Nebraska Ready to Renew Creighton Rivalry

The Bluejays are more than battle-tested ahead of their showdown with the top-ranked Huskers.

Rebekah Allick, like Nebraska all-time, has never lost to Creighton. | Amarillo Mullen

Dating back to the end of last season, when the Creighton volleyball team took eventual national champion Penn State to five sets, the Bluejays have seen their fair share of nationally-ranked volleyball teams.

Date	Opponent	Result
December 13, 2024	#13 Texas	Won 3-1
December 15, 2024	#2 Penn State	Lost 3-2
August 23, 2025	#2 Penn State	Lost 3-0
August 29, 2025	#5 Texas	Lost 3-0
August 31, 2025	#14 Kansas	Won 3-2
September 7, 2025	#22 USC	Lost 3-0
September 12, 2025	#4 Louisville	Lost 3-1

A simple look at the graph above shows you that Creighton hasn't been afraid of bolstering their schedule after a 32-3 season in 2024. Last season's schedule for Creighton featured wins over No. 20 USC, No. 6 Purdue, No. 10 Kansas, and No. 13 Texas and a narrow five-set loss to No. 5 Nebraska.

However, 2025 has started off on a bit of a different note, with the Bluejays winning just one of their five showdowns against ranked opponents so far this season. Now, it's their toughest test of the season, as their in-state rivals to the west will be coming to Omaha for a Tuesday night tilt.

Nebraska needed five sets to put away its in-state rival Creighton in 2024. | Kenny Larabee/NRG Media

For the first time since that five-set thriller in Lincoln last season, Creighton and Nebraska will be renewing its volleyball rivalry, and both teams will be entering with new coaches. Dani Busboom Kelly will be leading the top-ranked Huskers into Omaha to take on a Creighton volleyball team led by Brian Rosen, who was named the 2024 AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

"I haven't been back for eight years, but it's really neat to have two women's (teams) in the state going against each other at least for a few years," Busboom Kelly said. "I know Brian's a great coach, and obviously Creighton trusted him to take over that amazing program."

The top-ranked Huskers will be entering the match a perfect 8-0 on the season, and they too have faced their fair share of ranked opponents, with wins over No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Kentucky, and a 3-1 win over No. 22 Utah just this past Friday. Thanks to that four-game win Friday, Nebraska even shook up the starting lineup for their Saturday sweep of Grand Canyon University.

Nebraska mixed up its starting lineup Saturday against Grand Canyon, earning yet another 3-0 sweep on the season. | Amarillo Mullen

"Having a four-gamer (Friday) night and then with Creighton being a quick turnaround, and we really only get one practice, so I wanted to make sure that the team felt really fresh to go hard so that this would set us up for better prep for Creighton," Busboom Kelly said.

Busboom Kelly did admit she has a lot of appreciation for the work that's been done at Creighton over the last several years, mainly because she was recruited by the school before she committed to Nebraska.

Dani Busboom Kelly knows firsthand how amazing of a climb it's been for Creighton to get where it's at because she was recruited by them. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

"I remember when I was a recruit going to Creighton for a team camp, and they showed me around, and I was like 'what is this place?' she said. "I think they weren't winning any games, period — like zero wins maybe the season before. Then to see Kirsten (Booth) just completely turn that around and turn them into a powerhouse where they're in the mix for top recruits and they're always knocking at the door of the Final Four. Just extremely impressive what they've been able to do."

After 22 seasons, Kirsten Booth resigned as coach of the Bluejays to become President of Business Operations for League One Volleyball. The announcement came in early April and rocked not only the volleyball landscape in Nebraska, but the country given Creighton's recent success on the national level.

It was certainly success noticed by Nebraska senior libero Maisie Boesiger, who grew up in Firth, Neb. just south of Lincoln before signing with the Huskers.

Nebraska libero Maisie Boesiger was able to grow up seeing the Nebraska-Creighton rivalry firsthand. Now the senior gets one last chance to play in it. | Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics

"I think it's really cool growing up in Nebraska and being able to watch the Huskers and Creighton play," Boesiger said. "It's a very special game for Nebraska because this is the volleyball state. It's so important here, and I think it's just a celebration of volleyball here. It's always competitive. It's always a great game."

Ultimately, only one team will be celebrating Tuesday night in Omaha, but it's safe to assume there will be plenty of "Jaysker" fan sightings along the way. First serve between Nebraska and Creighton is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The match will be televised on FS1.

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