Sheldon: Could Nebraska Volleyball Play More Matches at PBA?

And other quick sideouts from Tuesday's weekly Husker VB presser

Nebraska went 2-0 at Pinnacle Bank Arena over the weekend. Those matches aren't likely to be the last the Huskers ever play at PBA. | Kaleb Henry

Dani Busboom Kelly has a unique and interesting vantage point.

The former player-turned Husker assistant-turned head coach is the nexus of the program’s past and its future. And she had a foot in both worlds last weekend when she officially began her tenure as Nebraska’s leader - a picture both unfamiliar, yet entirely fitting.

She sought out and hugged her former coach, John Cook, in a PBA hallway just minutes before taking the court for her debut match, not against an old Husker rival, but a former conference foe in Pitt, who her Louisville teams sparred with annually in a fight for the ACC title.

And then, there was the venue itself. Cook, who had pushed the program as a brand to new heights with the audacity of a match inside Memorial Stadium and endless sell-outs of the Devaney Center, resisted the city of Lincoln’s final worthy venue, Pinnacle Bank Arena, just as he initially held off moving the program from the NU Coliseum to the Devaney Center in 2013.

Nebraska volleyball banners hang in the Devaney Center, which has become the country's premier college volleyball venue. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Busboom Kelly embraced the opportunity as part of the AVCA First Serve Showcase, which had all the pomp and pageantry of the Final Four. And Tuesday, she made it clear she’d be excited to make PBA appearances more than just a one-time thing.

“I love it,” she said of playing more matches in the larger arena. “You get in a different type of environment. It prepares you for what you could face at the end of the year (at a Final Four). It allows more (fans) to get into games. Typically, in the bigger arenas, there’s more technology and different things you can do that enhance the experience.”

Credit goes to the AVCA for investing in the event. Fan - and press - reviews of the event’s in-game MC were mixed. But you can see the rationale of the AVCA trying to energize the non-Nebraska matches. The light-up bracelets for each match were an additional promotional touch.

The goal was to make last weekend more than a few matches. More like a capital-E ‘Event.’

“Teraya (Sigler) in the locker room after the game, she was the one that said ‘This was just a blast. Everyone on the court was lit,’” Busboom Kelly said. “That’s not my lingo. I’m repeating her. ‘The court was lit. The bench was lit. The crowd was lit.’ She was just saying the whole experience was fun.”

For Busboom Kelly, venues don’t seem to be sacrosanct. Maybe because Nebraska volleyball matches were always an event to her. She shushed the derisive giggles of Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly last week when she told them the Coliseum, where Busboom Kelly played for 2003-06, produced crowds so loud players couldn’t hear themselves on the court. 

Nebraska volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly hopes to play a couple of matches at Pinnacle Bank Arena each season. | Nebraska Athletics

Former Nebraska coach Terry Pettit compared the Coliseum to a stage or a boxing ring, where the crowd felt claustrophobic and the sightlines put all eyes on the center of the court.

The Devaney Center, NU’s current home floor, expanded the Coliseum’s capacity more than double, but still manages to maintain an intimacy through a renovation that prioritized the building for volleyball.

Busboom Kelly likes the bells and whistles of PBA for an occasional cameo, but also because coaching this program means having one eye on December. At Louisville, her teams were based out of the cozy L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, capacity about 1,000. But last season, Louisville played 10 matches at the larger KFC Yum! Center, including most of its postseason run to the Final Four.

A trip down Salt Creek Roadway once or twice per season would take the Huskers just minutes, but forces players out of their comfortable routine. They’d need to adapt to a new locker room, new practice schedules, and new sightlines that impact depth perception.

But there surely is an element of panache, too. A declaration that Yeah, we can pack this place, too.

You’re also usually playing a pretty good opponent there. Just like in a regional final or the Final Four. 

“It adds some very positive distractions, in my opinion. I hope we get to play there again,” she said on Tuesday. “I don’t know what that looks like yet from the university’s standpoint, but it seems like a no-brainer to move a game or two down there a year.”

Nebraska eyes Broadway Block Party

The Huskers earned two wins over top-10 teams last weekend in front of a decidedly partisan crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Busboom Kelly said Tuesday that this weekend’s Broadway Block Party, where the Huskers will face No. 7 Kentucky on Sunday (11 a.m., ABC) figures to be more like a Final Four with more of a neutral crowd. 

“We’ll have our fans that travel, for sure,” she said. “But the majority of fans are likely just going to be the casual volleyball fan.”

Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray fires a kill, while Pitt's Olivia Babcock and Ryla Jones defend during the first set of the AVCA First Serve. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The event is another sign of volleyball’s explosion as an appreciating brand. The Huskers and Wildcats face off inside the 20,000-seat Bridgestone Arena as the start of a three-match card. Purdue vs Tennessee will follow at 2 p.m., capped by Illinois vs Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. Each match will be televised on a different network.

The Huskers also scheduled a match with Lipscomb on Friday night at 6 p.m. The Bison are the preseason pick to win the Atlantic Sun Conference, and feature the league’s preseason Player of the Year in outside hitter Courtney Jones and preseason Setter of the Year Sophia Hudepohl.

Lipscomb went 19-11 last season.

“Lipscomb is a really good mid-major,” Busboom Kelly said. “This isn’t a team that hasn’t competed in NCAA tournaments or beaten Power 5 teams before. They’ve shown they can compete with a lot of Power 5 schools.”

The match is also a bonus, the coach said, for keeping the Huskers’ attention on a trip to a city that positions itself as the Bachelorette Party Capital of the U.S.

“Nashville’s a fun city. A lot of distractions, I know that,” Busboom Kelly said. “I’m glad we have that game on Friday against Lipscomb to keep us focused because the weekends in Nashville can be a blast.”

Reilly named Big Ten Setter of the Week

Junior setter Bergen Reilly’s outstanding weekend was rewarded on Tuesday when she earned the Big Ten’s first Setter of the Week honor for 2025.

The highlight was Sunday’s performance in the 3-0 sweep of Stanford, in which Reilly led the Huskers to a .385 hitting mark, the program’s highest attack percentage against a top-25 team since 2016.

Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly reacts after the Huskers scored a point against Pittsburgh. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Reilly, who was pushed in summer and preseason workouts by freshman Campbell Flynn, steered the Nebraska offense despite some shaky passing. The Husker serve receive produced a Good Pass Percentage of just 47.5 percent - below the team’s goal of 60 percent - which means Reilly put NU hitters in positions to score while having to set on the move.

Busboom Kelly said she’s been working on relieving pressure Reilly might feel to deliver perfect sets while Nebraska implements some new tempo and new patterns under the new coach.

“Just taking that weight off of her, and making sure the team knows we’re working on those things, not just the conversations between Bergen and I,” Busboom Kelly said. “If it’s not perfect, they know, ok, we’re going to figure this out, and if it doesn’t work, we’re going to stop doing it. But, for now, we’re going to keep working on it and keep expanding our range.”

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