Rebekah Allick, Kenna Cogill Offer Thoughts Ahead of Nebraska Volleyball's 2025 Season

Nebraska volleyball is clearly as ready for the upcoming season as its fans are.

After a full day of autographs and competition Saturday, from the fan day event to the scrimmage itself, senior leader Rebecca Allick and newcomer Kenna Cogill sat down for media availability to rehash the day's events.

Nebraska middle blocker Rebekah Allick poses with Director of Olympic Sports Performance Brian Kmitta. — Nebraska middle blocker Rebekah Allick poses with Director of Olympic Sports Performance Brian Kmitta after being named the team's Lifter of the Year. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

During the match, Allick was officially announced as the Nebraska volleyball lifter of the year. And of course, she was asked to offer her thoughts on the award to start.

“It feels good to be appreciated. I go hard in practice and the weight room. Typically, the places people will take for granted,” Allick said. She continued by saying she takes pride in that level of effort that average athletes may go through the motions while doing.

Teammate Cogill then expanded on Allick's words by saying, "She’s been a really big role model for all of us.” She also noted that coming in as a freshman, she didn't know what to expect of the offseason training, but used Allick as an example from her tone-setting work ethic in the weight room.

Nebraska middle blocker Kenna Cogill reacts after a kill during the Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

As a freshman, Cogill got her first taste of action in a Nebraska uniform during the team’s recent scrimmage, and the experience exceeded her expectations. “It was so exciting,” she said, noting that living out the moment on the court was even better than she had imagined.

Cogill admitted that adjusting from high school to the faster pace of college volleyball was initially a challenge. “Everything’s way faster,” said Cogill, but credited her teammates with helping her acclimate quickly. She then expanded by even calling the transition “pretty easy.”, a tribute to the conscious effort of her veteran teammates. Despite some pre-game nerves, she said once the match started, she was able to tune everything out and focus on playing her best.

Cogill also praised fellow freshman Manaia Ogbechie, saying, “I think she did amazing,” highlighting how both young players settled in shortly after the start of the scrimmage.

Her performance didn’t go unnoticed. Allick graded Cogill as “Amazing. Are you kidding?” laughingly noting her mature swing and a standout play during the scrimmage. Cogill’s poise and early contributions are already helping energize the team, showing that Nebraska’s freshmen class is ready to make its mark both this year and in the years to come.

Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly celebrates with middle blocker Kenna Cogill during the Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The scrimmage didn’t come without its own challenges, as players were asked to switch jerseys between sets and play for opposite teams. Allick was asked about the difficulty of working with different setters and credited the team’s practice preparation for helping them adjust on the fly.

“Personally, I didn’t think it was difficult,” she said, an impressive response given the up-tempo offense the new coaching staff has implemented for 2025. When asked about the impact of faster setting, Allick laughed and kept it simple: “More kills.”

Allick added that while timing remains a work in progress, setters like Bergen Reilly display the maturity to understand that every set won’t be perfect. The two continue to work together to chase perfection as the season approaches.

Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly during the Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The conversation then shifted into asking Allick what she believes fans should take away from the scrimmage. “Volleyball-wise, we’re really scrappy [and] it goes to show how great we want to be,” she said. Also noting that despite being hard on themselves, the team can rebound from mistakes and make big plays.

Reflecting on her final Red-White Scrimmage as a Husker, Allick added, “It kind of feels like a fairy tale.” She continued by expressing gratitude for the experience and excitement for the season ahead.

Nebraska outside hitter Teraya Sigler (left) and middle blocker Kenna Cogill celebrate a point during the Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

By the end of the day, little doubt remained about this team heading into 2025.

With leaders like Allick and an energetic, adaptable freshman class, Nebraska volleyball is already building momentum. If the trend continues through fall camp, the Huskers will enter the season not only as the top team in the country but as one focused on continuing the program’s tradition under new coaching guidance.

Based on comments from coaches and players alike, this team has all the makings to turn its goals into reality, and I’m not alone in saying, “Can the season start already?”

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