Texas-Nebraska Will Renew Rivalry in Nonconference Match This Fall

The location and date for the event have yet to be officially announced for the showdown with the former conference rival.

Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly and members of the coaching staff huddle on the sideline during the AVCA First Serve vs. Pittsburgh. The Huskers will play a nonconference match against rival Texas in 2026. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska and Texas are back. 

The two college volleyball powers will meet on the volleyball court this fall, according to Nebraska coach Dani Busboom Kelly. While she teased the matchup, she didn’t reveal other details, such as when and where the match will be played during a luncheon sponsored by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday afternoon. 

The only hint Busboom Kelly gave about the location is it won’t be at the Huskers’ home venue. 

“We're bringing back the rivalry with Texas, so that's going to be fun,” Busboom Kelly said. “It won’t be in Nebraska, so I hope to see some traveling.”

The Longhorns and NU last played in the national championship match in 2023, which UT won in straight sets. The Huskers lead the all-time series 33-25, but Texas owns a 7-3 advantage since NU left the Big 12 Conference in 2010. 

Texas finished 26-4 last season and suffered a loss in the regional final on its home court to Wisconsin. The Longhorns return most of their starting lineup and just have to replace three-year starter libero Emma Halter and middle blocker Ayden Ames, who transferred to Creighton. 

“They have almost everybody back, they're going to be really good and really powerful,” Busboom Kelly said. It'll be a really great test for us early to see where we're at, and then win or lose, they're going to teach us what we need to get better at going throughout the rest of the season.”

The match is yet another high-profile non-conference match for the Huskers in the non-conference. Nebraska is playing Missouri at Wrigley Field on Sept. 6, two days after it takes on DePaul in the first-ever volleyball match at WinTrust Arena. In addition, South Dakota State announced that it will be hosting the Huskers on Wednesday, September 2, at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings, S.D.

Busboom Kelly also teased another potential marquee match that featured an “exciting, unique field type experience,” but held off while the contract details are still being finalized for that event.

Teraya Sigler goes up for a kill against Grand Canyon last season. Dani Busboom Kelly said Sigler has upped her attack and is hitting the ball harder this spring. | Amarillo Mullen

Swing Away

One of Busboom Kelly’s objectives this spring was to have the Huskers swing harder on attacks and serve tougher. After the match against Iowa State on Saturday, the early returns have been encouraging. 

She said hitting harder is a combination of confidence, strength and technique. It’s also a little contagious. 

“When a couple players raise their level, everybody else is like, ‘Well, I gotta raise mine,’” she said. “You get one or two players start hitting the ball harder, everybody else kind of follows suit. It's tough to get a kill in our gym right now.”

As a team, Nebraska finished with a kill percentage of 48.6 for the match, which is a slight tick up from its rate of 47.7 percent for the 2025 season. 

Busboom Kelly singled out sophomore outside hitter Teraya Sigler as someone who has made a step forward with their attack. She recorded eight kills on 14 attacks with zero attack errors. 

“She came in hitting hard, and then she got a little banged up towards the end of the year, so we kind of forgot the pop that she had,” Busboom Kelly said. “It's great to see her healthy and strong, and she really took advantage of the offseason. So she's definitely hitting it harder.”

The Huskers also served tougher against the Cyclones. NU recorded four aces in the match, including line drives from Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson. 

Nebraska players celebrate a point against Creighton. The in-state rivals will meet Friday night in an exhibition at D.J. Sokol Arena. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Creighton next up on Friday

The Huskers will play their second spring exhibition when they take on Creighton Friday night at DJ Sokol Arena. CU announced on Wednesday that the 3,000-seat arena is officially sold out.

The Bluejays were hit hard by graduation as they lost All-Americans at setter, middle blocker and outside hitter (Annalea Maeder, Kiara Reinhardt and Ava Martin). As a result, CU hit the transfer portal where it picked up setter Katie Dalton from Kansas, Ayden Ames from Texas and outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres from Wisconsin. 

For the Huskers, Busboom Kelly would like to see more offense from the middle blockers. The Huskers force-fed the ball to Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick at times last season and Bergen Reilly could have gone to her middle more often in the first exhibition. The four middle blockers (Jackson, Manaia Ogbechie, Kenna Cogill and Keoni Williams) combined for 13 kills on 32 attacks in the first exhibition. 

In addition, she wants better production out of its front-row defense. NU recorded 11 blocks against Iowa State, but left some room for improvement. 

“We had a lot of great touches, and we were in the right spot. Now it's translating that into points,” she said.