Ogbechie Thrives in Starting Role as Huskers Sweep Wright State

Manaia Ogbechie knew when she committed to come to Nebraska that she would have two All-American caliber players ahead of her on the depth chart.

Instead of looking at the situation as a detriment, the 6-foot-3 middle blocker is thriving and trying to learn as much as possible from senior Rebekah Allick and junior Andi Jackson. 

Ogbechie showed her potential as she earned her first start after NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly decided to give Allick the night off. She finished with eight kills on 12 swings for a .583 hitting percentage to go with five blocks as No. 1 Nebraska swept Wright State 25-16, 25-16, 25-20 Friday evening at the Devaney Center.

Busboom Kelly said Ogbechie reads the game well for a freshman; however, she hates for her skill to be viewed through that lens. 

“She’s like, ‘I don’t want to be viewed as a freshman,’ which, that’s an amazing mentality to have,” Busboom Kelly said. “She’s super powerful, and she’s not afraid to swing, and she’s going to go for it. We wanted to see her do that in the game, not just for a few points, but see what that looks like consistently for three full sets.”

Busboom Kelly said she recruited Ogbechie while she was at Louisville before she committed to Northwestern. However, after a coaching change for the Wildcats, she opened up her recruitment and ultimately ended up with the Huskers. Busboom Kelly has been impressed with her development in her short time with NU.

Ogbechie was at her best in the second set as she recorded five kills on six errorless swings and recorded all of her blocks in the frame. She connected well with setter Bergen Reilly, who finished with 30 assists, on both slide attacks and quick sets in front of her. 

The Santa Rosa Valley, Calif., native credited her success and quick adaptation to Allick and the example she set. Ogbechie said Allick approaches blocking like attacking by playing aggressively and making hitters adjust to her presence at the net. 

“She is just amazing at everything, but I feel like her attitude in the game has really rubbed off on me,” Ogbechie said about Allick. “The way she approaches blocking, almost like attacking, and that’s been very helpful in developing my blocking as well.”

While Allick and Jackson, who had six kills on 14 attacks, remain in charge of the starting positions, Busboom Kelly said getting Ogbechie more experience will help the Huskers during the long season. 

“It’s a gauntlet to go through the Big Ten season, and there’s days we have back-to-back matches, and they’re not going to feel their best every single night,” she said. “It’ll be awesome to have Manaia in that role. We’re pushing them so hard in practice that, during matches, they don’t have to feel their absolute best and perfect every single night, because we have such a deep bench. So that should pay off in December, where we’re playing great and we’ve been tested day in, day out, in practice and in games.”

Friday night’s match wasn’t a walk-through for the Huskers (5-0) as Wright State led in each set. 

The Raiders were up 13-12 in the first set before NU went on a 10-1 run, including seven points in a row with Harper Murray serving. Wright State led 6-4 before the Huskers took control with a 7-1 run. Then in the third set, WSU had an 11-6 lead before NU rallied with a 6-1 run and took the lead for good after four straight points put them up 16-13. 

Murray paced the offense with 11 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. NU finished with a .330 hitting percentage for the match. Mya Ayro recorded 14 of Wright State’s 30 kills, but terminated at a .182 clip. 

After struggling in the last few matches, freshman Virginia Adriano played her best complete match. The 6-foot-5 opposite finished with seven kills on 14 attacks and four blocks. 

Ogbechie combined with Adriano to score the final six points of the second set. Adriano had three kills and teamed up with Ogbechie on one block. Ogbechie accounted for the other two points via a kill and another block with Murray. 

Busboom Kelly said this was an important match for Adriano to build confidence and strengthen her relationship with her setter. 

“It’s important for her and Bergen to feel more comfortable with each other and for Bergen to know what kind of set she needs,” Busboom Kelly said. “Tonight, both of them, together, connected really well. Virginia looked a little bit more like herself than she has in the last couple of games.”

Nebraska will return to the court on Sunday afternoon as it takes on California. Wright State will face the Golden Bears on Saturday at 11 a.m. CDT.

Nebraska Volleyball 2025 Schedule

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