Trio of Huskers Named Nebraska Volleyball Team Captains

Nebraska volleyball has three first-time team captains for the 2025 season.

The preseason No.1 Huskers named setter Bergen Reilly and middle blockers Rebekah Allick and Andi Jackson as the team's captains for the 2025 season on Wednesday. The trio are all first-time captains for Nebraska, replacing two-time captains Lexi Rodriguez and Merritt Beason.

Jackson and Reilly return as juniors following stellar 2024 campaigns, being named as AVCA All-Americans, while Waverly native and senior Rebekah Allick is a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Allick was also named the Nebraska lifter of the year, earning the honor during the Red-White Scrimmage on Aug. 9.

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

Reilly returns as the two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, adding an AVCA All-American Second Team nod in back-to-back seasons while also being named to the All-Big Ten First Team in her first two seasons in Lincoln. The setter has earned nine Big Ten Setter of the Week honors in her two seasons for Nebraska while also garnering AVCA All-Region honors in back-to-back years. She earned the weekly honor a school record five times in 2024, finishing the season with 1,352 assists, 81 kills, 21 aces, 348 digs, and 62 blocks while posting a team-high 17 double-doubles.

Jackson was a unanimous AVCA All-American First Team and All-Big Ten First Team selection in 2024, following up an All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team appearance from her first season with Nebraska in 2023. Jackson played in 34 matches and averaged 2.62 kills per set with a .439 hitting percentage in 2024, ranking sixth in the nation and earning the fourth-highest in program history. She added 134 total blocks, averaging 1.18 per set.

Allick returns as one of the veteran leaders from Nebraska's back-to-back national semifinal runs, playing in 35 matches in 2024 and putting up 1.82 kills per set on a career-best .357 hitting percentage with a team-best 1.43 blocks per set. She finished her junior season 14th in the country in blocks per set while ending third among Big Ten players. Allick was named the AVCA First Serve Showcase MVP after having season highs with 11 kills, 12 blocks, and a .667 hitting percentage in a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky to open last season. Allick has earned back-to-back All-Big Ten Second Team honors and has received two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards.

Nebraska setter Bergen Reilly during the second set of the Alumni Match on Saturday. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The trio of first-time captains will have a hefty burden of leadership roles to fill following the departure of Beason and Rodriguez to graduation. The pair was voted upon ahead of the 2023 season, but did not need to receive any votes to maintain their leadership roles ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Reilly, Jackson, and Allick will be expected to provide an even bigger presence this season with the departure of retired coach John Cook in January. Cook was replaced by Nebraska volleyball alum and former Louisville coach Dani Busboom Kelly.

"First and foremost, is really showing them, teaching them, talking to them about a player-led team. And making sure they are taking care of details and things themselves. I think that'll go a long way, so in matches there's a little bit more trust, and they understand each other a little bit more," Busboom Kelly said to Nebraska Public Media this week. "Other than that, there's not a lot that we're doing. It's more putting them in tough situations in practice and seeing who emerges and giving them the floor to speak and giving them the moments to call their own timeouts and to make changes in practice."

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

Nebraska volleyball wrapped up its exhibition schedule last Saturday following the Red-White Scrimmage and the Alumni Match. The Huskers officially begin their 2025 season as the preseason AVCA No. 1 team, battling No. 3 Pittsburgh in the AVCA First Serve at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Nebraska takes on the Panthers at 6 p.m. CDT Friday, then awaits No. 6 Stanford at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday.

Nebraska Volleyball 2025 Schedule

Aug. 9 Red 3, White 1
Aug. 16 Nebraska 3, Alumni 1
Aug. 22 vs. Pittsburgh (AVCA First Serve Showcase at Pinnacle Bank Arena) 6 p.m. FOX
Aug. 24 vs. Stanford (AVCA First Serve Showcase at Pinnacle Bank Arena) 2:30 p.m. ESPN
Aug. 29 at Lipscomb 6 p.m. ESPN+
Aug. 31 vs. Kentucky (Broadway Block Party in Nashville) 11 a.m. ABC
Sept. 5 vs. Wright State 7 p.m.
Sept. 7 vs. California 1 p.m. BTN
Sept. 12 vs. Utah 6 p.m. FS1
Sept. 13 vs. Grand Canyon 6 p.m. NPM
Sept. 16 at Creighton 6:30 p.m. FS1
Sept. 20 vs. Arizona BTN
Sept. 24 vs Michigan 6 p.m. BTN
Sept. 27 vs. Maryland 3 p.m. NPM
Oct. 3 at Penn State 7 p.m. FOX
Oct. 4 at Rutgers
Oct. 10 vs. Washington 8 p.m. BTN
Oct. 12 at Purdue
Oct. 17 at Michigan State
Oct. 19 at Michigan 1 p.m.
Oct. 24 vs. Northwestern NPM
Oct. 25 vs. Michigan State 7:30 p.m. BTN
Oct. 31 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. BTN
Nov. 2 vs. Oregon 1 p.m. BTN
Nov. 6 vs. Illinois 7 p.m. FS1
Nov. 8 at Minnesota 2:30 p.m. NBC
Nov. 14 at UCLA BTN
Nov. 16 at USC 2 p.m. B1G+
Nov. 20 vs. Iowa FS1
Nov. 22 at Indiana
Nov. 28 vs. Penn State 5:30 p.m. BTN
Nov. 29 vs. Ohio State BTN

Home matches are bolded. All times central.

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