MADISON, Wisconsin - March 12, 2026 - LOVB Nebraska continued its strong start to the second half of the season as the team won its third consecutive match and league record ninth consecutive set in a sweep of LOVB Madison (26-24, 25-17, 25-15) on Thursday night at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
For the third time this season, opposite hitter Kimberly Drewniok hit the 20-point mark. The German finished the night with 17 kills, two aces and one block while hitting at a .500 efficiency. This is the second time Drewniok has hit .500 on 30+ attempts in a single match, the first being Nebraska's (6-7) opening match of the season back on January 7 against LOVB Austin.
“Just to keep it simple, I think we’re playing exceptionally well,” said head coach Suzie Fritz. “The momentum we’re building, I think the timing feels good.”
Middle blocker Emily Thater and outside hitter Anne Buijs were the only other athletes in the double digits for points. Thater finished with 13 points, eight kills and four blocks while hitting .429. Buijs recorded her third double-double in the last four matches, finishing with 11 points, 10 kills and 10 digs. Middle blocker Candelaria Herrera added on five blocks, bringing her total since February 22 to 19, the most by any athlete in the league across that time span.
The victory for Nebraska inches them closer to No. 4 in the league standings and the final playoff spot. Austin remains in fourth with a higher win percentage, but both teams are one win away from .500. Austin currently owns the first tiebreaker – number of wins – and head-to-head tiebreaker.
4. LOVB Austin: 7-8 (2-0 vs. NEB)
5. LOVB Nebraska: 6-7 (0-2 vs. ATX)
“For so many of us in our career, there’s so much at stake in terms of earning a spot in the playoffs in a league like this,” said Thater. “There’s a lot of gamers on our team. We do well under pressure and we rise up to that pressure. We had a lull in the mid part of the year, and I’m just really proud of the [team’s] response.”
Madison (4-10) did not have an athlete record 10 or more points on the night. Outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic led the team with nine points (eight kills) while a trio of Madison players finished the night with seven points each (Schwarzenbach, Thomas-Ailara, Xiangyu).
“We work really hard as a team, and that’s disappointing to have that today,” said head coach Matt Fuerbringer. “We got out-passed, we got out-hit, we got out-blocked, we got out-served, we got out-dug. We have to wear that and we have to get better.”
LOVB Nebraska makes a quick turnaround, taking the floor again on Saturday, March 14th, at LOVB Salt Lake. First serve is set for 8 p.m. Central at the Bruin Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The contest will stream on ESPN+.
