Mauch, Choboy Provide the Huskers with Options, Depth at Libero

Olivia Mauch isn’t just a passer, she can make diving plays too.

While the sophomore libero is more renowned for her passing skills, she showcased her athleticism and hustle in a clutch moment during the fifth set against Creighton on Tuesday night.

After the Bluejays had tightened the fifth set against to 10-8, Nebraska shanked the serve of Saige Damrow. Mauch sprinted past the sideline, laid out to make a one-armed save and nearly crashed into the video boards. She kept the play alive, which allowed the Huskers to send over a free ball and eventually win the rally. The play helped spark a 4-0 run that helped NU secure the victory over its in-state rival.

Mauch finished with 16 digs, seven assists and an ace against the Bluejays in her second start this season at libero. She also got the start against Grand Canyon on Saturday and led NU with 11 digs.

However, just because Mauch wore the libero jersey in the Huskers’ previous two matches doesn’t mean she will earn the start when Nebraska hosts Arizona on Saturday night for the Huskers’ final non-conference match. First serve for the match against the Wildcats (6-3) at the Devaney Center is set for 8 p.m. CDT on the Big Ten Network.

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said she finds it funny that many people are very interested in who will begin the game in the libero jersey between Mauch and junior Laney Choboy, who started at libero for the first seven matches of the season.

“It’s probably not the end of the libero jersey for Laney, and I’m sure Liv will get a chance to wear it a bunch more,” Busboom Kelly said after the Creighton match. “It’s hard because I look at them as if they’re both starters to me. I know one has to wear the jersey, but they’re both equally important to this team.”

Busboom Kelly said she made the change from Choboy to Mauch because the whole team’s passing had been shaky as they were lacking confidence. They wanted to give Mauch, who has graded out as NU’s top passer this season, a chance to help the defense steady out.

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

Choboy’s defensive mindset is a valuable asset for the Huskers, and Busboom Kelly said the 5-foot-3 junior played one of her best matches of the year against Creighton as a defensive specialist. Choboy finished with 12 digs and didn’t commit an error on 19 serve receptions, while achieving a 63.2 good pass percentage.

“Laney’s defensive mindset and her mentality back there is something this team desperately needs,” Busboom Kelly said. “I thought she had one of her best games tonight.”

In addition to the last two matches, Mauch also suited up as the libero for Nebraska’s final three sets in the reverse sweep against Kentucky. During that match, the libero switch got the sophomore from Bennington on the court more, but the move also forced the Wildcats to alter their serving strategy and aim for different zones. The change also allowed Choboy to reset mentally while staying on the court for three rotations.

Muach said her goal in that match was to bring a calm presence on the court, even though the Huskers had lost the first two sets. After the chaos of swapping jerseys, she tried to get into the flow of the play.

“I had to get into the right mindset to switch from DS to libero by just controlling myself and trying to help my team in any way that I could,” she said.

Olivia Mauch (10) celebrates her ace in the fourth set. — Olivia Mauch celebrates her ace in the fourth set against Pittsburgh. She has played both defensive specialist and libero this season. | Amarillo Mullen

NU director of operations Lindsay Peterson, who, like Busboom Kelly, played libero at Nebraska, said the position is tough because either you fail or succeed with the first touch.

She said both Mauch and Choboy have embraced their role on the team. They have natural instincts, pass well and balance each other out. Both play an essential role in the Huskers’ defense, which leads the nation with a .110 opponents’ hitting percentage.

“They are starters, but it's the color of the jersey, and you might be out there two more rotations, but they are both vital to the success of our team,” Peterson said.

This season, Choboy is averaging 3.03 digs per set while Mauch is at 2.52. However, their role on the court is more than just making the first touch. Bergen Reilly leads NU with 3.21 digs per set, and when the junior setter records a dig, the libero often is in charge of the out-of-system set. Choboy and Mauch have 29 and 21 assists this season, respectively.

Since this spring, Busboom Kelly has rotated the two players at the position. They both played the position in NU’s exhibitions. Only once matches started this fall did Choboy have an extended run at libero, but Mauch remained a key contributor.

Even though Mauch has played the last two matches at libero, Busboom Kelly said they start each week on equal ground, even though the starting lineup decisions might be based on what their opponents bring as opposed to how they are playing.

“I’m a pretty big believer that you’re not going to lose the starting position based off one performance, and you’re not going to win one based off one performance,” she said after the Kentucky match. “We’ll continue to evaluate those guys. But I also think sometimes a change might happen, and it’s not directly at one of them. Maybe the passing matchups weren’t great with servers. And that’s what’s awesome about having two great liberos, is you can mix it up and feel like you’re not going to miss a beat.”

Nebraska DS/Libero Laney Choboy reacts after a serve by the Alumni team goes out of bounds. — Nebraska DS/Libero Laney Choboy reacts after a serve by the Alumni team goes out of bounds during the first set of the Alumni Match on Saturday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Libero isn’t the only position where Busboom Kelly isn’t afraid to try new lineup combinations if she thinks it will help Nebraska.

She inserted Skyler Pierce to play on the left pin for one rotation for opposite Virginia Adriano against Kentucky. In the Grand Canyon match, she used Bergen Reilly as a defensive specialist during the second set.

Against Creighton, she inserted Campbell Flynn as a serving specialist in two of the sets. They hadn’t talked about using the freshman setter in that capacity, but Busboom Kelly thought Flynn had a serve that would disrupt the Bluejays — she drives the ball low and flat, which can slow down a middle attack. Flynn was surprised, but handled the opportunity in stride.

“It’s a sign of a great team when you can make all these changes and really work on things and still be 9-0,” she said. “We not only have a great core group of starters, but we have a bunch of players that can contribute, and we’re going to need them this year.”

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.