LINCOLN, Neb. (Huskers.com) – The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team won its 10th straight match Thursday night with a 25-18, 25-22, 25-17 sweep of Illinois in front of a crowd of 4,352.

Nebraska improved to 13-1 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play, while Illinois fell to 8-5 on the season and 0-3 in the Big Ten.

The Huskers hit .305 and held the Fighting Illini to .217. Nebraska had five service aces with only one error, while Illinois committed 11 service errors and had only two aces. NU also had a decisive lead in blocks, 12-3.

Merritt Beason had 10 kills and hit .421 with seven blocks. Harper Murray scored nine kills on .348 with 11 digs, and Taylor Landfair added eight kills.

Leyla Blackwell started as middle blocker and recorded six kills on .385 hitting with three blocks. Rebekah Allick had nine blocks to go with a team-best performance with four kills.

Bergen Reilly dished out 30 assists with eight digs and three kills. Lexi Rodriguez made a match-high 14 digs.

Raina Terry and Averie Hernandez led Illinois with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.

Set 1: After trailing 4-0, the Huskers fought back to lead 7-6 after a 4-0 run of their own. A kill and ace by Murray, and consecutive kills by Reilly, Blackwell and Landfair made the score 12-7 Huskers. Illinois pulled within 15-14, but two Illini attack errors and kills by Beason and Murray put the Big Red up 20-15. A pair of kills from Landfair made it 23-17 Huskers, and Landfair put the set away, 25-18.

Set 2: Nebraska led 8-6 after a Blackwell kill, but Illinois went on a 6-0 run, including five straight kills, four from Hernandez. Illinois led 15-11 when Allick posted a solo block, and a block by Beason and Blackwell brought the Huskers within 16-14. Murray hit a kill to cut the score to 16-15, and the Illini took a timeout. After the break, Beason made a stop from the right pin to tie the score, and Rodriguez served an ace for a 17-16 Husker lead. After an Illinois kill, Beason posted a kill of his own, followed by an ace for a 19-17 lead. But Illinois scored four straight to get back on top, 21-19. Murray nailed a sideout kill and Landfair set up a flyover to tie the set at 21-21. Blackwell connected for a kill and a 22-21 lead. After an Illinois timeout, Reilly and Blackwell combined for a block to make it 23-21, and a kill by Landfair set the point at 24-22. An ace by Kennedi Orr, her second of the match, gave the Huskers a 25-22 victory.

Set 3: Blackwell had three early kills and a block to help the Big Red to a 7-5 lead. But a 4-0 run by the Illini put them ahead 9-7. Reilly dumped a kill and the Huskers gained a 13-11 lead after back-to-back kills by Murray. A kill from Beason and two more from Murray increased the lead to three, 16-13. A 3-0 run put the Huskers within 20-15. Lindsay Krause had a kill, and Beason and Allick combined for a block before killing Allick. After Illinois cut the score to 20-17, Allick and Krause posted a block, and Allick finished again for a 22-17 Husker lead. Allick finished the match 25-17, with a kill between two blocks with Beason. The Huskers closed the set on an 8-2 run, and Allick was involved in scoring NU’s final seven points as the Huskers finished with seven blocks in the set.

Up next: The Huskers host Iowa on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Nebraska Public Media and the Husker Sports Network.

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