Nebraska finished Saturday night as the only undefeated team in the country with a 20-0 perfect record in the Big Ten, dropping only one set.
On Sunday, after the NCAA Tournament selection show, 63 other teams joined NU in the undefeated ranks.
The Huskers received the top overall seed in this year’s NCAA tournament and will begin their quest for the program’s sixth national championship on Friday at John Cook Arena.
“Everything we’ve done in the Big Ten season, it’s over now, and preseason obviously has been over,” junior middle blocker Andi Jackson said. “New record, clean slate, every team is a brand new team. It’s a new journey from here on out, and we know that. We’re just going to go back into the gym, come tomorrow, and get to work again and stay locked in on what’s ahead.”
𝐍𝐨. 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 – 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥
🌽 @HuskerVB#NCAAWVB pic.twitter.com/VPSozNgNWv
— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) November 30, 2025
NU qualified for its 44th straight NCAA tournament, and opens in the first round against NEC champion Long Island University (20-8) at 7 p.m. CST. The Sharks went 15-1 in conference play after starting the season 0-6.
The Huskers played LIU in the first round of the 2023 tournament. However, none of the players on the team when the Sharks last visited Lincoln are still on the roster.
Also coming to Nebraska for the first round are WCC champion San Diego (25-4), which has won 18 straight, and Kansas State (17-9), which features Lincoln Southwest graduate Shaylee Myers. They will start on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CST.
The winners will meet in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. CST. All the matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
The other hosts in Nebraska’s region are No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 Texas A&M, and No. 4 Kansas. If the Cardinals win their first three matches, they could have a reunion with NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly, who was their head coach for eight seasons. She still wants them to play well because she has many connections with the program and was bummed they could meet before the Final Four.
“They’re a really great team, and I think there’s no doubt that they were going to have a great season,” Bubsoom Kelly said. They should be very proud. I’m just proud of them. I hope they can make a deep run — sort of deep run.”
See you back in JCA! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/6BkmGodWSg
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) November 30, 2025
The Huskers won’t have to venture far from home this postseason. With the No. 1 seed comes the right to host the first two weekends of the Tournament. The Final Four is set for Kansas City, with the national championship match on Sunday, Dec. 21.
Joining NU as the top seeds in the region were Kentucky, Texas and Pittsburgh.
Nebraska’s path to the national championship, should seed hold, would be LIU, No. 8 San Diego, No. 4 Kansas, No. 2 Louisville, No. 1 Pitt, No. 1 Kentucky/No. 1 Texas.
The Huskers will try to make their third straight national semifinal and win their first title since 2017, which was also in Kansas City. Harper Murray said their experience over the last two years can better prepare them for a deep run in the tournament.
“We know the deal of practice, we know how the tournament works, we know how the Final Four works, and we know we want to get there,” the junior outside hitter said. For the upperclassmen, it’s good for us, because we’ve been here before, and we can help explain that, and guide the underclassmen, because it can be a lot your first year.”
The Big Ten conference had nine teams make the tournament: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue, USC, Minnesota, Indiana, Penn State, UCLA, and Michigan.
Virginia Adriano celebrates a kill against Ohio State. / Amarillo Mullen
Overall, the Huskers played 17 games against 15 teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament. NU opponents Kentucky, Pitt, Stanford, Creighton, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, and USC all earned Top 16 national seeds and will host the first weekend.
Georgia Tech, North Carolina, South Florida, and Utah were the last four teams in the field. The last four teams left out of the field were Cincinnati, James Madison, Texas State, and Villanova.
Toledo and St. Thomas are the two first-time programs making their tournament debuts.
This is the second year Busboom Kelly has entered the postseason without a loss. She went 28-0 with Louisville in 2021 and earned the top overall seed. The Cardinals lost in five sets to eventual champion Wisconsin in the national semifinals.
Busboom Kelly said those two teams had a lot in common, with tight team chemistry and both playing free, enjoying every moment on the court together. She said they still have players coming in before practice and staying late to get more repetitions in.
“When you have a team that can accomplish that kind of goal, I think they have a lot of the same traits,” Busboom Kelly said. “They are constantly wanting more, and can we do more, even though we’re this far into the season, so they understand, like, one point better could make a big difference.”
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