LINCOLN, Neb. — The Long Island University women's volleyball team (20-8, 15-1 NEC) travels to the Cornhusker State to take on the University of Nebraska (30-0, 20-0 Big 10) on Friday night in the opening round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
Friday's match will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the match between the University of San Diego and Kansas State University.
The game will be televised digitally on ESPN+. Radio coverage will be available on the LIU Sharks Audio Network with "The Voice of the Sharks" Phil Constantino on the call (play-by-play).
Quick Facts
-SECOND MEETING: Friday's matchup between the Sharks and Cornhuskers will be the second all-time meeting between the two programs, with Nebraska winning the previous contest 3-0 in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska. Camelia Melendez led LIU with 12 kills, while Alasha Colon had 15 digs in the loss to the Cornhuskers.
-LAST TIME OUT: The Sharks defeated Saint Francis in the NEC Volleyball Tournament's championship game on Nov. 22, defeating the Red Flash in four sets. SFU claimed the opening set 25-22 before the Sharks claimed 26-24, 25-21, and 25-20 wins over the final three frames. Junior Sara van Gisteren led the Sharks with 23 kills, while sophomore Miabella Musignac recorded 17 digs. Senior Karly Klaer finished the match with 45 assists.
-13th NCAA BERTH FOR LIU: With the win in the NEC Championship Game, LIU punched its ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history, and the second time in the past three seasons. LIU holds the NEC's only win in the tournament, having defeated Cornell 3-0 in the 2005 season.
-NEC AWARDS: Sophomore Miabella Musignac (Defensive Player of the Year) and senior Karly Klaer (Setter of the Year) earned major NEC awards. Musignac, Klaer, junior Sara van Gisteren, and junior Yasmeen Muhammad were all First-Team All-NEC selections, while sophomore Bella Correia was a Second-Team All-NEC honoree.
-HITTING HIGH: Junior middle blocker Yasmeen Muhammad enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament ranked third in the country in hitting percentage (.453), recording 225 kills on 417 attacks with only 36 errors. The Shoreline, Washington native has hit above .300 in all but four matches this season, and .500 or above in 10 matches this fall.
-LEADING THE NEC: Junior Yasmeen Muhammad led the NEC in hitting percentage with a .453 mark this fall, while sophomore libero Miabella Musignac averaged an NEC-high 4.01 digs per set. Additionally, senior setter Karly Klaer finished second in assists per set (10.06) and junior OH Sara van Gisteren had the second-highest average kills per set (3.92).
-12th TRIP FOR TRIFONOV: Head Coach Tony Trifonov now has 12 NCAA Tournament appearances on his resume and has taken three different programs to the NCAA Tournament; Florida A&M (10x, last in 2009), Chicago State (2024), and LIU (2025).
