Nebraska's Offense Improves Despite Passing Struggles

Because the Huskers frequently change their routes, Reilly must constantly communicate with her attackers. 

The one hitter who has struggled to terminate at times is middle blocker Andi Jackson. The All-American entered the match against the Golden Bears, hitting .244, but went off for 12 kills on 20 swings with just three errors to raise her hitting percentage by 48 points. 

After the Cal match, Jackson talked about simplifying her approach to “See ball, hit ball.” Reilly said she took a similar approach to get her middle block back on track, as she relies on the chemistry they’ve built over the past two years to find kills. 

“We say it to each other. I say, “See ball, set ball,” too. It’s not a complicated thing. We do it a million times a week in practice. We sometimes overcomplicate it in our heads during games,” she said. “It’s gonna work out, and we don’t have to do anything crazy to make it work.”

Flynn impresses in limited time

Flynn has had only a few opportunities to showcase her skill set on the court this fall, but she’s made the most of them. 

The 6-foot-3 freshman has appeared in three matches this season, including a brief appearance in the opener against Pittsburgh. She got more of a runway against Lipscomb and Cal as she played more than a set in each match. In the two sets where Flynn exclusively ran the offense, the Huskers hit .263 and .543, respectively. 

Reilly said she was glad Flynn could show the public what she sees in practice every day. 

“She’s beyond her years, and she’s shown that day in and day out,” she said. 

While Reilly came in and started matches as a freshman, Flynn is taking a backseat and learning from the two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year and adjusting to the college game. Reilly said Flynn has improved her serving, defense and blocking since arriving on campus in January. 

However, it hasn’t just been a one-way street. Reilly said while she’s helped Flynn navigate the college game, she’s also learned from the freshman setter. They have different strengths and have pushed each other to help raise the performance level of the team. 

The most impressive part of Flynn is her confidence and ability to deliver the ball to hitters no matter where they are on the court. 

“If you’re at Nebraska, you’re probably the best player in your high school gym,” Reilly said. “It’s been cool to see how she continues to have that same mentality of, ‘I’m going to set whoever I want, whenever I want, and it’s going to be a great set.’”

Lineup Evolution

During the first six matches, Busboom Kelly has experimented with different lineups and looks on the court. She has praised NU’s depth and the team-first mentality the players have taken during the first three weeks. 

Overall, 14 players have received playing time, but only four have appeared in all 21 sets Nebraska has played this season: Jackson, freshman outside hitter Teraya Sigler, and back-row players Olivia Mauch and Laney Choboy. 

Busboom Kelly said she has a good grasp on the lineup possibilities, but is always open to new ideas to put the Huskers in the best position to win matches. 

“With this team, because it’s so talented, roles will be evolving all year,” she said. “We have a better handle on how to use them, when to use them, and what potential changes could happen in the future.”

Less Talk, More Play

On Matt Rhule’s podcast, House Rhules, Allick said she wants her legacy to be a warrior. She wouldn’t mind getting a few yellow cards this season, because she wants to play with intensity and fight for every point. 

Busboom Kelly said she’s seen that on the court, but Allick has changed her method of annoying opponents from talking at them to getting in their way with her play. She said Allick is a competitor, and more often than not, her team wins group competitions in practice, regardless of who her teammates are. 

“In practice, it’s really frustrating to play against her. She touches everything on the block, and you might think you’re getting a kill, and somehow this middle is like diving for the second ball,” she said. “She’s become more frustrating with her play, not just her voice, and you can see that translating to matches with how hard she’s working.”

Mental Health Focus

The college volleyball world was surprised when Penn State setter Izzy Starck announced on her social media that she was leaving the Nittany Lions for the remainder of the season to focus on her mental health. 

Busboom Kelly said she felt for Starck and Penn State as they deal with her situation. She said today’s student-athletes face a lot of pressure as they balance school, athletics, their personal lives, social media, and the pressures of being a public figure. 

While she is grateful that she didn’t have to deal with social media during her playing days, Busboom Kelly said she works to ensure that NU athletes have the support they need to maintain their well-being. 

“I am just grateful that Nebraska is an athletic department that understands this (pressure) and puts the resources in place to support and try to stay ahead of mental health and ahead of some of these things,” she said. “We don’t take that for granted, that we’re going to have moments, that it’s going to be really, really hard. Hopefully, we’re ahead of it to the point that we don’t have somebody step away.”