Nebraska's Outside Hitters Change Mindset, Elevate Out-of-System Attack

Minnesota knew where the ball was going, but still couldn’t stop the attack.

After Harper Murray made a diving save to keep an overpass attack from the Gophers from scoring a point, sophomore defensive specialist Olivia Mauch stepped in and bump set the second contact to Taylor Landfair on the left pin. Even though Minnesota set up a triple block, Landfair went over the top and found the back corner for a kill.

Regardless of whether it has been in- or out-of-system, Nebraska’s offense has been lethal for opponents. The top-ranked Huskers are on pace to shatter offensive records, hitting .348 this season, which is 40 points better than the second-best mark by Texas and better than the school record of .331 set in 1986.

One of the reasons NU (24-0) is hitting .383 during conference matches is its improved out-of-system offense, which happens when junior setter Reilly has to bump passes the ball or when any player other than Reilly takes the second contact.

A significant change has been the mindset instilled by NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly. She wants the outside hitters to try new attacks and not just revert to what they are comfortable with. Busboom Kelly is okay with them failing at times if they are being aggressive.

Landfair said they are trying to be more creative and less predictable with their attacks when it is an out-of-system attack. Instead of relying on comfortable attacks, such as a roll shot or a tip down the line, they are using more shots and even utilizing the opponent’s block to their advantage.

“She gives us the creative freedom to experiment and just try things,” she said. “Sometimes it’s not going to work out, but more times than not, if we keep going back to it over and over and over again, the likelihood of it being successful is really, really high.

Rebekah Allick sets the ball against Northwestern. NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly called Allick NU's best out-of-system setter. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

This season, the Huskers have recorded 192 kills assisted by a player other than Reilly or reserve setter Campbell Flynn. Most of those have come from the outside hitters, mainly Murray and Landfair.

Junior libero Laney Choboy is third on the team with 70 assists, while Mauch, who has also played libero this season, has recorded 59. Earlier this season, Busboom Kelly said NU’s best out-of-system setter might be middle blocker Rebekah Allick, who has 14 assists this season.

“It doesn’t all fall back on the littles and how good their set is,” Murray said. “It also comes down to our footwork, our discipline and our training on how we can still make a high-level swing, and if you don’t get a kill, make the other team rally and make them play.”

Busboom Kelly said the improvement came as NU cut down on its errors and improved its setting from its back-row specialists, who have learned where to put the ball for their attacks. In addition, they’ve set Virginia Adriano more, and the 6-foot-5 freshman has been terminal on the right pin.

“Our attackers are doing a great job of recycling plays,” Busboom Kelly said. “They’re keeping the ball in play when they can’t take a swing, and when they do have a great set, they rip it. So they’re making great decisions.”

The key to a good out-of-system attack starts with their footwork, Landfair said. If their step pattern is solid, they can adjust to the out-of-system sets, which might not have as perfect a placement as sets from Reilly or Flynn.

Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray attacks against Oregon. — Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray goes for an attack against Oregon. She is hitting .325 in Big Ten play, which is among the Top 15 among all attackers. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The success with out-of-system attacks is reflected in their individual stats as well. Murray is hitting .325 in conference matches, while Landfair has a .396 hitting percentage in league play. Those efficiencies rate them in the top 15 in the Big Ten and the top two outside hitters.

Murray said it’s the job of the outside hitter to put away those balls, and they need to be ready for whatever comes their way. That starts by working with the back-row player in practice to figure out how they can terminate at a higher rate.

“We know that we’re going to get a lot of junk balls, so you get into the mindset of, ‘Okay, I just need to keep this in and wait for a better set or a better in-system ball,’” Murray said. “It’s hard because we get stuck in that loop as an outside because we know that we’re going to get a lot of balls, but I think we just have to find better ways to be more aggressive and take those risks.”

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