OMAHA, Nebraska – March 28, 2026 – LOVB Nebraska won its third-straight match and moved into third place in the LOVB Pro standings after a dominant sweep over LOVB Salt Lake (25-22, 25-15, 25-18) on Saturday afternoon at the Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska.
Setter Laura Dijkema had a field day on the court for Nebraska (9-9), utilizing an elite passing night and setting a plethora of attackers to a .345 attack efficiency. That mark is Nebraska’s third-best on the season and makes it six out of the last eight matches where the team has surpassed the .300 mark.
“I think [Laura] being MVP makes a lot of sense,” said head coach Suzie Fritz. “Anytime your team hits at that clip, over .360 in first ball and .300 overall, it’s a really, really good day. I felt like Lexi and Jordan were really holding it down in serve receive and getting us in some really good in-system opportunities.”
Leading the offensive attack was fellow Dutchwoman, Anne Buijs, who was one of four athletes to hit better than .360 on the night (.435) en route to a 15-point, 13-kill night. Joining her were Jordan Larson (13p, 10k, 2a, .456 effic.), Cande Herrera (10p, 6k, 2b, 2a, .364 effic.), and Carol da Silva (8p, 5k, 2b, .444 effic.). The team’s eight aces on the night are also a new all-time club record.
Nebraska dominated the match from start to finish, only trailing for one point the entire match when falling behind 12-11 at the third set technical timeout.
“We want to enjoy the fullest in these last weeks, and we just do our best,” said Dijkema. “I think this mentality helps us a lot. Like we don’t put so much pressure on ourselves because if we play free, we play like this.”
The brisk victory tonight not only elevated Nebraska to third place, but it secured a crucial head-to-head tiebreak over Salt Lake (9-9) while also moving one full game ahead of Austin (8-10). All three teams have two matches remaining. For Nebraska, a win against Houston on April 1 and an Austin loss on April 2 would be the quickest path to clinching a playoff spot.
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3rd: LOVB Nebraska (9-9) | 4/1 vs. HTX and 4/4 vs. ATX
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4th: LOVB Salt Lake (9-9) | 4/2 @ ATX and 4/4 vs. MAD
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5th: LOVB Austin (8-10) | 4/2 vs. SL and 4/4 @ NEB
Salt Lake’s loss tonight was the team’s eighth in the last nine matches, continuing a rough second half of the season after leading the league for the majority of the first half. Outside hitters Alexa Gray and Claire Hoffman led Salt Lake with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively.
LOVB Nebraska continues its three-match homestand on Wednesday, April 1, with its third straight LOVB Match of the Week appearance. First serve against LOVB Houston is set for 7 p.m. Central at Baxter Arena. The contest will be broadcast on USA Network.
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