In the offseason, coach John Cook absolutely had to go get a middle blocker when Nebraska only had two, and you saw why last week when star middle blocker Andi Jackson was injured.
The Huskers found a middle blocker they wanted in Leyla Blackwell, a graduate transfer from San Diego, and it’s working out well for both Blackwell and the Huskers.
If there’s an injury, or when Nebraska plays matches on back-to-back nights, Blackwell can slide right into the match and keep the Huskers strong in the middle.
Jackson returned Friday, but on Saturday they only wanted her to play one set.
Blackwell had another good match on Saturday with nine kills and seven blocks in the second-ranked Huskers’ 25-15, 25-16, 25-12 win against Rutgers at the Devaney Sports Center. Blackwell didn’t have a hitting error on 15 attempts to hit a match-high .600.
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Harper Murray had 13 kills, 11 digs and two ace serves to help lead the Huskers. Taylor Landfair had six kills.
Nebraska (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) has won 13 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Ten of the 13 wins have been sweeps.
Blackwell was a starter at San Diego, where she helped lead the team to an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2022.
She has 40 kills this season, and her .529 hitting percentage would be one of the best in the country if she had enough hitting attempts to be eligible for the rankings. She also has 23 blocks.
Blackwell came in and quickly became a great teammate, Cook said.
“And I think that’s what allows her to come in there and it’s seamless,†Cook said. “She knows her role here and she does whatever she needs to do.â€
Blackwell has enjoyed her time in Lincoln, and it’s a little better when she gets to help the team like on Saturday.
“It’s always fun to be out there playing with my teammates,†she said. “We do that every day in practice, and I’m very grateful to get a chance to do that in a game. I think getting to play with (setter Bergen Reilly), she makes it so easy. And everyone is just really great to be around. Honestly, the only word I have is fun. It’s just a lot of fun.â€
Nebraska was back on the court just 21 hours after it played a five-set match against Purdue on Friday.
Nebraska topped Rutgers in kills (43-28), blocks (9-5) and ace serves (3-2).
Rutgers’ .083 hitting percentage was the lowest for Nebraska’s opponent this season. The Huskers hit .314 in the match, including .615 in the third set with 16 kills and no hitting errors.
Murray was key to Nebraska’s first set win with five kills on nine attempts.
When Murray is good, it’s really good. The returning All-American has a team-best 183 kills.
“She’s got every shot in the book,†Cook said. “And she can hit it when she gets her feet there. When she doesn’t, she tries to hit something and that’s when she gets blocked. We got to keep working on that.â€
Rutgers (5-12, 0-6 Big Ten) was led by Alissa Kenkela with nine kills.
Rutgers libero Kenzie Dyrstad, a sophomore from Papillion-La Vista South, had 12 digs.
Earlier Saturday, top-ranked Pittsburgh lost its first match of the season in five sets against SMU. With its earlier win against Nebraska, SMU has wins against the No. 1 and 2 ranked teams in the country already this season.
“I watched the last six or seven points,†said Cook of SMU’s win. “That’s a tough place to play, and SMU is good.â€
SMU (13-4) was never ranked before this season but is 15th now and likely moving up on Monday.
“It’s college volleyball,†Cook said. “You’re going to continue to see it. There is just a lot of really good teams, and on any given night if somebody gets hot. It’s great for college volleyball. It’s hard to win, and Pittsburgh found out. Everybody thought they were kind of invincible, but SMU is for real.â€