Huskers Show Off Depth, Offensive Prowess in Exhibition Win

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Despite playing two completely different lineups and using every player on the bench, Nebraska never missed a beat.

It didn’t seem to matter who was on the court against Iowa State. The Huskers were relentless, showing a high level of play and depth, to earn a 25-17, 25-16, 25-16, 26-24 win over the Cyclones at the Sanford Pentagon Saturday afternoon.

Here are several takeaways from Nebraska’s first spring exhibition.

Depth Galore

The Huskers committed a few more hitting errors over the final two sets, but the level of play never suffered despite the lineup swap between the second and third sets.

Once the match was agreed to go at least four sets regardless of what transpired, NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly established two groups to split the action. Only redshirt freshman Keri Leimbach played in each set.

In the first two sets, the lineup consisted of: outside hitters Harper Murray and Skyler Pierce, middle blockers Kenna Cogill and Manaia Ogbechie, opposite Virginia Adriano, setter Bergen Reilly and libero Olivia Mauch. Leimbach played back-row for Pierce, and Jayden Robinson subbed in for Adriano in the second set.

For the final two sets, Nebraska used Teraya Sigler and Gabby DiVita at outside hitter, middle blockers Andi Jackson and Keoni Williams, opposite Ryan Hunter, setter Campbell Flynn and libero Laney Choboy. Robinson, at outside hitter for DiVita, and Leimbach also subbed in the back row.

“We gave our players a plan, going into the day this morning, what we’re going to do,” Busboom Kelly said. “They handled it really well.”

about that time!! ⏰ #GBR pic.twitter.com/QPPCVBTnZp
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) April 11, 2026

Confident Hitters

It’s a wonder what confidence can do for an attacker.

Adriano, Sigler and Pierce all finished with eight kills and zero hitting errors. They needed just 34 swings to record their collective 24 kills.

Adriano said she was more comfortable on the court in her second year of college volleyball. She showed off several new shots, terminating from both pins and also a back-row attack that Iowa State didn’t have an answer for.

In addition to an improved skill set, Adriano said she’s been working on her mental approach to playing with more joy and smiling more.

“The first season started a little bit rough, but by the end, I was able to show what I’ve been working on,” Adirano said. “This game was really good, especially because it was the first game. I was a little bit stressed, but I think it went great.”

While she primarily played back row as a freshman, Sigler showed why she was the top-ranked recruit coming out of high school. The 6-foot-3 sophomore carried the offense in the final two sets, using power shots to score. Sigler found seams in the defense and hit attacks of the Cyclones’ block.

Meanwhile, Pierce swung hard and found open court against ISU on almost every attack. She needed just nine swings to amass her nine kills. After appearing in just 24 sets last season and redshirting in 2024, Pierce said her confidence is high because of the belief her teammates have in her.

“It really helps having teammates that help lift me up, especially if I’m having a bad practice,” she said. “Throughout the last season and the seasons before that, having a group of girls that really lift me up when I’m doing good helps me build my confidence and have more confidence going out there to swing hard.”

Freshman Gabby DiVita introducing herself with the back row attack 😤 pic.twitter.com/O9yG3ik3Kq
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) April 11, 2026

Fresh Faces

Nebraska’s three true freshmen had one of the toughest tasks in the match. Outside hitter Gabby DiVita, middle blocker Keoni Williams and pin hitter Jayden Robinson started the match on the sidelines, standing around for more than 45 minutes before getting on the court.

Robinson appeared briefly in the second set, but DiVita and Williams had to wait until the third set to see any action. DiVita said the bench was so energetic and lively that she didn’t have any issues staying loose.

“This has been a dream of mine for a really long time, getting to play with this group,” DiVita said. “We had so much fun out there, and it went really well.”

DiVita finished with three kills on five attacks while notching an ace. Williams recorded three kills and three solo blocks, while Robinson had two kills and a block.

Nebraska's three redshirt freshmen also put up solid performances. Cogill hit .500 with four kills and three blocks. Leimbach recorded an ace with four digs and Hunter bounced back from several hitting errors to finish with three kills, an ace and two blocks.

That’s a dart from @KeriLeimbach 🎯

Ace, Nebraska! #GBR pic.twitter.com/0oZRyZ3liE
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) April 11, 2026

Rivalry Renewed?

Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch expressed admiration for Busboom Kelly and the job she did in her first year at Nebraska.

Johnson-Lynch, who won a national championship with the Huskers in 1995, said she likes seeing former players get into coaching. While she’s built up the Iowa State program over the past 20 years, she said coaching at your alma mater is a bigger challenge.

“I’m not sure you could understand how much pressure that is, especially when you’re an alum, and it’s your own school and program. That is not an easy thing to take on,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She’s doing it with such grace and doing a phenomenal job. There’s a lot of us out there now coaching, and it’s really cool to see.”

While they enjoyed the exhibition, both coaches were open to meeting again in the regular season.

“We’re going to schedule as many games (against Iowa State) as we can, hopefully in the future,” Busboom Kelly said. “I don’t know if we’ll be on the road as much when our gym is done, but hopefully we can schedule the best teams we can.”

“When Nebraska left the conference, it was kind of like, ‘Well, we’re not in a hurry to play and we’ll play them again sometime,’” she said. “We need to get back to that. We’re three hours away, but I think we’ll travel well there — well, if we get tickets — but we would love to play there. We would love to have them back in Hilton. So I hope we can find a way to make that happen.”