The most groundbreaking stories come from an underdog toppling one of the top contenders.
And the Bruins will seek to be one of those underdog tales.
UCLA women’s volleyball (15-4, 6-2 Big Ten) will contest No. 2 Nebraska (19-0, 8-0) on Thursday at Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, and face Iowa (12-10, 1-6) on Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
UCLA enters the matchups with two five-set wins last week, ousting No. 15 Penn State and Ohio State. It’s 19 games into the season, and the Bruins are already outshining last year’s 11-8 performance record. They have been resilient in closely contested matchups – as evidenced by their five-set Penn State nail-biter on Friday – and have kept their own offensive errors to a minimum.
“We’ve been really working on our bench energy going into our court energy,” said freshman setter Vivian Hickman. “No matter if we’re on the bench or we’re on the court, we all know we can have an opportunity to go in. We emphasize staying happy and playing with joy.”
But UCLA will encounter the most challenging faceoff of the season – the five-time national title champions – Nebraska.
In the teams’ most recent matchup on Nov. 14, 2025, the Bruins managed to push the Cornhuskers to four sets before losing to the then-No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Despite a disappointing outcome for the squad, the game set an attendance record with a crowd of 10,498 – the largest ever at Pauley Pavilion to watch the sport.
Two offensive tools have remained on Nebraska’s team since their last match – outside hitter Harper Murray and setter Bergen Reilly. Reilly currently ranks No. 5 in the NCAA for assists per set with 11.13. She dishes out to Murray, an AVCA All-America First Team selection, who logs 3.395 kills per set at a .262 clip for the season.
Where Reilly holds it down in the Midwest, UCLA junior setter Kate Duffey keeps her squad in rhythm on the west coast.
Duffey continues to maintain a quick tempo with her frontcourt, averaging 9.73 assists per set. She continues to be the squad’s main setter but has occasionally switched with junior setter Ava Sarafa for a set or two.
If there is a change in rhythm between setters, it has not been reflected in the squad’s performance. Senior outside hitter Maggie Li holds a team-high 3.29 kills per set with a .245 hitting percentage. Defensively, the 6-foot-3 hitter logs about 0.60 blocks per set – the second-highest on the team.
“We’ve been talking a lot about bringing our grit,” said sophomore outside hitter Eliana Urzua. “Going to the fifth set in general signals to me that we have truly competed.”
Not to be underestimated, the Hawkeyes will seek to add to their steady 8-4 home record.
Hannah Whittingstall and Liv Mogridge line their front court, logging 198 and 213 kills for the season, respectively. Covering them is libero Henlee Moszkowicz, who averages 3.24 digs per set – slightly above now-starting senior libero Kat Lutz’s 2.85 digs per set.
But with a six-game losing streak and no wins against a ranked team this season, they will contest the California locals.
“If we can be disciplined and just go compete, we’re going to give ourselves a chance,” said coach Matt Werle. “We’re going to put our best effort out there.”
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