No. 1 Nebraska wins outright Big Ten championship, sweeps No. 25 Illinois to improve to 26-0

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – No. 1 Nebraska captured its third outright Big Ten regular season championship in the last four years (shared title in 2024 with Penn State) in a 25-23, 25-20, 25-12 sweep of No. 25 Illinois Thursday night at the Devaney Center.

After trailing in set one 18-13, Nebraska (26-0, 15-0 Big Ten) went on a 12-5 run to win the opening game, setting the tone for the remainder of the match.

The Huskers hit at .483, while holding the Fighting Illini (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) to .200. Pacing Nebraska’s offense in the win were Teraya Sigler and Harper Murray, who both put down 13 and 12 kills respectively. Additionally, Manaia Ogbechie and Andi Jackson both logged nine terminations.

Defensively, Nebraska put up 12 blocks, with Ogbechie recording five of those.

Thursday’s win also clinches Nebraska the No. 1 seed in the inaugural Big Ten tournament which begins Nov. 20 in Fishers, Ind. Before that, Nebraska still has two more regular season matches, with the next being against Iowa for Senior Night Saturday at 6 p.m.