Nebraska Exhibition a Homecoming for Northern Colorado Assistant Coach

There is no hotter ticket in Chadron than for Saturday’s exhibition match between Nebraska and Northern Colorado.

Fans lined up almost two days before tickets went on sale to snag a seat in the 1,750-seat Chicoine Center. When in-person sales opened, all of the available tickets were snatched up in just over two hours.

Northern Colorado assistant coach Jadyn Lamb had access to several tickets that didn’t require camping out overnight. As a Chadron native, Lamb knew plenty of people who wanted those tickets, but she limited her allotment to family members. For those who made it onto her pass list, there was one catch.

“I did tell them, if you’re coming with my ticket, you must wear UNC gear,” She said. “One of them was torn. My uncle was like, ‘Well, can I at least wear a Nebraska hat?’ I’m like, that’s probably fine.”

The former Jadyn McCartney said she has around 16 family members attending the match on Saturday. In addition, UNC is taking a bus for the four-hour drive, full of fans, to bring more blue and gold to the arena.

Some of those family members chose to wait in line when tickets went on sale to the public in March. Her sister, Jaleigh McCartney, is on Lamb’s pass list but arrived at 4 a.m. to get tickets for friends who live in Lincoln. She also had another uncle who waited overnight in line for the “thrill of it all.”

Although the schools talked about playing an exhibition match in 2020 before the pandemic nixed the plans, Lamb didn’t know the event was going to happen until a couple of months ago.

By early February, Nebraska had identified Northern Colorado as an opponent for a spring exhibition, but they were still deciding between playing in Scottsbluff and Chadron. Lamb said she didn’t try to sway the process but was quite pleased with the outcome.

Once the decision was made, rumors began to spread in Chadron about the possibility of the Huskers coming to town. When her parents asked her about the news, she confirmed it but also said not to talk about it openly because ticket sales wouldn’t happen for a while.

Now that the news is public and the match is a few days away, the match will be an exciting homecoming for Lamb and her family. Her father, David, was an All-American football player at Chadron State and her mother, Stacy Drabbels, was a three-year letter winner for the Eagles. Her younger sister, Jaleigh, attends Chadron State and was also a standout setter for Chadron High.

“The family is very well known for their volleyball, and it’s pretty cool that she gets to come back and be part of this,” said Blakelee Hoffman, the head volleyball coach for the Cardinals.

Jadyn (McCartney) Lamb goes up for an attack for Northern Colorado. She played for the Bears from 2017-19 and is the only Chadron graduate to play Division I volleyball in recent history. | Northern Colorado Athletics

Lamb is also one of the best volleyball players to come out of Chadron. She helped the Cardinals to four straight appearances in the Class C-1 state tournament, including two of the three wins at state in 2015 when Chadron finished in third place.

Lamb’s name still dots the volleyball record books at Chadron, including for most kills in a season (579) and career (1,654). She was quite the basketball player, finishing her career with more than 1,300 points and 600 rebounds, and making four appearances at state.

While Chadron has seen several student-athletes continue their athletic careers, Lamb is the only one to play Division I volleyball.

“She’s easily the best player to come through and play volleyball here,” Hoffman said. “There’s obviously been some very, very good athletes come through here on the girls’ side, but she is the volleyball person who just stands out head and shoulders above everybody else.”

The volleyball culture is still burgeoning in Chadron. Several players from the panhandle have gone on to play in college, including former Huskers Jordan Wilburger (Scottsbluff) and Alicia Ostrander (Gordon-Rushville), and Jordan Hopp (Alliance), who won a national championship with Penn State in 2024 and also played at Iowa State.

Lamb said she looked up to the Huskers growing up, even though they played on the other side of the state.

“Nebraska volleyball was always kind of my end goal,” Lamb said. “I remember writing in a journal, when I was little, ‘I want to be a Nebraska volleyball player,’ because it was hard.”

Jadyn (McCartney) Lamb goes for an attack for Northern Colorado during her playing career. After working as a teacher for three years, she returned to UNC as a member of the coaching staff. | Northern Colorado Athletics

Even though her dream of playing for the Huskers didn’t materialize, she still found her path. It involved four-hour trips to North Platte to play club volleyball.

The culture of volleyball has evolved in the last decade. A local club started up in the last few years to save hours of driving and help the next generation raise their level of play. Hoffman said she’s noticed more girls wearing volleyball shirts to school, they talk about big matches in the hallways, and they write more about the sport for class assignments.

“Chadron has always kind of been a basketball community, but I’ve really seen that change in the last 15 years here,” Hoffman said. “As the volleyball coach, I love it. Our basketball coach? Not so much.”

Lamb said she’s served as a resource for aspiring players from her hometown as they navigate the recruiting process. She said having Nebraska play a match in her hometown gives hope to the next generation and encourages them to dream big.

“It’s so important for Nebraska volleyball to showcase that, and how there’s been some great Nebraska volleyball players that are from small towns in Nebraska,” she said. “I love that they are able to see a high-level volleyball match.”

While playing at Northern Colorado, Lamb helped the Bears qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 2019, where UNC lost in the first round in Hawaii. In her junior season, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter averaged 1.84 kills and 2.16 digs per set. Her career was cut short as Achilles’ injury knocked her out for her senior season.

After graduating from Northern Colorado, Lamb began teaching first grade while helping coach club volleyball for 15-17-year-olds. UNC coach Lyndsey Oates reached out with an opportunity to join her staff. While she misses the classroom at times, she continues to use many of the same skills as a college coach and remains involved in the sport she loves.

“I was coaching at the time, so I was already doing it; it’s just a little bit higher level,” she said. “I enjoyed what I was doing. I get to teach and help and mentor athletes and coach along the way.”

Jadyn (McCartney) Lamb talks with the rest of the Northern Colorado coaching staff. — Jadyn (McCartney) Lamb, blue shirt, talks with the rest of the Northern Colorado coaching staff. Lamb is entering her third season with the Bears after playing at UNC. | Northern Colorado Athletics

Now in her third year, Lamb is looking forward to sustaining last season’s success. The Bears qualified for the NCAA Tournament and pushed Creighton to five sets before falling in the first round.

The spring match against Nebraska is also a departure from the norm for the Bears. They usually play other schools in the Front Range, such as Wyoming, Colorado, Colorado State or Metro State in Denver. They’ll enjoy the four-hour bus ride and a chance to face off against another elite college volleyball opponent.

She’s looking forward to seeing all her family — she hasn’t been home since Christmas — and also having them see her in a new role. Besides her immediate family, no one has been to Greeley to see her on the sidelines.

“It’s obviously an awesome opportunity for our girls, our players and our team. It’s pretty special for me too, and coming back to my hometown,” Lamb said. “It’ll be cool for everyone to see me on the other side of not being an athlete, but a coach now.”

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