Nebraska volleyball kicks off its NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament run against Long Island University (13-18) as the No. 1 overall seed Huskers (28-1) look to capture their sixth-ever national championsip and fifth under head coach John Cook.

Here is a preview of the first-round match, plus an early look at its potential second-round matchup, with Fast Facts, Scouting Reports, TV/radio information and more.

TV: All first and second round matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

RADIO: The Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their radio affiliates, including 107.3 FM in Lincoln and AM 590 in Omaha. A live audio stream will be provided at Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.

• The Huskers are making their 42nd straight NCAA Tournament appearance and are hosting first-round matches for the 38th time. hosting the first round for the 38th time.

• Nebraska is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history. The other years were 2000 (NCAA Champion), 2004 (NCAA Regional Finalist), 2005 (NCAA Runner-Up), 2006 (NCAA Champion) and 2016 (NCAA Semifinalist).

• The Huskers won the outright Big Ten title this season with a 19-1 league record, earning their first Big Ten title since 2017. Nebraska has now won four Big Ten titles since joining the conference in 2011. The years were 2011, 2016, 2017 (co-champions) and 2023. All-time, Nebraska volleyball has won 35 conference titles. John Cook has been head coach for 13 of them.

• Nebraska won 27 matches in a row to begin the season and finished 28-1, its best regular-season record since going 28-1 in 2005.

• NU went 17-0 in home matches in the regular season. The last time the Huskers went undefeated at home in the regular season was 2017 with a 15-0 mark.

• From Sept. 12-Sept. 29, Nebraska played five straight ranked teams and won all five matches. It was the sixth time in school history Nebraska played five matches in a row against ranked teams but the first time NU won all five.

• The Huskers went undefeated in non-conference play for the first time since 2016 and just the second time since 2008.

• The Huskers, who led the nation in defense in 2022, have held their opponents this season to a combined .141 hitting percentage, which ranks third nationally.

• Nebraska has been sharp offensively this season, hitting .282 to rank 15th nationally. The Huskers rank 10th nationally with 14.16 kills per set and 12th in assists per set at 13.10.

• LIU (13-18) is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Northeast Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed. After finishing 9-5 in NEC play, LIU upset No. 1 seed Sacred Heart (3-1) and No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson (3-1) to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020.

• Libero Alasha Colon was the NEC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-NEC after averaging 5.45 digs per set, which ranks 10th nationally. Camelia Melendez leads the Sharks with 3.08 kills per set and was first-team All-NEC.

• Amable Martinez is in his first year as head coach at LIU. Martinez was previously the head coach at St. Francis Brooklyn for four years, but the school ended its athletic programs following the 2022-23 year. Prior to that, Martinez was head coach at Saint Peter’s for two seasons.

• Missouri (17-12) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020. The Tigers went 9-9 in the SEC to finish seventh in the standings.

• Libero Maya Sands and opposite hitter Jordan Iliff were named to the All-SEC Team. Sands was named the SEC Libero of the Year, averaging 4.81 digs per set. Iliff leads the Tigers with 3.44 kills per set and 42 service aces.

• Dawn Sullivan is in her first year as head coach and was the SEC Coach of the Year. Sullivan was previously at UNLV, where she was the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022.

• Delaware (24-4) won the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time and first since 2011.

• Outside hitter Lani Mason was an All-CAA First Team member for the third year in a row, averaging 3.66 kills per set. Setter Ezgi Basaranlar and middle blocker Kirah Johnson were honored on the second team. Basaranalar averages 9.55 assists per set, while Johnson provides 2.38 kills per set and 1.01 blocks per set.

• Kimberly Lambert is in her second season as head coach at Delaware after serving as associate head coach for three years.

• Nebraska and LIU will be playing for the first time.

• Nebraska is 73-3-1 all-time against Missouri. The Huskers have won 17 straight matches against their former Big 8 and Big 12 Conference foe dating back to 2003. The last time the teams met was Dec. 7, 2019 in the NCAA Tournament Second Round in Lincoln, a 3-1 Husker win.

• Nebraska has never played Delaware.

Nebraska very nearly pulled off a clean sweep of the Big Ten's five major awards for the 2023 season: Lexi Rodriguez (Defensive Player of the Year), Bergen Reilly (Setter of the Year), Harper Murray (Freshman of the Year) and John Cook (Coach of the Year by Coaches & Media) each won postseason honors.

Penn State's Sarah Franklin, however, beat out Huskers star Merritt Beason for the Big Ten Player of the Year award.

Beason and Rodriguez (both unanimous) were joined on the All-Big Ten First-Team by Reilly and Murray while Andi Jackson and Bekka Allick were second-team selections

>> Rodriguez's Big Ten DOPY was her second time winning the award in her career, following her win as a freshman in 2021, becoming the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. Rodriguez, who averages 3.60 digs and 1.24 assists per set with a .979 serve reception percentage, leads a Husker defense that ranks third nationally in opponent hitting percentage. She also received All-Big Ten First Team (unanimous) honors for the third time in three years.

>> Reilly is the first-ever freshman to earn Setter of the Year since the award originated in 2012. Reilly was just the second true freshman setter to be the starter at Nebraska under Cook, and she has posted 10.74 assists (13th nationally in assists per set) and 2.60 digs per set with 12 double-doubles this season. She was named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this year and Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. She paces a Husker offense that ranks in the top 15 nationally in hitting percentage (.282) and kills per set (14.16). Reilly posted her career high of 54 assists in a 3-2 win at then-No. 17 Purdue on Sept. 29 while also recording 12 digs with a career-best five kills in that match.

>> Murray is the second Husker to earn the conference's Freshman of the Year award (Madi Kubik, 2019). Murray ranks second on the team in kills (3.29 per set) on .250 hitting and adds 2.10 digs per set with a team-high 31 service aces. Murray was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season and has seven double-doubles. She hit a career-high 21 kills in a 3-2 win at then-No. 17 Purdue on Sept. 29.

• Beason has stepped in as a team captain in her first year after transferring in from Florida and has a team-best 3.81 kills per set this season with 2.08 digs per set and a .284 hitting percentage. Beason earned four Big Ten Player of the Week honors this season and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 24 following 21 kills in a 3-2 win over then-No. 1 Wisconsin. Beason had a career-high 27 kills on .426 hitting in a 3-2 reverse sweep at then-No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 3. As a sophomore at Florida in 2022, Beason was an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection.

• Allick has been Nebraska’s top defensive presence at the net with a team-best 1.35 blocks per set this season. Offensively, she adds 1.82 kills per set on .324 hitting. Allick had a career-high nine blocks in the regular-season finale at Minnesota. Allick received second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row.

• Jackson, the Huskers' third freshman to make an All-Big Ten team this season, averages 2.10 kills per set and 1.06 blocks per set and has a team-high .408 hitting percentage, which ranks 15th nationally. Jackson was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in November and has hit .500 or better in 12 matches this season. She was selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team and All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG TEN

All CAPS indicates unanimous selections

Raina Terry, Sr., OH, Illinois

CAMRYN HAWORTH, Jr., S, Indiana

Taylor Landfair, RS-Jr., OH, Minnesota

Kylie Murr, Gr., L, Minnesota

MERRITT BEASON, Jr., OPP, Nebraska

Harper Murray, Fr., OH, Nebraska

Bergen Reilly, Fr., S, Nebraska

LEXI RODRIGUEZ, Jr., L, Nebraska

Julia Sangiacomo, Sr., OH, Northwestern

EMILY LONDOT, Sr., OH, Ohio State

JEZZ MRUZIK, Sr., OH, Penn State

Mac Podraza, Gr., S, Penn State

EVA HUDSON, So., OH, Purdue

Raven Colvin, Jr., MB, Purdue

Chloe Chicoine, Fr., OH, Purdue

SARAH FRANKLIN, Sr., OH, Wisconsin

Carter Booth, So., MB, Wisconsin

Anna Smrek, Jr., OPP, Wisconsin

SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG TEN

Ramsey Gary, Fr., L, Indiana

Kaley Rammelsberg, Gr., MB, Indiana

Amani McArthur, Gr., MB, Michigan State

Taylah Holdem, Fr., OH, Michigan State

Melani Shaffmaster, Sr., S, Minnesota

Lydia Grote, Jr., OPP, Minnesota

Andi Jackson, Fr., MB, Nebraska

Bekka Allick, So., MB, Nebraska

Rylee Rader, Sr., MB, Ohio State

Camryn Hannah, Sr., OH, Penn State

Maddie Schermerhorn, Gr., L, Purdue

Alissa Kinkela, RS-So., OH, Rutgers

Devyn Robinson, Sr., OPP, Wisconsin

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

RAMSEY GARY, L, Indiana

Taylah Holdem, OH, Michigan State

BERGEN REILLY, S, Nebraska

HARPER MURRAY, OH, Nebraska

Andi Jackson, MB, Nebraska

CHLOE CHICOINE, OH, Purdue

Taylor Anderson, S, Purdue

SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES

Kennedy Collins, Gr., MB, Illinois

Candela Alonso-Corcelles, So., OH, Indiana

Bailey Ortega, Sr., S, Iowa

Zoe Huang, Jr., S, Maryland

Brooke Humphrey, Sr., DS/L, Michigan

Lydia Grote, Jr., OPP, Minnesota

Julia Bishop, Jr., S, Michigan State

Maggie Mendelson, So., MB, Nebraska

Natalie Chizzo, Sr., OH, Northwestern

Sarah Sue Morbitzer, Sr., DS, Ohio State

Macy Van Den Elzen, Sr., OPP, Penn State

Lizzie Carr, R-Fr., MB, Purdue

Kristina Grkovic, Sr., MB, Rutgers

MJ Hammill, Sr., S, Wisconsin