OMAHA, Nebraska — April 1, 2026 — The coronation of LOVB Houston will have to wait as LOVB Houston fell to LOVB Nebraska in four sets Wednesday night, 25-27, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18, at Baxter Arena.
Entering tonight atop the LOVB standings, Houston (12-7) had already clinched a LOVB Playoffs berth and needed one win in its final two matches to clinch the regular season title. They’ll look for that win to come Saturday, April 4 at LOVB Atlanta.
An Atlanta loss to LOVB Madison Thursday, April 2, will also give Houston the regular season crown.
Nebraska dictated much of the match Wednesday behind a strong presence at the net and consistent defensive pressure, outpacing Houston in key categories including kills (64-52), blocks (13-5) and digs (61-43).
Houston opened the match with a tightly contested first set, trading points with Nebraska throughout and battling through multiple late ties before pulling away in extra points to take it 27–25. Nebraska responded by establishing control behind its blocking and transition offense to disrupt Houston’s rhythm and string together scoring runs in the second and third sets. Houston showed flashes of resilience in the fourth but Nebraska maintained its edge down the stretch to close out the match.
“Congratulations to Nebraska, amazing match tonight,” said head coach Sanja Tomašević. “I'm a little disappointed in our serve, our block and defense, and how we responded to long rallies. It’s not the time of year that we want to show this type of volleyball. We have to watch video because it’s not something we can fix in the gym. We have to be aware of our mistakes.”
Jordan Thompson led Houston’s offense with 15 kills and one ace, adding five digs and an assist. Jess Mruzik contributed 12 kills, two aces, and three digs, while Amber Igiede added nine kills, two blocks, and three digs. Madi Rishel and Jazmine White scored nine and five points, respectively.
Houston will close out the regular season on the road Saturday, April 4 against LOVB Atlanta at Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion. First serve is set for 4 p.m. Central on ESPN+.
