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Huskers Close the Spring Season with a Sweep of Northern Colorado

NU showed its depth in front of a sold-out crowd at Chadron State College.
Lincoln Arneal|
Manaia Ogbechie celebrates a point against Northern Colorado Saturday in Chadron. The Huskers won all four sets to close out their spring season.
Manaia Ogbechie celebrates a point against Northern Colorado Saturday in Chadron. The Huskers won all four sets to close out their spring season. | Nebraska Athletics

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Nebraska CornhuskersNebraska CornhuskersNorthern Colorado BearsNorthern Colorado Bears

CHADRON — The line snaked outside the Chicoine Center and wrapped nearly all the way around the adjacent track.

Some fans arrived as early as 6 a.m. local time to wait outside in snow flurries and a temperature hovering above freezing. By the time Nebraska’s third and final exhibition of the spring season started, the Chicoine Center was full of 1,852 energetic fans, the first time it had sold out for an athletics event. 

The stands were mostly full of Nebraska fans, eager to catch a glimpse of their favorite team from the opposite corner of the state. They were rewarded as the Huskers earned a 25-21, 25-18, 25-16, 25-21 victory Saturday afternoon. 

NU senior middle blocker Andi Jackson thanked everyone for coming when she addressed the crowd after the match. 

“These last 24 hours have been so special. Everyone in Chadron and Chadron State College, you all have been so hospitable," Jackson said. "We’ve had a really amazing experience. You’ve taken us in like one of your own. We are really grateful. Thanks for supporting us, thank you for supporting Nebraska and thank you for supporting women’s sports.”

As for the play on the court, NU continued its trend of using its entire roster for the match, as 13 of its 16 players recorded a kill — including everyone who played in the front row. The Huskers’ offense overpowered UNC, but not always clean, finishing with a .242 hitting percentage.

Even though the Bears outblocked NU 10-4, they couldn’t keep up with the Huskers and recorded just 38 kills at a .162 clip. 

Here are several takeaways from Nebraska’s final spring match: 

Robinson Steps Up

The only player who didn’t appear in at least two sets was Virginia Adriano. The sophomore opposite left the first set and retreated to the locker room, dealing with a stomach bug.

With Adriano out, Hunter stepped into her place for fir the remainder of the set. However, freshman Jayden Robinson started the second set and put on a show from the right pin. She recorded four kills on eight swings in the second set in her most extensive action of the spring.

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said they weren’t planning to play much at opposite in the match, but they had trained her at both pins and saw an opportunity to give her more playing time. 

“She’s trained some on the right, but probably a little more on the left,” Busboom Kelly said. “For her just to be confident and go for it, I thought it was awesome to see. That’s what we need her to do, especially this year, is be a utility and be comfortable on both sides.”

Dueling Hitters

Teraya Sigler continued her torrid spring as she led the Huskers with 10 kills on 17 swings. However, unlike the first two exhibitions, the sophomore outside hitter committed a hitting error for the first time. Northern Colorado blocked hero on her second swing of the match. 

Sigler finished with four hitting errors, but still put up a .353 hitting percentage. 

“She’s gotten stronger,” senior outside hitter Harper Murray said about Sigler. “She has a lot more range in where she’s hitting. So it’s really fun to see that.”

Not to be outdone, Skyler Pierce also played well, especially in the fourth set when she recorded five kills on nine swings. Pierce tallied seven kills with a .400 hitting percentage. 

Busboom Kelly said she’s seen Pierce be more confident this spring. Pierce was targeted a team-high 21 times by UNC servers and only gave up one ace. 

“She doesn’t hesitate anymore,” Busboom Kelly said. “We’ve seen that somewhat in the front row, but in the back row, she might get ace, but the next play is perfect. I just love the way she’s just really transformed her all-around game, not just one part of it.

Serving Dimes

One of Busboom Kelly’s priorities this spring was to get Nebraska to serve tougher. 

The Huskers kept UNC off balance with a variety of serves and finished the match with 11 aces. Harper Murray led the way with three straight aces in the third set that were part of a 7-0 run where she also recorded a back-row kill and block assist.

Pierce also went back-to-back with aces in the fourth set. In all, eight players recorded an ace as Sigler, Robinson, Kenna Cogill, Andi Jackson, Olivia Mauch and Campbell Flynn all notched an ace. 

“It might have to be different players each night,” Busboom Kelly said. “Sometimes it’s on, sometimes it’s off, but you saw some pretty good serves today and good changes of depth.

No Lineup Answers

 If fans were hoping for any answers for who might be the starting group for the Huskers, they left the spring disappointed. 

If anything, Nebraska showed it has depth at each position and multiple options. While returning All-Americans Bergen Reilly, Murray and Jackson will likely start at setter, outside hitter and middle blocker, the rest of the positions are up in the air. 

Even though she didn’t play much against Northern Colorado, Adriano appears to have taken a step forward and has an inside track for the top spot at opposite. Pierce and Sigler will continue to battle into the fall, and freshman Gabby DiVita was one of the strongest passers out of the group. 

Kenna Cogill put together another solid match as she terminated her first six swings and finished with a .625 hitting percentage. Manaia Ogbechie recorded three kills and two blocks, while freshman Keoni Williams added three kills. 

Laney Choboy and Mauch continued their back-and-forth at libero. Choboy finished with 14 digs and was perfect in 12 serve receptions in her two sets. Mauch tallied 10 digs and was targeted seven times on serve and didn’t yield any aces. 

Here are the lineups Nebraska used for each set:

  • First set: Murray, DiVita, Jackson, Ogbechie, Adriano/Hunter, Reilly, Choboy
  • Second set: Pierce, Sigler, Cogill, Jackson, Robinson, Reilly, Choboy
  • Third set: Murray, Sigler, Cogill, Williams, Hunter, Flynn, Mauch
  • Fourth set: DiVita, Pierce, Ogbechie, Williams, Robinson, Flynn, Mauch 
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Lincoln Arneal
LINCOLN ARNEAL

Lincoln Arneal covers Nebraska volleyball for HuskerMax and posts on social media about the Big Ten and national volleyball stories. He previously covered the program for Huskers Illustrated and the Omaha World-Herald and is a frequent guest on local and national sports talk shows and podcasts. Lincoln hosts the Volleyball State Podcast with Jeff Sheldon.

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