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Nebraska Wraps Up Spring Schedule, Eyes the 2026 Season

Several players improved their stock after three exhibitions. Plus, the transfer portal looms and the possibility of an extended eligibility clock.
Lincoln Arneal|
Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly, center, celebrates with her teammates during an exhibition match against Iowa State in her hometown of Sioux Falls. The Huskers won 11 of the 12 sets they played this spring despite rarely using the same lineup from set-to-set.
Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly, center, celebrates with her teammates during an exhibition match against Iowa State in her hometown of Sioux Falls. The Huskers won 11 of the 12 sets they played this spring despite rarely using the same lineup from set-to-set. | Nebraska Athletics

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A few hours after fans camped out in freezing temperatures as snow flurries fell, Nebraska’s spring volleyball season came to a close. 

The Huskers wrapped up their spring road tour on Saturday with a four-set sweep against Northern Colorado in Chadron. NU had a busy semester, with trips to Arizona and Florida for beach volleyball, followed by indoor exhibitions in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Omaha and Chadron.

NU used its depth in every match, with most players appearing in only six of the 12 sets the Huskers played this spring. Even in a limited time, several players flashed progress and potential that should serve the Huskers well in the 2026 season. 

As the student-athletes prepare for another set of final exams, the focus shifts to the fall, and the Huskers continue their quest for a sixth national championship in program history.

The spring was more than just good vibes and playing in front of sold-out crowds. It was a chance to see three newcomers to the program and the progress that the returners have made. Now that NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly is more than a year into her tenure, the players have a better understanding of her coaching style and expectations. 

The Huskers should be poised for another dominant season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Nebraska ranked No.1 preseason with three All-Americans and 5.5 starters returning. But before flipping ahead to August, let’s take a look back at who stood out during the spring, what we still don’t know and what’s ahead for the Huskers. 

Most Impressive Players

  • Teraya Sigler, outside hitter. The sophomore from Scottsdale, Arizona, was mostly relegated to a back-row role last year as she split time with senior Taylor Landfair. She also dealt with a back injury for the second half of the season that limited her athleticism. However, now fully healthy, Sigler looked like the type of player who was ranked No. 1 in her recruiting class. She led the Huskers with 29 kills over the three matches and with a .521 hitting percentage. Sigler was lethal from everywhere on the court and hit the ball with power and precision. While Harper Murray will be OH1, Sigler showed that she can take over a match and terminate out-of-system. 
  • Kenna Cogill, middle blocker. The 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman showed flashes of her potential last year during the Red-White scrimmage, but didn’t see any action outside the practice gym. After the Creighton match, she discussed her mindset to make the most of her redshirt year and put in the work to improve. She displayed a quickness that allowed her to terminate on the slide, but she also showed great vision to find the seam between blockers. Cogill also improved as a blocker, one of the hardest skills to master when transitioning to the college game. She will battle with Maniana Ogbechie for the second middle blocker spot, but she should see plenty of time on the court as the Huskers balance the workload of the demanding middle blocker position.
  • Skyler Pierce, outside hitter. While Sigler earned most of the headlines out of the spring, don’t forget about Pierce, who will enter her third year in the program. She appeared in only 24 sets last year, but looks ready to contribute after this spring. She started strong with eight kills on nine swings against Iowa State and then finished with a flourish as well, with five kills during the final set against Northern Colorado, including one for match point. Pierce has shown more confidence on the attack this spring and can prove to be another asset on the left pin. She isn’t as good a passer as other outside hitters, but held up well against UNC, allowing just one ace in 19 serve receptions. 

Honorable mention: Virginia Adriano, Gabby DiVita, Bergen Reilly. 

Manaia Ogbechie warms up before the Huskers face Northern Colorado in Chadron for their last exhibition match of the spring.
Manaia Ogbechie warms up before the Huskers face Northern Colorado in Chadron for their last exhibition match of the spring. Ogbechie is in position to earn playing time at middle blocker this fall along with Andi Jackson and Kenna Cogill. | Nebraska Athletics

What We Don’t Know

  • Starting lineup: NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly mixed up the lineup nearly every set of the spring schedule. We saw different combinations of attackers, setters and back-row specialists in each match. It would be safe to assume that the three returning All-Americans: setter Bergen Reilly, middle blocker Andi Jackson and Murray will continue to start for the Huskers. Adriano appears to have a leg up on the opposite position after she showed improvement, and others didn’t show enough consistency. That leaves outside hitter, middle blocker and the libero position still up for grabs. Cogill and Ogbechie should share time at middle blocker, and Sigler and Pierce looked like solid options at the left pin. Of the three new freshmen, outside hitter Gabby DiVita stood out most, as her back-row play looked elite and she terminated well on limited swings. Now, speaking of that last position…
  • Libero Rotation: Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch each split time last year, and both started at libero. It appears that they are headed for a similar arrangement this year. Busboom Kelly will go with whoever can provide the team with what they need. Choboy offers more energy and court coverage while Mauch provides a steady presence and better serve receive. It’s a luxury most teams don’t have, as NU has two top-tier liberos. Additionally, redshirt freshman Keri Leimbach has shown she can provide depth in the back row and is a strong addition from the service line. 
  • Full Schedule: Drips of the schedule have come out over the last few weeks. We know Nebraska will play Texas early in the season, with all signs pointing to them meeting in Las Vegas. The Huskers have also been connected to a large-scale exhibition at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with several schools. NU will travel to play at South Dakota State and Missouri at Wrigley Field. It will also host Creighton at Pinnacle Bank Arena and host Baylor at the Devaney Center. NU should have several more home matches on its schedule. The Huskers will also play each Big Ten member once, but likely won’t know the order and dates of those matches until late May. 
Nebraska's Bergen Reilly, Laney Choboy, Harper Murray watch the 2025 seniors being honored.
Nebraska's Bergen Reilly, Laney Choboy, Harper Murray watch the 2025 seniors being honored. The trio could see their careers extended if the NCAA passes a new rule in May that would give all student-athletes five years to use five seasons of eligibility. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

What’s Ahead for the Huskers

The Transfer Portal: The next opportunity for players to enter the transfer portal comes on May 1 for two weeks. During the January window, Nebraska didn’t lose any players to the transfer portal and didn’t add anyone. Will that change this time around? Even though all the players saw extensive playing time during the spring, does anyone feel they would be better suited in a different program? Or does Nebraska go out and add a player (perhaps a backup setter) to add to its already impressive depth? 

Busboom Kelly said she was on the fence early about whether she preferred one or two opportunities for student-athletes to enter the portal, but she now favors a single window. She is hopeful that no one will opt to transfer and the 16 players stick with the Huskers. 

“I hope this is the same team we have rolling into the fall,” Busboom Kelly said. 

Possible 5-for-5: College athletics have changed at a breakneck speed during the last few years. The latest proposal from the NCAA would modify the eligibility rules to allow student-athletes to play for five seasons upon high school graduation or at age 19. This would essentially eliminate redshirts and almost all waivers for injuries or other outside factors that affect eligibility. 

NCAA president Charlie Baker is pushing for a vote on the new legislation in mid-May. However, many details remain unknown, including when it will take effect, who is covered and how it will affect scholarship limits. For Nebraska’s current seniors, they aren’t worrying about it right now. 

The change could extend the college careers of Murray, Jackson, Reilly and Choboy, who will be entering their fourth year with the Huskers. Murray said they are aware of it, but aren’t waiting around for a decision to come down.

“It’s definitely something to think about,” she said. “I don’t know the possibility of it happening, but it’s definitely in the back of our mind if it’s possible.”

Said Jackson: “I haven’t really been following along with it, so I’m just taking it one year at a time and really trying to enjoy my senior year.”

Time off: The team will wrap up their semester next week and then have about a month off before returning to start helping with summer camps, which will be more spread out this year because of the construction at the Devaney Center. The Huskers will return for summer workouts and open gyms as they continue to develop and prepare for the long grind of the season. 

In addition, Campbell Flynn, Manaia Ogbechie and Keoni Williams will all train with the U21 national team in late June/early July for a chance to make the team that will compete in the Pan Am Cup in July in Columbus, Ohio. 

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Lincoln Arneal
LINCOLN ARNEAL

Lincoln Arneal covers Nebraska volleyball for HuskerMax and posts on social media about the Big Ten and national volleyball stories. He previously covered the program for Huskers Illustrated and the Omaha World-Herald and is a frequent guest on local and national sports talk shows and podcasts. Lincoln hosts the Volleyball State Podcast with Jeff Sheldon.

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