Husker Volleyball ends regular season with win over No. 6 Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Nov. 27, 2021 – NU Athletic Communications) – The No. 11 Nebraska volleyball team bounced back to cap the regular season on a high note Saturday night, defeating No. 6 Purdue on the road, 3-1 (25-21, 25-10, 22-25, 25-15) at Holloway Gymnasium. With the win, the Huskers finished second in the conference standings and improved to 21-7 (16-4 Big Ten), while the Boilermakers dropped to 23-6 (15-5) and tied for third.

Madi Kubik led three Huskers with double-figure kill nights, posting her fifth double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs. She added two blocks and an ace.

Kayla Caffey blasted 13 kills on .650 hitting to go with four blocks, and Lauren Stivrins chipped in 10 kills with a team-high five blocks.

Nicklin Hames’ team-leading 19th double-double of the season came on 44 assists and 18 digs with two blocks and an ace.

Lindsay Krause added six kills and three blocks off the bench.

Lexi Rodriguez powered the Husker defense with a career-high-tying 28 digs and added four assists. Keonilei Akana joined her in double figures with 10 more digs and served a team-leading three aces.

As a team, Nebraska hit .206 to Purdue’s .053. The Huskers also had the edge in kills (54-36), assists (50-34), aces (6-1) and digs (75-69). Purdue had a 14-9 blocking advantage.

The Boilermakers were led a double-double from Caitlyn Newton, who had 11 kills and 12 digs with three blocks. Grace Cleveland added nine more kills, and Raven Colvin had a match-high seven blocks.

With the regular season complete, Nebraska awaits its fate for the NCAA Tournament, which begins with the first and second rounds, Dec. 3-4, on campus sites. The complete 2021 tournament field will be unveiled during the NCAA Selection Show this Sunday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.