Sigler Settles into New Role During Her Husker Debut

She shared a rotation spot with senior Taylor Landfair, with the former playing the back row and the 6-foot-5 Landfair playing the three rotations in the front row. 

The back-row assignment was a departure for Sigler, who rarely came off the court in most of her volleyball career. However, Bubsoom Kelly wanted a bigger block to try to contain reigning national player of the year Olivia Babcock. 

Busboom Kelly said the whole team played with a lot of joy, led by Sigler, who showed maturity and grace in accepting her part-time role. 

“It's great when somebody that's in the game and then comes out for three rotations to have the same perspective and the same vibes, whether you're on the court or off the court,” she said. “It felt like everybody was so engaged the entire game, and you weren't really thinking about who was on the court. It was, you're always thinking about the team and what we were doing, not what one individual was doing.”

Sigler was targeted by opposing servers 26 times in the two matches, the second most of the Huskers, only trailing Choboy. She passed a 2.29 on a 4-point scale, matching the rate of junior outside hitter Harper Murray. 

Even in her limited role, Sigler is embracing her opportunity and helping the team in any way they need. Sigler said Murray has been a great resource early in her career. Murray was in a similar position two years ago, when she was the target of opposing servers 731 times, more than 200 times more than anyone else on the roster. 

Having Murray, Choboy, and defensive specialist Olivia Mauch has helped ease the transition, Sigler said. Her teammates make her feel included and supported. In addition, she has freshman middle blocker Kenna Cogill, with whom she has played volleyball since she was 12.

“I know as a freshman, I'm going to get targeted in serve receive. Instead of shying away from that, I embrace it,” she said. “Things can get hectic in serve receive. When you have Olivia Babcock looking at you at the end line, it can get a little intimidating. But having someone with experience and the emotional control to get you through those times is really helpful.”

Murray called Sigler a “beast,” and she’s enjoyed seeing her grow during her seven months on campus. She said Sigler’s confidence is unlike most freshmen, and she has a lot of trust playing next to her. 

“I'm so proud of her,” Murray said. “She has so much to offer to our team, and I can't wait to see what she does in the next four years here, because she has so much potential and so much talent already.”

Kentucky Connection

For the second straight week, Busboom Kelly will face off against a rival from her Louisville coaching days. After opening against former ACC foe Pittsburgh, she will see her old in-state rival, Kentucky, this weekend in Nashville. 

She’s quite familiar with UK coach Craig Skinner as well. He was an assistant coach under John Cook for Busboom Kelly’s first two years at Nebraska. Busboom went 4-3 against the Wildcats in her eight seasons at Louisville. The Huskers have an all-time record of 12-2 versus UK and haven’t lost since 1983. 

Despite the animosity between the fan bases in the Bluegrass State, Busboom Kelly said she has nothing but respect for the Wildcats. 

“I don't know if there's too many rivals in the whole country that can top the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry,” she said. “We were rivals, but it's always funny, because the fans wanted us to hate each other. Well, the volleyball staffs were very friendly, so we know a lot about each other's coaching styles, but I'm excited to play Kentucky.”

Busboom Kelly is eager to face another test against UK. The Wildcats pose a challenge for Nebraska with one of the best outside hitter combinations in the country. Junior Brooklyn Deleye was a National Player of the Year finalist after averaging 4.87 kills per set. She is joined by Purdue transfer Eva Hudson, who led the Big Ten with 4.81 kills per set in an All-American campaign last year. 

“Both play six rotations, and they both are great out of the back row,” Busboom Kelly said. “What makes it even more challenging is you're not just worried about them each when they're in the front row. You really have to worry about them both the entire six rotations, because they're almost as good at the back row as front row.”

Definitely a Nashville Party

The Huskers play the first match of a tripleheader on Sunday. Following NU-Kentucky, Tennessee takes on Purdue before Illinois faces Vanderbilt. The event will be hosted at the 20,000-seat Bridgestone Arena, the home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators. 

Earlier this year, the Huskers prepared for the trip by making custom cowboy hats with pieces of flair and burning their initials into the material. 

While Nashville offers numerous entertainment opportunities, Busboom Kelly said she’s glad they play Lipscomb on Friday to keep them focused as they begin their trip. She said they will get to explore the city a bit on Saturday and find some restaurants to experience the local cuisine. 

Even after playing at Pinnacle Bank Arena in front of 15,000-plus fans, Choboy said the experience of playing in another big gym with a more neutral crowd will benefit them for the rest of the year. 

“I've never actually been to Nashville, so I'm really excited,” she said. “Any opportunity that we get to go and play in front of these big crowds, or at away gyms in general, is just experience that we're going to take for the rest of the season as we continue to go on away trips and hopefully make the Final Four and national championship.”