The Blackshirts

Honors

Andi Jackson Is Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and Nebraska's Wall Keeps Getting Taller

By Denny Paulsen ·

Nebraska's No. 15 Andi Jackson shouts and pumps both fists while No. 2 Bergen Reilly and No. 3 Virginia Adriano high five at the net after a point against UCLA at John Cook Arena.
Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Three weeks. Three different Huskers. One Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award that hasn’t left Lincoln.

Andi Jackson is the latest, named the league’s top defender on Monday after Nebraska swept UCLA and USC. Opponents hit .063 against the Huskers last week. That’s barely above zero.

The wall has a rotation

Manaia Ogbechie won it on Oct. 12. Olivia Mauch won it on Oct. 19. Now Jackson.

A middle, a libero, and another middle. That’s not one hot player. That’s a system, and every piece of it is taking a turn being the best in the conference.

This is what the home of volleyball looks like when it’s rolling. Other programs hope for one defender like this. Nebraska keeps handing the trophy down the bench.

Jackson did it at both ends

The senior middle from Brighton, Colo., averaged 1.67 blocks per set across the two sweeps. Thursday against UCLA she had six blocks. Saturday against USC she added four more.

And she still found time to hit. Jackson put down 3.17 kills per set on .567 hitting for the week, with 11 kills on .625 against the Bruins and eight on .500 against the Trojans. She sits third in the nation in hitting percentage at .479.

It’s her third career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award and her fourth honor of the season. She was already Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, and AVCA Player of the Week on Sept. 29.

Next up

Nebraska is 21 and 0 and 10 and 0 in the Big Ten. The Huskers go to Michigan on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Central on B1G+.

Somebody new could win this award next Monday. The question is which Husker it will be.

  • Honors
  • Volleyball