Choboy Thrives in Her First Weekend as Nebraska's Libero

After an offseason of battling to see who would replace Lexi Rodriguez, Laney Choboy got the opportunity to be Nebraska's libero. Over the weekend, she proved why she had earned the position.

Nebraska DS/Libero Laney Choboy collects a dig during the second set of the AVCA First Serve vs. Pittsburgh. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Laney Choboy didn’t get a big reveal that she was going to be the starting libero for Nebraska. 

No black jersey hanging in her locker. No team-wide ceremony to announce her position. Instead, during practice last week, she noticed her name was on the whiteboard before the Alumni match. 

Then, the next week, during practice, NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said they would start the same way for the Pittsburgh match, so Choboy took her spot on the court as libero. 

“I was really excited, obviously, but I knew that I just had to do my job,” she said. “It is just a position at the end of the day, and what I give to my team is more important. How can I bring assets to the team that we need, whether it's energy or defense or anything else?”

Choboy, a junior from Raleigh, N.C., joins the impressive group of players to play libero at Nebraska. She replaces four-time All-American Lexi Rodriguez, but the list of liberos also includes All-American Kenzie Maloney, two-time Olympic medalist Justine Wong-Orantes, and her current coach, Busboom Kelly. 

However, Choboy isn’t looking at the situation as taking over for Rodriguez, but rather carrying on her legacy and using all the lessons she’s learned over the past two years, along with her own unique skill set, to help the current team.

“It's insane to think that I'm in this position now,” she said. ”I'm just going to continue to have gratitude for this position and be thankful that I'm here, and then continue to work and hopefully carry on those legacies.”

Nebraska DS/Libero Laney Choboy prepares to serve the ball during the second set of the first match of the AVCA First Serve vs. Pittsburgh. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Busboom Kelly said the competition between Choboy and sophomore Olivia Mauch is “razor thin.” Even though Choboy got the jersey this week, it doesn't mean that Mauch won’t play the position in the future.

“We're gonna need them both to play huge roles this year,” Busboom Kelly said. “Just because Laney was libero this weekend, she's gonna have to work really hard to keep that jersey.”

During her first weekend as the starting libero, Choboy anchored a solid Nebraska defense against a pair of top-10 opponents. She recorded 16 digs against Pittsburgh as the Huskers limited their opponents to a .111 hitting percentage. 

Bubsoom Kelly said Choboy set the tone against the Panthers, digging reigning National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock down the line. 

Versus Stanford, Choboy finished with 12 digs and passed the Cardinal’s serves 20 of the 21 times she was targeted. (The only ace Stanford recorded, she let go, thinking it was going long, but it landed in.) 

As a result of her play, Choboy was one of five players named to the AVCA’s All-First Serve First team. She was the only libero honored and received the accolade with her teammate, senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick. 

Laney Choboy goes to the floor to receive a Pitt serve. | Amarillo Mullen

With the new position change, Choboy has shifted back to her more comfortable position at left back. During the past two years, she played right back as a defensive specialist. 

While playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena, Choboy took a few moments to appreciate the atmosphere. While playing in a bigger arena can cause some issues, she thought they had prepared well and were ready for the moment. 

Choboy’s family travelled to Lincoln to watch her during the weekend. After the Pitt match, she found her mother, Tammy, and shared a moment with her. 

“It was really fun to see them and just take in all of that,” she said. “Me and my mom actually ended up crying after the Pitt game, because it was like, ‘Mom, I did it. I made it. I made it past all of the hurdles that I've had to so far.’”

Choboy said she’s focused on improving her mental approach to the game. While her skills have also improved, her mental approach has allowed her to handle challenges more effectively. In addition, she is grateful to all her teammates who have supported her over the past two years. 

“I would have made it here without them,” she said. “I asked for flowers a lot, but I got rain. When you take a step back to realize what this means, flowers need rain to grow. Through all the storms and the rain that I've been through in my first years, and it hasn't all been bad, but now I'm finally starting to grow and come into this new position with a lot of gratitude for just everything that I've been through.”

Bergen Reilly and Rebekah Allick high-five after Allick's kill. Both received Big Ten weekly honors on Tuesday. | Amarillo Mullen

Trio of Huskers Honored

After the first week of the season, three Nebraska players earned recognition for their play from the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday. 

Bergen Reilly earned her 10th Big Ten Setter of the Week award. She averaged 10.86 assists and 2.71 digs per set in a pair of wins. The Huskers offense was in high gear against Stanford for a .385 hitting, which was NU’s rate against a ranked team since 2016. Reilly also recorded four kills and three blocks against the Cardinal. 

Nebraska opposite hitter Virginia Adriano, middle blocker Rebekah Allick, and setter Bergen Reilly huddle up during the third set against Pitt. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick earned her third Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor in her career. She recorded 12 blocks over the seven sets and was named MVP of the match against No. 3 Pitt. Allick also added 20 kills with a .406 hitting percentage. 

Opposite Virginia Adranio received the league’s Freshman of the Week honor. She finished with six kills and three blocks against Pitt in her first-ever collegiate match. 

Penn State’s Kennedy Martin took home the Big Ten Player of the Week award as she helped the Nittany Lions defeat No. 12 Creighton and No. 14 Kansas. 

Note: Only three Big Ten teams played: Penn State, Minnesota and Nebraska.

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