The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team is going into its last weekend Devaney Center for the 2024 season with a chance to secure a spot in the Final Four for the second straight season and third place in the last four seasons.

The Huskers handled business in dominant fashion, defeating Florida A&M and Miami in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament last weekend in Lincoln to reach the regional for the 13th straight year. Unlike other top seeds in the tournament, there were no scares for Nebraska, which posted its most lopsided set win in program history with a 25-3 first-set win over Florida A&M.

With the tournament field limited to 16 teams, the pressure mounts in the pursuit of a national championship. Three other teams venture into the Devaney Center hoping to upset the hometown favorites, including Nebraska’s biggest rival.

Here’s everything you need to know for this weekend’s regional semifinals and final.

How to get involved

Regional semifinals

Regional final

Dayton Scout

Head Coach: Tim Horsmon | 16th season in Dayton; 26. as head coach | 406-109 (.788) at Dayton; 582-273 (.681) as head coach | The program’s all-time winningest coach | First use in Dayton from 2003 to 2007 | Previous head coaching stints included Maryland and Robert Morris.

Record 2024: 31-2 (18-0 A10, 1st) | A10 Regular Season Champions | A10 Player and Coach of the Year, 3x All-A10 First Team, 1x All-A10 Second Team.

All-time series: Nebraska leads 4-0 (last meeting on September 5, 2014, 3-0 NU)

Fun fact: Both teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament once. The Huskers defeated the Flyers in the second round on December 6, 2003 in East Lansing, Michigan.

Statistics guide: Points: Lexie Almodovar, 627 | Kills per set: Almodovar, 5.02 | Attacking %: Liana Sarkissian, .385 | Assists per set: Alyssa Miller, 10.79 | Aces: Almodovar, 39 | Blocks: Sarkissian, 115 | Excavations per set: Karissa Kaminski, 4.23.

Other key contributors: Brooke Smith, R-Sr. (2.43 K/S, 69 blocks) | Alayna Yates, MB, R-Sr. (91 blocks, 1.73 K/S) | Gaby Arroyo, L/OH, Soph. (2.21 D/S, 32 Aces) | Taylor Russell, OH, R-Jr. (1.76 K/S, 24 Aces, 36 Blocks).

Outlook: Head coach Tim Horsmon gets the Dayton program going in his second stint with the Flyers. Dayton won the A10 18-0 for the second straight year and the team is making its first regional program appearance after defeating No. 16 Baylor 3-2 last weekend in Waco, Texas.

The Flyers are led by their offense, which ranks sixth nationally with a .301 batting average, while fielding a strong defense with an opponent batting average of .140, which ranks fifth nationally. Lexie Almodovar won the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award for the second time in her career. She ranks sixth nationally with 5.02 kills per set and is Dayton’s all-time leading player with more than 2,000 kills. She scored a career-high 34 in the Flyer’s second-round win over Baylor.

All-Atlantic 10 first team pick setter Alyssa Miller leads the offense with 10.79 assists per set. Junior middle blocker Liana Sarkissian is a top-tier star alongside Almodovar with a .385 hitting percentage and 2.54 kills per set. She also posted a team-high 115 blocks and 348.5 points, ranking second on the team. Libero Karissa Kaminski averaged 4.23 attacks per set and provided good ground defense. Redshirt senior Brooke Smith is a quality arm with 2.43 kills per set, but the elite depth is clearly with the Huskers.

Wisconsin Scout

Head Coach: Kelly Sheffield | 12th season | 317-67 (.826) at Wisconsin | 589-179 career HC record (.767) | Three-time B1G coach OTY (’22, ’19, ’14) | One National Championship (2021) and five B1G Championships (’14,’19,’20,’21,’22).

Record 2024: 25-6 (17-3 B1G, 3rd) | B1G Player of the Year, 2x First Team All-Big Ten, 3x Second Team All-Big Ten, 2x All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

All-time series: Wisconsin leads 7-3 (September 21, 2024, last game, 3-0 UW)

Fun fact: Nebraska coach John Cook led the Wisconsin program from 1992 to 1998 before returning to Nebraska. He posted an overall record of 161-73, including consecutive 30-win seasons and trips to the Elite Eight in his final two years in Madison. His .688 winning percentage was the highest in school history for coaches with more than one season until Kelly Sheffield arrived to revitalize the program.

Statistics guide: Points: Sarah Franklin, 559 | Kills per set: Franklin, 4.48 | Attacking %: Devyn Robinson, .343 | Assists per set: Charlie Fürbringer, 10.94 | Aces: Julia Orzol, 40 | Blocks: Carter Booth & Anna Smrek, 132 | Digs per set: Lola Schumacher, 3.61.

Other key contributors: Anna Smrek, OPP/MB, Sr. (2.88 K/S) | CC Crawford, MB, Gr. (117 blocks, 0.93 K/S, 0.318%) | Julia Orzol, OH/L, Sr. (2.08 K/S, 2.31 D/S) | Carter Booth, MB, Jr. (132 blocks, 1.64 K/S) } Gulce Guctekin, L, Jr. (2.05 D/S, 26 aces).

Outlook: Wisconsin, one of the most experienced squads in the country, enters the weekend hoping to avenge its second loss to Nebraska this season with a regional win on NU’s home court.

The Badgers defeated Fairfield fairly easily in the first round. Georgia Tech offered some resistance in the second round with a 27-25 win in the first set before Wisconsin won three straight sets to secure a 3-1 victory over the Yellow Jackets – who defeated Nebraska in the regional semifinals in Lincoln last season defeated. UW secured its 12th straight Sweet 16 appearance by winning Big Ten Player of the Year honors. Sarah Franklin had 20 kills. She will need to be the workhorse she has been all season if the Badgers come out of Lincoln with a punched ticket to Louisville.

The Badgers block is the scariest aspect of this team, as four players have triple-digit blocks, including Carter Booth (132), Anna Smrek (132), CC Crawford (117), and Devyn Robinson (100). Wisconsin was second in the Big Ten with 347 blocks – just behind USC with 353.5. The Badgers hold the top spot in blocks per set (3.10), but also lead the conference with a .293 hitting percentage thanks to the services of true freshman Charlie Fuerbringer.

UW is the favorite in the regional final against Nebraska, but suddenly it’s Wisconsin on the losing streak in its rivalry with Nebraska. The Huskers have a sense of inevitability, but if there’s one team to squash that feeling, it would be the Badgers.

Texas A&M Scout

Head Coach: Jamie Morrison | 2nd season at Texas A&M | 37-20 (.649) school record | assistant on three U.S. Olympic medal-winning teams, winning gold with the men’s team in Beijing, then silver and bronze with the women’s team in London and Rio; three years with the Dutch national team | Previous college coaching stops include Texas, UC Irvine, Concordia (California), USC and UC Santa Barbara.

Record 2024: 21-7 (10-6 SEC, 5th) | 2x All-SEC First Team.

Fun fact: Nebraska native and Omaha Central graduate Ital Lopuyo returns to her home state this weekend. She is a redshirt sophomore who plays opposite number for the Aggies. She has played in 48 sets with 30 kills this season.

Statistics guide: Points: Logan Lednicky, 530.5 | Kills per set: Lednicky, 4.47 | Attacking %: Morgan Perkins, .396 | Assists per set: Maddie Waak, 10.45 | Aces: Ellee Stinson, 28 | Blocks: Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, 151 | Digs per set: Ava Underwood, 3.23.

Other key contributors: Emily Hellmuth, OH, Jr. (3.01 K/S, 51 blocks) | Taylor Humphrey, OH, Jr. (1.65 K/S).

Outlook: Jamie Morrison may only be in his second year as the Aggies’ coach, but he has the program in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

Logan Lednicky is the team leader and was selected to the All-SEC First Team along with his teammate and middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla. Lednicky was an offensive force for A&M with 469 kills and 4.47 kills per set – which led the team and was fifth in the conference. She also released 98 blocks and 1.95 blocks per set. Cos-Okpalla continued to be one of the best middle blockers in the country for another season with 2.10 kills per set for a .374 hitting percentage (7th in SEC) and 151 total blocks, which led the team and ranked second in the league.

Although Cos-Okpalla is a great player, Morgan Perkins was a prime running mate as a sophomore middle blocker with 1.78 kills per set and a team-leading .396 clip that was also fourth in the SEC. She also placed 87 blocks. Junior setter Maddie Waak leads the offense with 10.45 assists per set (third in the SEC), 2.07 digs per set, 29 blocks and 22 aces. Emily Hellmuth provides more offense with 3.01 kills per set, but struggles with efficiency with a .163 hitting percentage.

It will be interesting to see how the Aggies fare against the Wisconsin block. A&M could push the Badgers forward with their strong play at the net and a star player in Lednicky. Libero Ava Underwood (3.23 D/S) will be tested by the UW attackers, but it’s up to Cos-Okpalla and Perkins to block the attacking lanes and get tips. Serving will be key. The Aggies are well balanced in terms of aces across the roster, but ranked 12th in the SEC with 1.26 aces per set over the course of the season. While the total number of aces may not decide the game, getting the Badgers out of the system with aggressive serves is paramount.

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