Five Husker volleyball players named to preseason All-Big Ten team

LINCOLN, Neb. (Huskers.com) – Five student-athletes from the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team on Thursday following a vote by the league’s 18 head coaches.

Merritt Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were unanimously selected to the 18-player preseason All-Big Ten team. They were joined by Huskers teammates Taylor Landfair, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly on the team. All five players were All-Big Ten selections in 2023. Seventeen of the team’s 18 players were either All-Big Ten or All-Pac 12 First Team selections last season. NU’s five selections were the most for any team in the conference; no other had more than three.

The coaches picked Nebraska as the top team in the preseason poll. The Huskers won their fourth Big Ten title in 2023 with a 19-1 conference record. Nebraska finished the season 33-2 and reached the NCAA Championship game, falling 3-0 to Texas. Tampa, Florida, Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota rounded out the top five, followed by three of the conference’s newcomers: Oregon, the University of Southern California and the University of California-Los Angeles.

Beason earned AVCA First Team All-America honors in 2023 and was selected as the AVCA North Region Player of the Year, becoming the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that distinction. She was named to the AVCA All-Region Team and the All-Big Ten First Team unanimously as a freshman at Nebraska. Beason averaged 3.76 kills per set with a .282 hitting average and 2.05 digs per set.

Rodriguez was also named to the AVCA All-America First Team in 2023, her third career All-America honor and second first-team selection. She became the 14th Husker in school history to earn at least three All-America honors at Nebraska. The Sterling, Illinois, native was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, becoming just the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive that honor twice in a career. She was voted to the AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team for the third consecutive year. Rodriguez led the Huskers to a nationally-leading opponent hitting percentage for the second straight year at 3.60 digs per set.

Last season at Minnesota, Landfair earned AVCA All-Region honors and First Team All-Big Ten recognition for the third time. She averaged 3.19 kills and 2.03 digs per set for the Golden Gophers. Landfair was an AVCA First-Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year in 2022, as well as the AVCA North Region Player of the Year.

Murray was selected to the AVCA All-America Third Team and was voted Big Ten Rookie of the Year. She earned AVCA North Region Rookie of the Year honors, as well as First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Freshman Team and AVCA All-Region honors. Murray finished second on the team with 3.23 kills per set and had a .237 hitting percentage to go with 2.07 digs per set and a team-high 36 service aces.

Reilly was named AVCA Second Team All-American, AVCA All-Region, Big Ten Setter of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Rookie Team in her first season as a Husker. She became the first freshman to win Big Ten Setter of the Year since the award originated in 2012. Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set and led the Huskers to a .273 hitting percentage on the season, which ranked second in the Big Ten and in the top 25 nationally.

2024 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON SURVEY

1. Nebraska

2. Wisconsin

3. State of Pennsylvania

4. Purdue

5. Minnesota

6. Oregon

7. University of Southern California

8. UCLA

9. State of Ohio

10. Indiana

11. Illinois

12. State of Michigan

13. Washington

14. Maryland

15. Michigan

16. Northwest

17. Rutgers1

8. Iowa

2024 PRE-SEASON BIG TEN TEAM

Raina Terry, Gr., Ohio, Illinois

Camryn Haworth, Sr., S, Indiana

Melani Shaffmaster, RS-Sr., S, Minnesota

MERRITT BEASONMr. Attorney General, Nebraska

Taylor’s Land FairMr., Ohio, Nebraska

Harper MurraySouth, Ohio, Nebraska

Reilly from BergenSouth, Nebraska

LEXI RODRIGUEZMr., L, Nebraska

Emily Londot, fifth year, OH/OPP, Ohio State

Mimi Colyer, Jr., Ohio, Oregon

JESS MRUZIK, Graduate, Ohio, Pennsylvania State University

Chloe Chicoine, Southern, Ohio, Purdue

Eva Hudson, Jr., Ohio, Purdue

Anna Dodson, BA in Philosophy and MA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Mia Tuaniga, Senior, S, USC

Carter Booth, Jr., MB, Wisconsin

Sarah Franklin, Sr., Ohio, Wisconsin

Anna Smrek, Sr., MB/OPP, Wisconsin

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