There was a period last Saturday when the Nebraska volleyball team was playing as badly as it had since last season. It lost the first set to Georgia Tech 26-24 and was trailing in the second set 5-0. It looked like the Huskers were on track for their first loss of the season to an unranked Yellowjackets squad.
The term "wakeup call" is overused in sports, but it's hard to find any other term that fits how Dani Busboom Kelly's squad has played since GaTech scored that fifth point. They went on a 25-12 run in the second set, won the third set 25-18, and then finished the match by winning the fourth set 25-12.
Not only did that first set wake up Nebraska, but it stayed wide awake for Wednesday night's showdown with the Creighton Blue Jays. The Huskers hammered their in-state rival 25-13, 25-15, 25-__.
Considering NU is the top-ranked team in the country and Creighton is No. 20, a straight-set sweep isn't all that surprising. However, no matter where the Blue Jays have been ranked, they've often taken Nebraska down to the wire, with three of the last four matches between the two schools going five sets.
Nebraska volleyball overwhelms Creighton as national title form starts taking shape
This time around, the Huskers left no doubt who deserves state bragging rights. It also continued what might be the best play overall it's had all season, and they did it despite starting middle and reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Manaia Ogbechie missing the match due to illness.
Then, late in the dominant second set, DS/Libero Laney Choboy left the match early, holding her back. Her absence might have been felt in the third set, when Creighton made it the most competitive set of the match, at one point closing a 17-11 gap to 22-18 before losing steam and the match in one fell swoop.
The good news for the Nebraska volleyball team is that it's long operated on a "next woman up" philosophy as talent graduates or transfers looking for more playing time. A program used to plug-and-play people off the bench didn't miss a beat when two starters weren't at their best.
Nebraska continues to be on a mission this season, trying to prove their overwhelming talent can, in fact, carry them to a national title. The Blue Jays were just another speed bump that the Huskers eventually rolled over. Next up is a Friday match against No. 25 North Carolina, followed by a Saturday showdown against FGCU in the Ameritas Players Challenge.
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