Our Five Burning Questions On the Huskers This Spring

Five Burning Questions Our Staff Has As We Open Husker Watch

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As soon as the hiring of Dani Busboom Kelly was announced, our main staff (Mac P and I) had conversations about “what happens now in Lincoln? what changes, what stays the same, etc.” It's probably the same thought thousands of national volleyball minds, and even more, of Husker Nation have had. So, as we helped Sasha launch our version of our Nebraska Fan Page, we thought, why not throw out our five most significant office talking points as of Friday? **BTW, we do think the program is headed in a very positive direction with recruits and from outsiders' perspective (and it was hard to get much higher:)

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**Again, these are from program outsider views at a national level. These are our unbiased thoughts (Mac and I) as we talk about Nebraska Volleyball heading into spring ball and their talented roster.

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Question 1: Who wins the Libero Jersey battle

Here is what you must realize with a roster this deep: there will be intense battles at nearly every position, and the athletes competing for them were all former All-Americans and were “top prospects” somewhere. Hence, they are here to play and good enough to play anywhere in America. So fans and media speculate that the coaches see the little things in the locker room, gym every day, weight room, meetings, etc.

Nowhere will those things be more prevalent than the battle for libero between Olivia Mauch and Laney Choboy. Our Mac Podraza breaks down the competition: “With Choboy, yes, she is fiery, but you don’t know what you will get. Can she be consistent enough to wear the ‘bro jersey will be key? Olivia Mauch is steady. She’s a pusher, but she is steady. She gives Lexi vibes to me.” I look at the leadership Lexi brought to that spot for years and also what DBK expected from her ‘bros at Louisville. I will sound like a broken record by the end of this, but you have to be a team first leader for her, which will be a big factor (only my opinion).

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Question 2: Are there enough chairs in the Outside Hitters Room?

Again, what an embarrassment of riches the Huskers have in the Outside Hitter position. Harper Murray and Taylor Landfair are returning. Then you have Sklyer Pierce coming off of a redshirt season with new freshman phenom Teraya Sigler joining the mix. Part of this equation depends on how our following questions are answered, but we know you have to have depth in the B1G season, so the battle is for the #3 OH spot, where we have already heard some varying reports. Is the battle for #2 between Landfair and Sigler? Or Landfair and Pierce? Is there no battle at all, and is it Murray and Landfair? So then, how does the competition work with Pierce and Sigler, or is there a plan to possibly try and redshirt Teraya?

Again, it's possible, but it's tough to convince the national player of the year to redshirt, I would think (again, all just our talk). Mac’s thoughts on the OH Room are: “My immediate question would be if Coach would redshirt Teraya. I go back and forth on that. But, if she could beat out Landfair, Sigler would definitely have the spot, and no redshirt would be needed. I worry about reps for Pierce because I don’t see her getting on the court as an OH, barring injury.”

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Question 3: What Does The Leadership Look Like?

As the season draws closer and people dive deeper into the 2025 Nebraska Volleyball squad, you know words like "leadership" and "chemistry" will begin to be thrown around, just like they are every season for every team in America.  But what will "leadership" look like for this squad in 2025?  They lost two of the strongest leaders (Rodriquez and Beason) we have seen in a while.  The duo helped protect the younger stars from quite a bit of "outside noise" and helped foster a positive locker room culture that helped the talented roster focus on volleyball and winning while they handled much of the "other stuff."

It will be interesting to see who steps into that role this season.  Rebekah Allick seems like a natural leader for this team and one who addresses the media on behalf of the team firmly and confidently.  Andi Jackson could also find more of a leadership role, as she brings a lot of POSITIVE energy to the court and program.  She plays a significant role on the court and seems to be able to get her teammate's attention when needed.  Harper Murray will be the natural player being asked to take most media interviews, but does she want all that attention?  Would she prefer to be out of the spotlight and let someone else take some of the pressure? Or in her Junior season, is she ready to do all of those things now?  Maybe someone who has been more reserved in the past but is respected by her team takes on a quiet role as a leader like Bergen Reilly, where she may not talk often, but when she does, it is heard and followed.  

Teams often discuss having an "all of us our leaders" approach, but inside a locker room, there is a clear understanding of who leads.  On great teams that leader is a great leader, on teams that underachieve that leader is often not the one who should be leading, determining that "unspoken title" could be one of the more important decisions of the Spring/Summer in Lincoln.

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Question 4: Who Replaces Beason on the Right?

Though her stats may have been down last year, we often talked about how much we thought of Merrit Beason as a leader and what she gave to the Huskers during her two years in Lincoln. Her being gone leaves a bigger hole on the roster than most assume. How will it be filled? The natural question is to say, “Freshman Ryan Hunter,” but no one is sure where that knee is, and I don’t care who you are; not just anyone steps in and starts day 1 at Nebraska. It isn’t for everyone, so I’m guessing the staff would like a more veteran option and Hunter as an insurance policy IF the knee is ready. Then you still need to see how she plays at this big-time level, which we forget not everyone walks in and contributes (it takes a year sometimes). Here is Mac again on the Beason replacement: “Could this be a spot for Pierce? Also, I don’t know how well Landfair hits from the right, but passing isn’t her strength, so that could be a good move?”

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Question 5: Is the Roster Complete

Mac and I both said after DBK took the job that very rarely does EVERYTHING stay completely the same, and with new coaches, there are always just little things that athletes don’t agree with or vice versa. Will that happen in the Spring, or will they look to bring in more depth? The roster is currently only at 13, so they have more room. Mac’s take on possible roster moves: “On the right side, this is where I could see Coach grabbing someone; they have the room to grab a true right side. We know plenty of athletes would love to come play for her.” We have also heard rumors of possible May transfers, so there will be talent that top teams are always looking to upgrade. So you would have to think if the speculated pin came in the portal late or if the Huskers could upgrade with a true one, they would try.