ATLANTA, Georgia – March 25, 2026 – For the second time this season, Nebraska dropped the first two sets of a match just to come roaring back across the next three to earn a reverse sweep, this time defeating Atlanta (17-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-10) on Wednesday night at the OTE Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Outside hitter Anne Buijs was sitting at just six points and six kills on a .267 hitting efficiency after Nebraska (8-9) dropped the first two sets of the match. The longtime Dutch captain would go on to explode for 20 points, 17 kills, and three blocks while hitting .615 across the next three sets en route to leading her team to victory. The 26 points and 23 kills, both of which are LOVB personal bests for Buijs, led all athletes on the court.
“It was really a lot of fun,” said Buijs. “Coach [Fritz] told me before the game that I need to be a little pissed and be a little angry and I can switch that [on]. Yeah, I’m really happy with the result.”
Offensively, opposite hitter Kimberly Drewniok (18p, 16k) and outside hitter Jordan Larson (10p, 10k) were secondary contributors on the night. Just like Buijs, the Nebraska defense turned it up tremendously in the back half of the match. After only recording 18 digs and two blocks in the first two sets, the team ended with 62 digs and nine blocks. Four Nebraska athletes recorded 10+ digs while middle blocker Carol led all athletes with five blocks.
“In the first two sets, it was a little bit hard to feel joy,” said Drewniok. “But then when we have players like Anne just leading by example, and we celebrate each point even more, I think the spirits [rise] point by point and help with momentum.”
By clinching the first set of the night, Atlanta (9-8) now owns the tiebreaker over Nebraska in the event the two teams end the season with the same record. Also, taking place simultaneously with this match, Houston swept Salt Lake, meaning Nebraska can no longer have a shot at clinching the regular season title.
Nebraska still controls its own destiny, earning a LOVB Playoffs spot by simply winning out. The win tonight does contribute to the clinching scenario of needing a combination of four Nebraska wins and Austin losses.
Opposite hitter Ivonee Montano led all Atlanta athletes with 20 points and 20 kills. The tandem middle blockers of Magdalena Jehlarova (16p, 11k, 4b) and Tia Jimerson (11p, 10k, 1b) were the other two eclipsing the 10+ kill mark on the night.
LOVB Nebraska will end the regular season with three straight home matches, the first coming on Saturday, March 28, against LOVB Salt Lake. First serve is set for 4:30 p.m. Central at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will be followed by a collegiate scrimmage between the Creighton Bluejays and Omaha Mavericks.
