Nebraska Uses a New Lineup, Gets a Familiar Result

LINCOLN—New lineup, same result. 

Nebraska mixed up its starting lineup in its first back-to-back weekend of the year. With a match against No. 18 Creighton looming on Tuesday, NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly opted to give its usual starters some time off and rely on the freshmen against Grand Canyon. 

In the end, the new lineup thrived as the top-ranked Huskers earned a 25-12, 25-23, 25-18 victory Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 8,502 at the Devaney Center. 

Busboom Kelly said the coaching staff discussed making wholesale changes Friday night after defeating Utah in four sets, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. However, she woke up Saturday and her gut told her to go for it. 

“(We are) working to get every player ready for when their name is called, and there might be a stretch where we aren’t making any subs here coming up,” Busboom Kelly said. “This was a great opportunity to get more people involved and see what they can do, and get them comfortable for when they’re needed. Because there’s going to be big moments that I believe we’re going to need a good handful of players that aren’t starters.”

Freshman setter Campbell Flynn ran the show at offense, meaning Bergen Reilly didn’t start for the first time in her career. Skyler Pierce got the start at outside hitter with Teraya Sigler, who played all six rotations. Freshman middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie replaced junior Andi Jackson. 

Overall, freshmen accounted for 42 of Nebraska’s 50 kills in the match, with senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick playing her usual role. 

Sigler led the Huskers (8-0) with 14 kills and 11 digs. Ogbechie hit .529 with 10 kills while Adriano added eight kills. Flynn tallied 37 assists, nine digs and terminated on five of her six swings. Pierce also finished with five kills.

Sigler said before the match, Busboom Kelly said even with the younger players on the court, she expected the play to remain the same. 

“The expectation for Nebraska volleyball is always high, and that’s for everyone, no matter if you’re a freshman, no matter if you’re a redshirt or a senior or junior, or a four-year starter or a first, like a freshman,” she said. “We go into it as the standard stays high, and we just go after it.”

Busboom Kelly said she wanted to go with the younger players from the start, rather than inserting the reserves during the course of the match, to build confidence and show that she trusts them. 

“It’s on them to get it done and perform, and they’re not leaning on the starters to get a big lead in that they can just coast it,” she said. “Grand Canyon played well, and we had to work through a few things, and they did.”

NU started quickly by winning the first four points of the match, including a rally that featured a dig by Allick, a one-handed set from Flynn, and a kill from Ogbechie. The Huskers took complete control as senior Maisie Boesiger served a 7-0 run where she recorded an ace. Adriano keyed a 6-0 run later with an ace of her own. 

The Huskers finished the first set with a .533 hitting percentage, recording 19 kills while limiting the Lopes to just six. 

In addition to the different attacking lineup, the back-row players switched up responsibilities as Olivia Mauch was the libero, Boesiger played back row for Pierce and Laney Choboy came in for opposite Virginia Adriano. 

Mauch anchored the defense with nine digs and two aces, while Boesiger tallied four digs and Choboy added three. 

Boesiger said she was excited for the opportunity when Busboom Kelly said she was going to mix up the lineup. It wasn’t too unusual for the group to be on the court together as they practice with different groups constantly. 

“Dani likes to switch it up and build confidence in our team, and she always tells us a lot that we have a great, deep team and everyone can play,” she said. “I was excited for a chance to compete, and also for everyone else who got to compete again today too.”

Busboom Kelly said she wanted to go with the younger players from the start, rather than inserting the reserves during the course of the match, to build confidence and show that she trusts them. 

“It’s on them to get it done and perform, and they’re not leaning on the starters to get a big lead in that they can just coast it,” she said. “Grand Canyon played well, and we had to work through a few things, and they did.”

The second set was much tighter as GCU (6-2) settled in and eventually took a 12-10 lead after a 4-0 run. The Lopes led as late as 17-16 before the Huskers scored three straight points. With the score tied at 19-all, NU won four rallies, but again GCU stayed close and overturned a potential set point with a challenge. Flynn and Ogbechie ended the set with a block. 

Bergen Reilly made a brief appearance late in the second set to serve for Adriano; otherwise, the rest of the regulars (Harper Murray, Andi Jackson, Taylor Landfair) stayed on the bench. 

Grand Canyon put up another fight in the third set and led 11-9 before the Huskers ran off four points in a row, including back-to-back kills from Adriano. NU eventually pulled away for its 49th-straight home victory. 

Anaelena Ramirez paced the Lopes with 12 kills as Grand Canyon finished with a 105 hitting percentage. 

Sigler said it was fun to play with her classmates on the court. At one point, the lineup consisted of five freshmen (Sigler, Ogbechie, Adriano, Pierce, Flynn) and Mauch, a sophomore. Even though they might not be accustomed to playing alongside everyone, they are building those connections in practice every day. 

“There’s a sense of pride that those are my roommates and my classmates that I get to see every day,” she said. “I bet our group chat is going to be bumping at the end of this. We all work hard to be here, no matter the age, and we’re pushing each other every day.”

Nebraska Volleyball 2025 Schedule

Home matches are bolded. All times central.

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