Sheldon: Harper Murray Has Become Nebraska's X Factor

Back in September 2015, I asked Texas coach Jerritt Elliott a dumb question.

Texas had just squeezed past Nebraska in a five-setter in Austin thanks to a standout performance from their stud opposite hitter Ebony Nwanebu, who had 22 kills on 54 attacks that afternoon in Gregory Gym.

The Longhorns’ other two pin hitters combined for 59 swings in the match. The middles, two excellent players in their own right, including Olympic gold medal winner Chiaka Ogbogu, combined for just 40 attacks.

When I asked Elliott about his pin-heavy offense, he was gentle with a reporter who’d seen much less volleyball than the one who is writing to you today. And while I don’t recall his exact words, he essentially said volleyball can be a simple game – whoever has the best pin hitters usually wins.

Balance is good in theory. But points aren't won in the abstract. With Nebraska and Kentucky tied 20-20 in Game 4 on Sunday, and the Huskers needing to win the frame to force a decisive fifth set, a tricky Kentucky serve forced Husker setter Bergen Reilly to fling the ball the only place it made sense, high and in the general vicinity of Harper Murray.

Success ensued.

Wanted to highlight a couple Big Girl Swings from Harper Murray vs Kentucky.

Both times, Nebraska puts Bergan Reilly in a tough spot with the pass, and the only option is to throw it left to Murray, who's facing a double block.

This one comes at 20-20 in Game 4. pic.twitter.com/KlbU5Y2SS0
— Volleyball State Podcast (@VolleyballPod) September 2, 2025

No. 1 Nebraska’s 4-0 start to the season - including three wins over top-10 ranked opponents - has not come without the hiccups most teams face early in the fall. New faces to acclimate, new roles to adjust to. And in Nebraska’s case, a new coach replacing a legend on the sideline.

Murray has led the way to keep the Huskers’ record unblemished as they tinker their way through non-conference play, putting together two weekends worthy of All-America status. Her 23 kills against Kentucky were a career high, and Nebraska needed every one of them to rally from an 0-2 hole against the Wildcats’ own All-American outside Brooklyn DeLeye (23 kills on 68 swings) and a frantic UK defense that held the rest of the Huskers to .168 hitting.

“She’s playing awesome. She looks really confident,” Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly said of Murray on Tuesday. “Her back-row attack has really come alive. The challenge is always can you be consistent? Can she play great against maybe an opponent that isn’t viewed quite so strong? That’s part of maturing and being a leader.”

Through four matches, Murray is hitting .314 (anything over .270 for an outside hitter is excellent), while doubling as one of the team’s top passers as she plays all six rotations.

It’s the kind of performance Nebraska has needed to stabilize a lineup that’s been fluid in the first two weekends. Busboom Kelly has rotated senior Taylor Landfair and freshman Teraya Sigler at NU’s other outside hitter spot, and has played both senior Allie Sczech and freshman Virginia Adriano at opposite hitter. None of those four have clinched a full-time job with inconsistent offensive production.

Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray — Murray is hitting .314 in the season's first four matches, three of which have been against top-10 opponents. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Much has been made of Nebraska’s depth, but it may take several more weeks to settle on a lineup as the Huskers don’t figure to face another top-10 team before Big Ten play begins. This weekend, Nebraska plays Wright State (2-1) and Cal (2-0), both unranked, in the Ameritas Players Challenge.

“You’re starting off on such a high because you don’t want to lose those first few games especially when you’re playing top-20 teams,” Murray said. “I think it’s really good for us to see our flaws, and it’s harder to do that against low-level teams. Finding out what our flaws are early is going to be really good for us.”

Murray’s play has allowed Nebraska to examine its faults without having to suffer a defeat, unlike some of the other national championship hopefuls (Penn State lost twice last weekend). But the mindset Busboom Kelly is trying to imprint on the 2025 Huskers is that mistakes made now are OK if they’re in service of lessons learned for the postseason.

It’s why a gentle tug-of-war occasionally ensues between the coach and Murray on the topic of tip shots, at which Murray excels as much as any college outside hitter, where she attempts to misdirect an opposing defense by deftly flicking a shot over the block to an empty floor space.

Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray confers with Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly after a call during the Red-White Scrimmage. — Murray and Busboom Kelly talk at the Red-White Scrimmage. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Do it right, and you not only earn a point, you keep the defense guessing what you’ll do next time. Do it poorly, however, and it can turn into an easy dig and the start of your opponent’s transition offense.

“You know, Dani hates tipping, so I’m trying not to tip as much, but recently it’s been working,” Murray said. “That’s been interesting to get used to because tipping is something that’s been evolving in the game.”

Her coach would prefer a full-speed attack, even if it turns out to be an error borne of aggression. Hey, they're called "kills" for a reason.

“It better work. That’s what I want to tell her,” Busboom Kelly said wryly. “It’s funny. She’ll get a couple tip kills, then look at the bench and give me a I-told-you-so-smile. I think it’s just being aggressive with your tipping and making sure that when we are tipping, there’s a purpose. It’s not because we’re scared or we can’t take a swing on it. Harper’s done a really good job of using the whole court. I think that’s a big part of her success. To scout her has to be pretty difficult because you literally have to scout everything.”

Maybe it was Murray recognizing the scouting report, or maybe it was Busboom Kelly’s fear-no-failure ethos on display for her final kill of the match against Kentucky.

Same deal here. Tough serve from Hudson leaves Reilly with one option.

Murray shows a lot of skill and discipline to not Leroy Jenkins it into a double block. The team used to say "If you can tool high line, you're a Goddess." Maybe they still do? pic.twitter.com/sDwtjy6RSC
— Volleyball State Podcast (@VolleyballPod) September 2, 2025

With Nebraska leading 13-8 in the fifth set, another tough pass led Reilly to fire a cross-court set from the 10-foot line in Murray’s direction. The Husker captain hesitated on her approach momentarily to assess the timing, then leapt and blasted the ball off the outside hand of an undersized Kentucky blocker to put Nebraska at match point.

Damn the torpedoes, full swing ahead.

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