Huskies Battle But Fall To No. 1 Nebraska - University of Washington Athletics

Sunday, November 8

Seattle, Wash.

3:30 PM

University of Washington

18-5,9-5Big Ten

Nebraska

25-0,14-0Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Nebraska	25	25	25	3
Washington	20	13	22	0

November 08, 2026 | Volleyball

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By: UW Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – The 18th-ranked Husky volleyball team gave a sold out Alaska Airlines Arena plenty of thrills and moments to roar, but they couldn't do enough to slow down undefeated and top-ranked Nebraska's attack, as the Huskers took a 25-20, 25-13, 25-22 victory. This was the second-straight visit from Nebraska that led to a Washington sell-out, with the 9,294 fans now ranking as the second-largest crowd in program history.

The Dawgs stayed tight with the Huskers in sets one and three, but couldn't break through to get a set on the board. The first set was tied at 16-16, and the Huskies were within three at 20-23 but couldn't make a late run. Set three, the Dawgs had a 21-20 lead and it was tied at 22-22 before Nebraska scored the final three points to end it.

"I told the team I was proud of how we battled, especially in the first and the third," said Head Coach Leslie Gabriel. "If we clean up some of the connections with our middles, and certain situations with our attack, I think we'll be ready for the upcoming challenges. There's nothing to hang our heads about, they're a good team, we've just got to get back to work."

NEEDED IT GOT IT!! ?? Huskies within ?? #PointHuskies // ?? FS1 https://t.co/eziFgPvXLV
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) November 9, 2026

On the raucous crowd, which featured a healthy dose of traveling Husker fans, Gabriel said, "It is so awesome to be able to play in front of a sold-out crowd here in Seattle. There's nothing better for the student-athletes. It's really cool what Nebraska Volleyball has done for our sport. Growing attention. Everywhere they go they sell out. I hope our Seattle community can continue to grow and be another stop that sells out regularly."

Washington (18-5, 9-5 Big Ten) hit .210 for the match, which is the fifth-highest mark against Nebraska this season, but Nebraska hit a red-hot .477, easily the highest for a UW opponent this season. The Huskers (25-0, 14-0 Big Ten) had 49 kills compared to 36 for the Huskies. UW had one more ace (4-3) but Nebraska led in digs (34-25) and blocks (5.5 to 3.0).

First-year outside hitter Sammy Destler stood tall on the big stage today, leading the Dawgs with 12 kills and hitting .286. Second-year outside hitter Maija Howse had eight kills, hitting .250, and added two aces and two blocks. But no other Husky had more than five kills today against the top-ranked Nebraska defense.

Sammy coming right back out swinging ?? #PointHuskies // ?? FS1 https://t.co/u7M8Uh0ZLg
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) November 9, 2026

The Huskies started slow in the first set, despite kills from Dester and Fabikovicová, going down 2-7. They battled their way back to tie 9-9 with kills from Destler and Wessels, taking their first lead with a block from Howse and Wessels to go up 10-9. They maintained their lead with back to back kills from Mateska and Howse before Destler added another to go up 13-11. Nebraska fought back but Hunt responded with a tip to tie at 14-14. The score remained tight with kills from Destler and Hunt to tie 16-16 before Nebraska began pulling away. The Huskies continued to fight with a Howse kill to make it 18-21, and a block from Wessels and Destler to make it 19-22. Another Destler kill made it 20-24, but the Huskies lost the set 20-25.

The Huskies struggled to find their rhythm in the second set falling 25-13. However, Washington started the third set with more momentum with back-to-back kills from Howse and Destler to go up 2-0. The Huskies continued to come within one point but couldn't catch the lead with kills from Destler and Mateska to make it 9-10. Howse had an ace to tie 11-11, followed by a Hunt slide to keep the tie at 12-12, and a Fabikovicová kill to make it 13-13. The Huskies took their first lead off of a Mateska tip off the block to make it 15-14. Washington kept it close with kills from Howse, Wessels, and a Nyguen ace to tie 20-20. Two more Destler kills off the block kept the Huskies within reach, but Nebraska pulled away to take the match at 25-22.

Up Next: Washington will head out on the road for the final three regular season matches, which then leads into the Big Ten Tournament. Next week the Huskies return to Los Angeles to face UCLA on Nov. 12, and USC on Nov. 14.

For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UWVolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.