Harper Murray and Taylor Landfair each had 12 kills to help lead the Nebraska volleyball team to a 25-15, 25-19, 25-15 win against Michigan State on Friday in East Lansing, Michigan.
Andi Jackson added 10 kills on .600 hitting and had five blocks.
Second-ranked Nebraska (17-1, 7-0 Big Ten) won its 14th straight match.
This was step one of a weekend road trip that will test the Huskers' focus. The team flew to Columbus, Ohio, after Friday's match for an early 2:30 p.m. match against Ohio State on Saturday. The match will attract a national TV audience on NBC.
Ohio State also played on Friday night, at home against Penn State.
On Friday, Nebraska topped the Spartans in kills, 48-31. The Huskers had a .364 hitting percentage and held the Spartans to .141.
By the middle of the first set, Nebraska’s offense was operating at a high level.
“We were killing the ball from all over — behind the setter, front of the setter, quick zone, go zone and back row,†coach John Cook said on the Huskers Radio Network. “So I thought we had some really good swings.â€
Landfair started in the position where both she and Lindsay Krause have played this season, and Landfair had one of her best hitting matches of the season with a .417 hitting percentage.
Nebraska’s defense never let the Spartans reach 20 points in any set. The Huskers led in digs, 46-31, led by Bergen Reilly with nine digs and Murray with eight.
Nebraska’s serving was also good, with two aces and just five errors.
“We did a pretty good job of stressing them and getting them out-of-system,†Cook said.
Michigan State (7-11) is at the bottom of the standings in the 18-team Big Ten. The Spartans have the longest active losing streak for a Big Ten team with eight straight losses.
Nebraska dominated the second part of the first set after its defense settled in. The set was tied at 13 before Nebraska won 12 of the final 14 rallies of the set to win 25-15.
The Huskers’ outside hitters led the way in the first set with Murray and Landfair combining for nine kills on 17 attempts with no hitting errors.
Akasha Anderson and Taylor Preston each finished with nine kills for Michigan State.
Nebraska volleyball players, from left, Taylor Landfair, Laney Choboy, Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson celebrate a point against Michigan State on Friday in East Lansing, Mich.