Nebraska Volleyball Emerging Star Out for In-State Rivalry, Maybe Longer

Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie to miss Nebraska-Creighton game, Kenna Cogill to get second start.

Sep 6, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie (14) spikes the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the first set at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, Nebraska's Manaia Ogbechie, is out of the lineup for the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers' in-state rivalry game against the No. 20 Creighton Bluejays, per John Baylor on the Husker Radio Pregame show.

The reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Manaia Ogbechie is out of the lineup for the Husekrs with an illness per John Baylor on the Husker Radio pregame show.

Kenna Cogill will get the start at middle blocker for the Huskers.

— Lincoln Arneal (@Lincoln_VB) September 16, 2026

Nebraska head coach Dani Busboom Kelly also noted that Ogbechie will return to the court "when she is not contagious," accorrding to Justin Frommer of the Omaha World-Herald.

#Nebraska HC Dani Busboom Kelly on Manaia Ogbechie missing tonight's match vs Creighton

"When she is not contagious, she will be back."

Busboom Kelly does not believe it will keep Ogbechie out through the weekend. #Huskers play UNC on Friday and FGCU on Sunday in Lincoln https://t.co/IkbtPNeiX4

— Justin Frommer (@JustinbFrommer) September 16, 2026

In her first full season as a starter, Ogbechie is currently third on the team in total points scored (64) and points per set (3.20). She leads non-setters in hitting percentage (.471) and blocks (27). She currently has the third-highest hitting percentage for middle blockers in the Big Ten and is 13th in the country.

She had a season-high 12 kills against Georgia Tech (RV) and a season-high 7 blocks against No. 7 Texas

Coming in for Ogbechie is sophomore Kenna Cogill, who previously started in Nebraska's match against DePaul on September 4th. Cogill started for senior Andi Jackson, who tweaked her ankle a couple of nights before, against South Dakota State.

In that match, Cogill had four kills and seven blocks.

Nebraska comes into the match with a near-perfect 7-0 record, dropping their very first set of the season on Saturday to Georgia Tech (RV). This will be their third official game against a ranked opponent, after playing Florida and SMU in unofficial exhibition games in Dallas to start the season.

Creighton started their season strong with wins over No. 11 Purdue and No. 19 USC at the State Farm Showcase at the Sandfort Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD. They are currently 5-4, on a 2 game losing streak to No. 3 Louisville and Rice.

Nebraska, Creighton Rivalry History

Nebraska and Creighton have met up 22 times in their history. The Huskers currently lead 22-0. The teams first met on Sept. 1, 1988, in Lincoln. Thirteen of their matches have been 3-0 sweeps for Nebraska, but four of the last seven went to five sets.

In 2022, the Nebraska-Creighton game set an NCAA indoor volleyball-only regular season attendance record with 15,797 fans. This record was broken the next night when Wisconsin and Florida played in the Kohl Center. It would be broken again in 2025 when 17,675 fans filled the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

A crowd of 17,675, the largest indoor volleyball-only regular-season crowd in NCAA history, saw a classic before No. 1 Nebraska ultimately survived with a 3-2 win over No. 18 Creighton on Tuesday night at CHI Health Center Omaha. Scores in favor of the Cornhuskers were 25-17. 21-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9.