the Year and 2021 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Rodriguez has recorded 288 digs in 69 sets played this season.
Nebraska also has the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class: sophomore setter Kendi Orr. Alongside Orr is junior setter Anni Evans and senior setter Nicklin Hames. All three players have recorded over 190 assists this season.
Hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid are still alive for Indiana. With eight matches left in the regular season, at least five of the team’s opponents will be ranked. Indiana could add more impressive wins to a resume that already includes victories over Texas A&M University, then-No. 25 Michigan, a sweep of Michigan State and a road win at Maryland.
Wednesday’s match will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
