UCLA women’s volleyball (14-10, 8-6 Big Ten) will take on No. 1 Nebraska (24-0, 14-0) at Pauley Pavilion Friday. The Cornhuskers are currently undefeated this season – the second time across the program’s 50-year history. Meanwhile, the Bruins are trying to stay afloat with six matches left in the season. Sports staff writer Chloe Agas digs into a formidable Husker force.
Nebraska
Coach: Dani Busboom Kelly
Starting Lineup: S Bergen Reilly, MB Rebekah Allick, L Laney Choboy, OPP Virginia Adriano, OH Teraya Sigler, OH Taylor Landfair, MB Andi Jackson, OH Harper Murray
Strength: Versatility
X-Factor: OH Harper Murray, S Bergen Reilly
Setting the record straight
The Huskers are no joke.
After setting the world record for attendance at a D1 women’s college volleyball event two years ago – with 92,003 spectators filling Memorial Stadium in an exhibition match against Omaha – Nebraska hasn’t just filled seats, it’s also built a dynasty on the court.
The Huskers have lost only six sets across 24 games, and they captured their 15th consecutive sweep with a straight-set victory against Minnesota on Nov. 8.
The offensive attack averages around 15 kills per set in comparison to its opponents’ nine kills per set and has a .915 assist-to-kill conversion rate.
The numbers don’t falter on the defense end either.
The squad averages 13.63 digs and 2.72 blocks per set, trumping its opponents’ 10.01 digs and 1.58 blocks per set.
Numbers like these show that the Huskers dominate both ends of the court.
Digging deep
You can’t attack without a pass to set the play in motion in volleyball.
And the Huskers’ starting lineup features the No. 1 libero recruit from the 2022 class.
Libero Laney Choboy anchors Nebraska’s back row, tallying 216 digs this season. She recently earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 5.83 digs per set across back-to-back matches against Illinois on Nov. 6 – where she posted a season-high 20 digs – and Minnesota on Nov. 8. The Raleigh, North Carolina, local averages 2.84 digs per set and has committed just 26 reception errors. Choboy also demonstrates offensive versatility with her 70 assists this season.
If the Bruins want to get past the Huskers’ defense, they’ll have to first break through a back row that rarely cracks.
The block party
Nebraska’s defense starts – and often ends – when Rebekah Allick is at the net.
The Huskers accumulated 212.5 total blocks across 24 matches, and Allick boasts 14 of the squad’s solo blocks in 2025.
But the middle blocker is much more than just a defensive weapon.
The middle blocker has posted 90 blocks and averages 1.322 stuffs per set this season. She has also notched 169 kills on a .427 hitting percentage, the highest clip in her four-year tenure in Lincoln, Nebraska. Allick posted a .714 clip with 10 kills in Nebraska’s last match against Minnesota.
Middle blocker Andi Jackson has posted 197 kills on a .449 clip, along with 7 solo blocks and 77 block assists this year. Jackson also earned the title of Big Ten Player of the Week, when she averaged four kills per set against Illinois and Minnesota on a combined .733 clip.
But there’s one more pillar to the defense.
With 10 solo blocks and 37 block assists, outside hitter Harper Murray – a former No. 1 recruit – continues to showcase her two-way range.
Murray has also accumulated 264 kills – the most on Dani Busboom Kelly’s roster – averaging 3.57 kills per set on a .305 hitting percentage. She’s also added 25 service aces and 169 digs, demonstrating her ability to contribute everywhere on the court.
Not only will the Bruins have to defend against a versatile Husker attack, they also have to contain the Huskers’ two primary weapons – their middle blockers.
At the net
There are three more offensive hitters that round out the Huskers’ starting rotation – two of whom are freshmen. Opposite hitter Virginia Adriano, along with outside hitters Teraya Sigler and Taylor Landfair, who bolster a front row that sets the tone at the net. The trio has combined for 338 kills and 79 blocks this season.
Every point follows a rhythm on the court, but the connection keeps the foundation intact – and a team can’t forge offensive connections without a setter.
Setter Bergen Reilly is the core of the offense, boasting 739 out of the Huskers’ 1,047 assists. Reilly averages 10.26 assists per set and orchestrates an offense that converts 91% of its kills off of sets. Reilly’s fingertips have been foundational to the Huskers’ .348 team clip.
The Bruins will need to decipher her pace and disrupt her command at the net if they hope to limit a formidable Husker attack.
Match point
One thing has been clear this season – everyone loses to Nebraska.
Each Husker rotation leaves little room for their opponents to strike. The Huskers aren’t just playing against the best – they are the best – and consistency is their greatest weapon on court.
That’s what the Bruins lack – consistency.
The Bruins have faltered in the 20s time and time again. Even in their closest five-set contests, the same pattern emerges from coach Alfee Reft’s squad: an inability to close out sets when it matters the most.
If the Bruins even want to stand a chance at Pauley Pavilion Friday, they must find a rhythm on their side of the net to keep up with the nation’s No. 1 team.
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