PREVIEW
• The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team hosts an NCAA Regional for the third straight year at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this weekend. 
• On Friday, No. 9 Louisville will meet No. 6 Texas A&M in the first regional semifinal of the day at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. 
• No. 1 Nebraska will face No. 16 Kansas 30 minutes following the conclusion of that match. It will also be televised on ESPN2. 
• Courtney Lyle and Holly McPeak will be on the call for both matches with Madison Fitzpatrick as the sideline reporter. 
• Friday’s winners will meet in the NCAA Regional Final on Sunday. The start time and TV network is to be determined. 
• Huskers Radio Network will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will be on the call. 

ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska (32-0) finished the regular season unbeaten for the third time in school history (1994 and 2000), dropping only seven sets overall and one in Big Ten play. 
• Nebraska’s 32 straight wins is tied for the second-longest win streak in school history in the NCAA era. The Huskers also hold a nation-leading home court win streak of 62 matches, the third-longest home win streak in program history. Nebraska has won 28 consecutive NCAA Tournament matches played in the Devaney Center, a school record. 
• Nebraska has had win streaks of 25 or more matches in three straight seasons: 27 in 2023, 25 in 2024 and now 32 in 2025. 
• The Huskers won their third straight Big Ten title with a perfect 20-0 record in conference play. It was the Huskers’ first unbeaten conference season since 2004 in the Big 12.
• Nebraska has now won 37 conference titles all-time, including six in the Big Ten (2011, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025). 
• The Huskers have won three straight conference titles for the first time since 2004-08. 
• Dani Busboom Kelly became the first volleyball coach in Big Ten history to win the conference title in their first year as head coach at the school. John Cook won a Big Ten title at Nebraska in his first year in the conference in 2011, but it was his 12th season as head coach at Nebraska at the time.
• Nebraska has hit over .400 eight times this season, which ties the 2005 team for most times hitting over .400 in a season in the rally-scoring era. 
• Nebraska is 92-0 this season in sets when reaching the red zone (20 points) first.
• The Huskers have won 45 consecutive sets at home. On the season, Nebraska has a 51-1 set record at home.
• NU’s offense ranks first nationally with a .353 hitting percentage. The Huskers haven’t hit better than .300 in a season since 2007 (.327). The school record for hitting percentage in a season is .331 in 1986. 
• The Huskers rank first nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .124. NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in 2022 and 2023 and was sixth in 2024.
• The gap between Nebraska’s hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage is .229, by far the best in the nation. The next closest are American (.149), Wisconsin (.147) and Pittsburgh (.146). 
• Nebraska ranks fourth nationally in kills per set at 14.72.
• The Huskers are seventh nationally in assists per set at 13.50. 
• Nebraska ranks 16th nationally with 2.72 blocks per set. 
• Over the last five seasons (2021-25), Dani Busboom Kelly has a 152-15 record for a .911 winning percentage, which is the best by any Division I head coach in that span. 
• Nebraska swept 15 matches in a row and won 48 sets in a row from late September through mid-November. Both were the longest such streaks since the 2007 team swept 17 matches in a row and won 53 sets in a row. 
• Nebraska played 24 sets in the month of October and went 24-0. In only two sets did an opponent reach 20 points (at Purdue – 23 in set one, and at Michigan State – 20 in set three).   
• Nebraska’s non-conference schedule included matches against three top-10 teams and five ranked teams. The Huskers went 3-0 against top-10 teams and 5-0 against ranked teams. Overall, NU is 12-0 against ranked teams this season.   

NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
• With the 3-0 win over Kansas State in the second round, Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Regional for the 14th consecutive season and for the 41st time in program history. The Huskers’ 41 regional appearances are the most in NCAA history, while Nebraska’s 14 consecutive regional appearances rank second nationally.
• Nebraska is 136-38 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.782).
• Nebraska improved to 31-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament Second Round matches.
• The Huskers improved to 89-7 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 34-2 record at the Devaney Center.
• Nebraska has won 28 consecutive home matches in the NCAA Tournament, a school record.
• Nebraska took a 2-0 lead in the Kansas State match, and the Huskers are now 105-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead.

ROTATION RUNDOWN
• Junior setter Bergen Reilly orchestrates the balanced Husker attack with 10.42 assists per set and is an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist. Reilly was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Setter of the Year, as well as All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region for the third time. 
• Behind Reilly’s setting, the Huskers are on pace for a single-season school record with a .353 team hitting percentage, which ranks first nationally and is the best hitting percentage by a Big Ten team since 2009 Penn State.
• Reilly has set Nebraska to a .400 or better hitting percentage eight times this season, tied with the 2005 team for the most in the rally-scoring era. 
• A standout defensive player, Reilly is a huge reason the Huskers rank first nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.124). She is second on the team in digs (2.72 per set) and has 62 blocks.
• Reilly has double-doubles in all five of the Husker matches that have gone longer than three sets, and she has four double-doubles in sweeps. She also has 67 kills on a .387 attack percentage and has 17 aces.
• Of Reilly’s top five attacking options, all five average at least 2.09 kills per set, and all five are having career-best years hitting at least .284 or better. 
• A two-time Big Ten Setter of the Year and AVCA All-American, Reilly has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week four times this season and 13 times in her career.  
• Reilly ranks No. 3 in school history in career assists in the rally-scoring era with 3,635.
• Reilly’s career assists per set average of 10.66 ranks No. 4 among active Division I players and No. 2 in school history in the rally-scoring era.
• Outside hitter Harper Murray is having a sensational junior season. The two-time AVCA All-American leads the balanced Huskers with career highs of 3.51 kills per set and a .299 hitting percentage. She earned All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region honors for the third time. 
• Murray averages 2.14 digs per set and has a team-high 30 aces along with 58 blocks for a team-leading 4.16 points per set, and she is an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist.
• Murray is one of the best passers in the nation at her position, passing a 2.50 during the regular season. 
• A Big Ten Player of the Week honoree this season, Murray has 1,149 career kills, which ranks 21st in school history. She needs one more to move into the top 20 all-time at NU. 
• Murray is seventh in school history in the rally-scoring era in career aces with 105 and with three more can move into a tie for sixth. 
• Junior middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.79 kills per set on .483 hitting with 1.14 blocks per set and is an AVCA Player of the Year Semifinalist. Jackson was chosen to the All-Big Ten First Team for the second time and AVCA All-Region Team for the third time. 
• Jackson’s .483 hitting percentage leads the nation and ranks as the best single-season hitting percentage in school history.
• Only nine times has an NCAA Division I player hit better than .483 in a season in the rally-scoring era. 
• In conference-only matches, Jackson hit .559 to break the Big Ten record for hitting percentage in conference-only matches in a season, which was .541 by Arielle Wilson from Penn State in 2008.
• The reigning AVCA All-American has a career hitting percentage of .441, which is the No. 1 mark in school history and the No. 1 mark among active Division I players.
• Jackson has 375 career blocks and with three more will crack the top 10 in school history in the rally-scoring era.  
• Jackson earned Big Ten Player of the Week, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and AVCA First Serve Match MVP honors this season.
• Senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick is having the best season of her standout career with 2.53 kills per set on .437 hitting with a team-high 1.30 blocks per set. She earned All-Big Ten First Team accolades for the first time and AVCA All-Region for the third time.
• Allick’s .437 hitting percentage ranks as the No. 5 single-season mark in the rally-scoring era in school history, as well as the No. 8 mark in the country this season. 
• Allick ranks No. 5 in career blocks at Nebraska in the rally-scoring era with 536, which also ranks No. 5 among active Division I players.
• Allick has been named AVCA National Player of the Week, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and to the AVCA All-First Serve Team.
• Allick was on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List at the midway point of the season. 
• Senior outside hitter Taylor Landfair averages 2.09 kills per set and is hitting a career-best .316 and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and received AVCA All-Region honorable mention. 
• In Big Ten play, Landfair’s numbers were even better at 2.08 kills per set with a .355 hitting percentage.
• A 2022 AVCA All-American, Landfair has played in 151 career matches, the most by any active DI player.
• Landfair has 1,517 career kills, which ranks 20th among active Division I players.
• Junior libero Laney Choboy leads the Huskers in digs at 2.73 per set and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and AVCA All-Region Team.
• Choboy was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 10 after a career-high 20 digs against Illinois and 15 digs at Minnesota. 
• Choboy was also on the AVCA All-First Serve Team in August after 16 digs against Pittsburgh.
• Freshman opposite hitter Virginia Adriano was chosen to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, averaging 2.20 kills per set with a .284 hitting percentage in her first season playing volleyball in America. 
• Adriano also contributes 0.66 blocks per set and has 14 service aces on the year.
• In Big Ten play, Adriano came on strong with 2.34 kills per set on .318 hitting.
• Adriano was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and received AVCA All-Region honorable mention.
• Sophomore libero Olivia Mauch ranks third on the team in digs per set at 2.56 and is second with 18 aces on 372 serve attempts, also second most on the team.
• Mauch recorded a career-high 16 digs with seven set assists and one ace in a 3-2 win at No. 18 Creighton.
• Mauch led Nebraska’s back row in passing during the regular season at 2.77.

SCOUTING KANSAS
• No. 16 Kansas is 24-10 (13-5 Big 12) in Matt Ulmer’s first year as head coach at the school. Ulmer was previously the head coach at Oregon for eight seasons, compiling a 166-77 record.  
• Reese Ptacek and Jovana Zelenovic were All-Big 12 First Team selections this year. 
• A sophomore middle blocker, Ptacek averages 2.54 kills per set on .317 hitting with 27 aces and 1.06 blocks per set. Zelenovic, a freshman opposite hitter, adds 2.88 kills per set on .284 hitting with 46 aces and 0.96 blocks per set. 

SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
• No. 9 Louisville is 26-6 (16-4 ACC) under first-year head coach Dan Meske, who assumed the helm after Dani Busboom Kelly became the Huskers’ new coach. Meske was an assistant coach at Nebraska from 2010-14. 
• Junior outside hitter Chloe Chicoine leads the Cardinals with 3.25 kills per set and adds 2.79 digs per set. Senior middle blocker Cara Cresse contributes 2.49 kills per set on .350 hitting with 1.45 blocks per set. Setter Nayelis Cabello  (10.44 assists per set) was an All-ACC First Team selection along with Chicoine and Cresse. 
• Opposite hitter Kalyssa Blackshear was the ACC Freshman of the Year, averaging 2.83 kills per set and hitting .302. 

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
• No. 6 Texas A&M (25-4, 14-1 SEC) is back in Lincoln for an NCAA Regional for the second year in a row under third-year head coach Jamie Morrison. The Aggies were at the Devaney Center in 2024, falling in five sets to Wisconsin in the regional semifinal. 
• A&M is led by senior opposite hitter Logan Lednicky’s 4.06 kills per set on .319 hitting. The reigning AVCA All-American is a four-time All-SEC honoree. 
• Senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla is averaging 2.09 kills per set on .427 hitting with 1.67 blocks per set, which ranks third nationally. Cos-Okpalla received All-SEC First Team honors for the second straight season.
• Setter Maddie Waak leads the nation in assists at 11.49 per set and was an All-SEC honoree. 

SERIES HISTORY
• Nebraska is 88-0-1 against Kansas. The teams last met on Dec. 2, 2022, a 3-1 Husker win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska played KU in a spring scrimmage at the Devaney Center on April 26. The teams experimented with different lineups throughout the scrimmage with NU ultimately prevailing in all four sets.  
• Nebraska is 6-1 against Louisville and won the last matchup on Sept. 22, 2024 – 25-16, 25-17, 25-20 in Louisville. 
• Nebraska is 32-7 against Texas A&M but the last meeting was Nov. 27, 2010 when both teams were members of the Big 12. NU is has won three in a row in the series and 22 of the last 23. 

REILLY, BUSBOOM KELLY HEADLINE REGION HONORS
• Nebraska junior setter Bergen Reilly was named AVCA West Region Player of the Year, and Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly earned AVCA West Region Coach of the Year to highlight the AVCA All-Region awards.
• Reilly was one of five Huskers on the AVCA West All-Region Team. Joining her were Rebekah Allick, Laney Choboy, Andi Jackson and Harper Murray.
• Virginia Adriano and Taylor Landfair both received honorable mention. 
• Reilly is the fourth Husker overall and third in a row to be named AVCA Region Player of the Year, joining Kelly Hunter (2017), Merritt Beason (2023) and Lexi Rodriguez (2024). 
• Busboom Kelly earned her fifth career AVCA Region Coach of the Year accolade (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 at Louisville). In her first year as head coach at Nebraska, Busboom Kelly made history with a 30-0 regular-season record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten play. She was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year after becoming the first coach to win a Big Ten volleyball conference title in the first year as head coach at the school. 
• Jackson, Murray and Reilly have been named to the AVCA All-Region Team each of the past three years. Allick earned her third career selection, while Choboy was named to the team for the first time. 

HUSKERS HAUL IN BIG TEN POSTSEASON HONORS
• After completing the Big Ten’s first 20-0 campaign since 2009, the Nebraska volleyball program was well represented in the Big Ten Volleyball Postseason Honors.
• Junior setter Bergen Reilly was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Setter of the Year. Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year by both the coaches and media. 
• Reilly was joined on the All-Big Ten First Team by Rebekah Allick, Andi Jackson and Harper Murray. Jackson, Murray and Reilly were three of nine unanimous selections.
• Laney Choboy and Taylor Landfair were selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Virginia Adriano was named to the All-Freshman Team, and Maisie Boesiger earned a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. 
• Reilly became the first setter to win Big Ten Player of the Year since Samantha Seliger-Swenson in 2018. She is Nebraska’s second-ever Big Ten Player of the Year (Kelsey Robinson, 2013) and the first Husker setter to earn conference player of the year since Greichaly Cepero in 2002. Reilly also became the second player in Big Ten history to be named Big Ten Setter of the Year three times (Sydney Hilley, Wisconsin). 
• In her first year as head coach at Nebraska, Busboom Kelly made history with a 30-0 regular-season record and 20-0 mark in Big Ten play. She was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year after becoming the first coach to win a Big Ten volleyball conference title in the first year as head coach at the school. Busboom Kelly has won four conference coach of the year honors in the last six years, as she was a three-time ACC Coach of the Year at Louisville (2020, 2021, 2022). Busboom Kelly has had two undefeated regular seasons in her nine-year coaching career (2021 at Louisville).
• Reilly and Murray are three-time All-Big Ten First Team selections. Jackson earned her third career All-Big Ten honor and second selection to the first team. Allick earned her third career All-Big Ten honor, but her first selection to the first team.
• Landfair is a four-time All-Big Ten honoree, while Choboy was named All-Big Ten for the first time in her career. 

HOME SWEET HOME
• Nebraska has won 62 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is the longest active streak in the nation. It is the sixth-longest streak in NCAA history. 
• The Huskers’ home court win streak is its longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013, and it’s the third-longest home court win streak in program history. 
• Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 90 matches from 2004-09. Nebraska’s second-longest home win streak is 63 matches from 1999-2002. 
• Penn State holds the all-time record of 94 from 2006-10. 
• The Huskers went 22-0 at home in 2024, a school record for home wins in a season. 
• Nebraska has won 28 consecutive NCAA Tournament matches played in the Devaney Center, a school record. 

THREE HUSKERS ARE AVCA POTY SEMIFINALISTS
• Three Huskers are among the remaining 14 players eligible to be named AVCA Player of the Year. Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were all named semifinalists. 
• Jackson, a middle blocker, and Reilly, a setter, are the only players at their respective positions still in contention. 
• Finalists will be announced on Dec. 15, and the Player of the Year Award will be presented in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday, Dec. 19.

BIG RED WINS BIG TEN DISCOVER CHALLENGE
• The Nebraska volleyball team collected the first-ever Big Ten Discover Challenge trophy in the month of October. 
• Five selected matches for each Big Ten team played on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in October counted toward the challenge standings. 
• Nebraska and Purdue both went 5-0, but the Huskers won the tiebreaker with a perfect 15-0 record in sets. 

BUSBOOM KELLY DEBUTS AS NEW HEAD COACH    
• Nebraska native Dani Busboom Kelly was named the fourth head coach in program history on Jan. 29, 2025 by Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen. Busboom Kelly succeeds her former coach and mentor, John Cook, who announced his retirement following the 2024 season after 25 seasons as Nebraska’s head volleyball coach. 
• A Husker national champion player and assistant coach, Busboom Kelly spent eight years (2017-24) building Louisville into a national power. The Cardinals reached two NCAA Championship matches, three NCAA Semifinals, five regional finals and won four ACC titles. 
• Busboom Kelly compiled a 203-44 (.822) record in her eight seasons at Louisville, including a 120-15 (.889) mark from 2021-24, which was the second-best winning percentage in the country during that span. In 2024, the Cardinals reached the NCAA Championship match for the second time in three seasons. 
• Busboom Kelly was the starting libero on Nebraska’s 2006 national championship team, and she was an assistant coach when the Huskers won the 2015 national championship in Omaha. She took the helm at Louisville late in 2016 after being named AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year in her final season as a Husker assistant, and she guided the Cardinals to heights the program had never experienced.  

HUSKERS WELCOME EIGHT NEWCOMERS
• Eight of the 17 players on the 2025 roster are newcomers.
• Senior opposite hitter Allie Sczech is the lone transfer the Huskers brought in for 2025. Sczech was a two-time All-Big 12 Second Team performer at Baylor, averaging 2.44 kills per set with a .273 hitting percentage in 2024. Sczech posted a career-high 21 kills and hit .463 in Baylor’s NCAA Tournament second round defeat to Dayton last year. She totaled 754 kills in three seasons at Baylor. 
• In addition to Sczech, seven freshmen have joined the fold. Campbell Flynn (6-3, Setter), Ryan Hunter (6-2, Opposite Hitter), Keri Leimbach (5-4, Libero) and Teraya Sigler (6-3, Outside Hitter) all enrolled at Nebraska in January. Virginia Adriano (6-5, Opposite Hitter), Kenna Cogill (6-4, Middle Blocker) and Manaia Ogbechie (6-3, Middle Blocker) joined the Huskers in June.

REGENTS APPROVE NAMING OF JOHN COOK ARENA
• The home of Nebraska Volleyball will now officially bear the name of one of the legendary coaches in the history of the sport, as the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the naming of John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
• Cook retired in January following a remarkable 25-year run as the Huskers’ head coach. He guided the Huskers to four national championships, 12 NCAA Semifinal appearances and 14 conference championships. Cook achieved a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all-time for a Division I volleyball coach. His record of 722-103 at Nebraska was the best winning percentage (.875) for any DI program from 2000-24.
• In addition to the naming of John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, the project also includes a bronze statue honoring Cook on the north side of the Devaney Sports Center. Nationally recognized sculpture artist and Nebraska native George Lundeen was commissioned to produce the life-size tribute to Cook and his career.
• The court inside John Cook Arena will continue to hold the name of Terry Pettit Court to recognize Cook’s predecessor and fellow Hall of Famer. Additionally, the full athletics complex will continue to be named the Bob Devaney Sports Center in honor of Nebraska Hall of Fame football coach and long-time athletic director Bob Devaney.

Landfair, Sczech Selected in MLV Draft
• Nebraska volleyball seniors Taylor Landfair and Allie Sczech were selected in the 2025 Major League Volleyball Draft on Nov. 24. 
• Landfair was the No. 28 overall pick by the Indy Ignite. One pick later at No. 29, Sczech was selected by the Omaha Supernovas. 

HUSKERS SET FOR 23 TV BROADCASTS
• Nebraska volleyball airs on television 23 times this season. The Huskers have 18 national TV appearances on Big Ten Network, FOX, FS1, ABC and ESPN.  
• Additionally, Nebraska Public Media was granted the rights to televise the Red-White Scrimmage (Aug. 9), the Alumni Match (Aug. 16), and three regular-season home matches: Grand Canyon (Sept. 13), Maryland (Sept. 27) and Northwestern (Oct. 24). 
• All matches that are televised on Nebraska Public Media are also streamed on B1G+. All home matches and Big Ten road matches not selected for TV are streamed on B1G+. 
• NU’s match at Lipscomb is available on ESPN+. 

FOUR HUSKERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• Four student-athletes from the Nebraska volleyball team were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team after a vote by the league’s 18 head coaches.  
• Juniors Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were three of just five unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. They were joined on the 20-player team by senior Rebekah Allick. 
• The coaches picked Nebraska as the top team in the preseason poll. The Huskers won their fifth Big Ten title in 2024 with a 19-1 conference record to share the crown with Penn State. Nebraska finished the season at 33-3 and reached the NCAA Semifinals. Penn State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and UCLA rounded out the top five.
• Jackson, a junior middle blocker, had a breakout year in 2024, earning AVCA All-America First Team and unanimous All-Big Ten First Team honors. Jackson averaged 2.62 kills per set with a .439 hitting percentage, which ranked sixth in the nation and fourth in school history. She also put up 1.18 blocks per set. 
• Murray, a junior outside hitter, was an AVCA Second Team All-American last year after earning third-team honors as a freshman. Murray led the Huskers in 2024 with 3.40 kills per set and a team-high 39 service aces. She is a two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection. Murray was selected to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team last season and was the NCAA Lincoln Regional Most Outstanding Player. 
• Reilly, a junior setter, is the first player in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year as both a freshman and sophomore, and she is coming off her second straight AVCA All-America Second Team honor. Reilly averaged 11.08 assists per set in 2024 while leading the Huskers to a .284 hitting percentage, their best since 2016.  
• Allick, a senior middle blocker, recorded 1.82 kills per set in 2024 with a career-best .357 hitting percentage. She had a team-high 1.43 blocks per set, which ranked third among Big Ten players and 14th nationally. Allick ranks sixth in school history with 415 career blocks entering the 2025 season. She was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2022 and 2023. 

FLYNN NAMED GATORADE NATIONAL POTY
• Freshman Campbell Flynn was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year on Jan. 10.
• Flynn, a 6-3 setter from Oakland, Mich., was a two-time Gatorade Michigan Volleyball Player of the Year. She recorded 730 assists and 180 digs in her senior season for Mercy High School, leading the Marlins to a 31-3 record and the Division I regional semifinals in 2024. Flynn also compiled 131 kills, 52 blocks and 36 service aces while posting a .394 hitting percentage at net. 
• Flynn was a member of the U.S. U21 Women’s National Team that won the gold medal at the NORCECA Championships in 2024 and was ranked as the nation’s No. 4 overall recruit and top setter recruit in the Class of 2025 by PrepDig.com. Flynn concluded her prep volleyball career, which included a state championship in 2023, with 1,973 assists and 737 kills. She also competed in the Under Armour All-America Game. Off the court, Flynn maintained a 3.94 GPA in the classroom. 
• Flynn is the sixth Husker all-time to be named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. The others are Harper Murray (2022-23), Ally Batenhorst (2020-21), Lexi Sun (2016-17), Mikaela Foecke (2014-15) and Gina Mancuso (2008-09). 

FLYNN, SIGLER EARN GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 
• In addition to being named Gatorade National Player of the Year, Campbell Flynn was named the Gatorade Michigan Volleyball Player of the Year for the second straight year, while fellow Husker newcomer Teraya Sigler was named the Gatorade Arizona Volleyball Player of the Year for the second straight time. 
• Sigler, a 6-2 outside hitter from Scottsdale, Ariz., led Horizon High School to a 25-5 record and a fourth straight Conference 5A state championship in 2024. Sigler amassed 619 kills and 354 digs, including 33 kills and 20 digs in the state championship match. She also had 65 service aces and 28 blocks while posting a .398 hitting percentage. 
• Ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 by PrepDig.com, Sigler was a member of the U.S. U21 Women’s National Team that won the gold medal at the NORCECA Championships in 2024. She concluded her prep volleyball career with 1,951 kills and 1,128 digs and competed in the Under Armour All-America Game.

2024 SEASON IN REVIEW
• Nebraska finished the 2024 season 33-3 overall and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the second year in a row and seventh time in the last 10 years.
• Nebraska won its 36th all-time conference title and fifth Big Ten title with a 19-1 record in Big Ten play last season. The Huskers went back-to-back as Big Ten champions for the second time, also accomplishing that feat in 2016 and 2017. 
• The Huskers’ 29 regular-season wins last year tied the 1983 school record for most wins in a regular season in the NCAA era. 
• The Huskers’ 33 wins last season were tied for the most victories by a Husker team since the 2000 national championship team went 34-0. 
• The Huskers ranked 11th nationally with a team hitting percentage of .284 in 2024.
• The Huskers ranked sixth nationally and first in the Big Ten in opponent hitting percentage at .143 last season. NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in 2022 and 2023. 

The study offers insights to help broadcasters and leagues connect with fans

WSC Sports has become an important partner for sports networks and leagues looking to deliver content and connect with fans on various digital and social-media platforms. In addition to its experience, it undertakes research to better understand sports fans, demographic shifts in technology use, and much more. It’s latest? The 2025 WSC Sports Fan Engagement Study. Chock-full of insights and learnings, it can be downloaded by clicking here. WSC Sports Content Executive David Gavant (a multiple Emmy Award–winning producer) sat down with SVG to explore the study and offer some deeper insights.

WSC Sports’ David Gavant: “Fans respond to timely content that feels relevant to them. When that relevance comes from an efficient workflow, personalization becomes sustainable and helps reduce churn.”

Your report says that Gen Z feels more connected to athletes than to teams. How can teams leverage that? Should they help athletes create content?
“The age of ‘we cannot do that’ is starting to crumble,” as a panelist said at our Madrid Huddle. For a long time, athlete-driven content struggled to move forward because the instinct was to control the message and keep everything tightly aligned. That mindset is shifting, and teams and leagues now see how much stronger the fan connection becomes when athletes can show more of themselves.

Teams can lean into this shift by giving athletes room to speak in their own voice and by offering tools that make content creation easier and more consistent. Gen Z gravitates toward personalities who feel close and unfiltered, so support that helps athletes share their routines, reactions, humor, and point of view goes a long way. The goal is not to script them but to remove friction and let them publish at the pace fans expect.

This works best when teams treat athletes as collaborative creators rather than marketing channels. That might mean help with filming, editing, and distribution or access to fast-turnaround tools like automated highlights or ready-to-post clips. It keeps the team visible in a landscape where fan loyalty moves quickly and personality drives attention.

Your report says fans cancel streaming services because of weak personalization. How can WSC help lower costs, and how granular should personalization get?
Personalization becomes expensive when every clip depends on manual work. Automation solves that by taking on the volume. LALIGA is a good example. In a single season, they create more than 260,000 match highlights automatically through WSC Sports’ AI-powered platform, which drives engagement without adding headcount. At our Athens Huddle, Esteban Gonzalez, 3×3 digital content senior manager, Fiba, captured the value well when he said, “I manage 50 people. Without the right tech, I’d probably need 200 because we have 150 events a year.” Automation gives organizations room to personalize at scale without overwhelming their teams.

Granularity should follow real fan behavior, not theoretical segmentation. You do not need hundreds of variations. Focus on the patterns that matter, like player affinity, storylines, and key match moments. Fans respond to timely content that feels relevant to them. When that relevance comes from an efficient workflow rather than a heavy production lift, personalization becomes sustainable and helps reduce churn.

Creators influence how younger fans follow sports. How important is it for traditional media to build relationships with them? Should those relationships be exclusive?
Traditional media gains a lot by bringing creators into their universe instead of trying to compete with them. Creators offer speed, tone, and connection that younger fans trust. When media groups invite them into studio formats, social series, or alternate broadcasts, they expand reach and add flavor that fans recognize immediately.

Exclusivity often limits the upside. Creators thrive on wide distribution, and their value comes from cultural familiarity, not containment. Thinking of them like modern distribution partners works better. When media groups build open, recurring collaborations, they create a broader pathway for engagement and keep pace with the fast-moving creator ecosystem.

The barrier to scale for alternate angles and broadcasts is collapsing. What does this shift mean for traditional linear broadcasters and streamers?
The shift takes away one of the long-standing advantages linear broadcasters relied on. When production becomes flexible and affordable at scale, the real differentiator becomes the experience built around the content. Broadcasters who move quickly can turn this moment into an advantage by offering richer feeds, more ways to watch, and formats that feel right for different groups of fans.

For streamers, this is a clear opportunity to experiment with speed. They can try new angles, voices, and storytelling styles without the old production limits. When you can offer different angles or voices, the moment something happens, fans notice. It feels modern and aligned with what they expect.

YouTube is the common ground for fans. How can a rightsholder without YouTube distribution still build presence and relationships there?
Rightsholders should aim to show up on YouTube because it is where fans of every generation spend time. When an official presence is not possible, creators become the most effective way in. They already operate at scale on the platform, they understand its pace, and they know how to speak the language of the audience. Supplying them with fast, flexible highlight packages, analysis clips, or storytelling assets keeps the rightsholder visible even without direct distribution.

There is also plenty a rightsholder can share without full match rights. Behind-the-scenes access, athlete-led moments, commentary formats, training features, and short analytical clips all travel well on YouTube. These formats help build recognition and keep fans close, especially when supported by creators who can carry the content into the wider ecosystem. The goal is to stay present in the places fans gather, even when the rights picture creates limits.

By: Tim Flynn

Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi

Friday-Saturday – hosted by UCCS – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Live Results] [RMAC Network] [Schedule]

OREDIGGERS SEND TWO TO UCCS

After opening the new indoor track & field season with a bang last weekend, Colorado School of Mines sends two competitors to this weekend’s Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi, hosted by UCCS in Colorado Springs. Nick Stade will compete in the Orediggers’ first multi of the season, while Jennifer Jarnagin looks to build on a strong season opener in the weight throw. 

LIVE COVERAGE

This weekend’s meet will stream live on the RMAC Network, with live timing from RapidResults. Starting this year, the RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for all events. Fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network; for track & field, there is also a day-pass option to view multiple event streams in the same day. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game/day passes are available for $10, which grants access for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.

WHAT TO WATCH

Jennifer Jarnagin will kick off the weekend at UCCS, competing in the women’s weight throw Friday at 10:30 a.m. Jarnagin, the defending RMAC champion, opened her senior season last weekend at the Mines Alumni Classic with an impressive series of throws topped by an 18.75m mark, less than a quarter-meter off her career best (18.99m) and the fifth-best performance overall in program history. Nick Stade, the 2025 RMAC heptathlon champion, competed in three events last week highlighted by a personal-best 11.56m shot put performance; he also vaulted 4.50m and hurdled in 8.68 seconds. Stade, who holds a career-best heptathlon of 5,123 points, starts the competition Friday at noon and continues Saturday at 10 a.m.

LAST WEEK REWIND

Mines had a terrific start to the season at two meets last weekend, starting in Golden where freshman Violet Williams smashed the program long jump record (6.21m) and Tim Thompson broke the Steinhauer Fieldhouse 800m mark (1:51.25). On Friday, Alejandro Philippart won the men’s long jump at 7.38m in his debut, and Franklin Rambo took the men’s shot put with a 16.58m start. On Saturday, Jathan Busby became Mines’ fastest man indoors with a new program record 6.78 in the 60m dash, Jarnagin won the women’s weight throw and Imani Fernandez-Gorbea was first in the women’s 800m. 

Mines’ distance runners had a fantastic meet at Boston University’s Sharon Coyear-Danville Season Opener, with the women’s 5,000m group running five of the top eight all-time performances in Mines history. Emily LaMena’ 15:57 made her the #5 all-time performer in D-II history ahead of Grace Strongman, whose 16:06 put her at #9 in divisional history; Margaux Basart, Sierra Wall, and Lexi Herr also ran Mines all-time top-10 and NCAA provisional times. Paul Knight, Dawson Gunn, and Ethan Grolnic all made NCAA provisional cuts in the men’s 5K while Brock Drengenberg’s 4:03.57 is the early leader for the top mile time in the country this season.

LONG JUMPERS EARN RMAC ACCOLADES

For their performances at the Mines Alumni Classic, Violet Williams and Alejandro Philippart were named the RMAC Field Athletes of the Week on Wednesday. Williams smashed the Mines record with her mark of 6.21m (20-4.5), the best in the RMAC since 2021 and second on the national list after the opening weekend. Philippart turned in Mines’ best long jump mark in a decade – 7.38m (24-2.5) – to take the early RMAC lead and tie for third on the NCAA Division II national performance list.

OREDIGGERS DOMINATE EARLY NATIONAL PERFORMANCE LIST

Opening weekend saw Orediggers set 16 NCAA provisional performances including a dozen that sit in the NCAA Division II top-10. Brock Drengenberg’s mile currently leads the nation in the mile, Tim Thompson (800m), Violet Williams (LJ), Emily LaMena (5K) rank #2 in their events, while Alejandro Philippart (LJ) and Grace Strongman (5K) are #3, with Liam Currie fifth in the 800m as well. 

XC CLEANS UP POSTSEASON AWARDS

The RMAC announced its postseason cross country awards on Wednesday and Mines picked up three major awards, with Sierra Wall and Cody Wyman earning the Freshmen of the Year honors and Chris Siemers the RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year. They added to already-announced awards for Grace Strongman and Paul Knight – the RMAC Runners of the Meet after earning individual RMAC titles – and RMAC Summit Award winner Margaux Basart.

A HISTORIC FALL SEASON

The 2025 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships are still fresh on the Orediggers’ minds after two team podium finishes and nine all-American performances on Nov. 22 in Wisconsin. The Mines women had a historic finish placing second overall – their best ever showing – led by Grace Strongman’s second-place run, with Emily LaMena and Lexi Herr adding top-10 performances and Sierra Wall and Margaux Basart also finishing in the top 35. The men placed third – their 10th consecutive top-three trophy – led by Paul Knight’s fourth-place finish, with Dawson Gunn, Ethan Grolnic, and Max Bonenberger also earning all-America spots.

THE CHAMPS ARE HERE

It’s been a tremendous last few years for the Mines women’s track & field and cross country programs, and that reached a new level in October when the Orediggers won the RMAC women’s cross country championship for the first time. With the title, Colorado School of Mines became the first institution in the RMAC to win conference championships in every sport it sponsors. In addition to the XC win, this decade, the women have won RMAC indoor track & field titles in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and won their first-ever outdoor crown in 2024 as well. 

RECORD SETTERS

Mines head into the new season with a strong group of active program recordholders returning for 2025-26, and added to that group last week with new marks by Violet Williams in the long jump and Jathan Busby in the 60m dash. Returning for the men, Jonah Fallon (400m) and Franklin Rambo (shot put) set new individual marks last year, while every piece of the 4×400 relay (Liam Currie, Logan Meade, Tim Thompson, and Fallon) plus three of four legs of the distance medley relay (Drengenberg, Fallon, and Thompson) return from last year’s record-setting groups. The women welcome back Margaux Basart (3,000m) and Avery Wright (60m hurdles and pentathlon) as individual recordholders, while Grace Galvin is also a member of Mines’ record-holding 4×400 and distance medley relays, joined by Imani Fernandez-Gorbea on the DMR.

LOOKING AHEAD

Mines will break for finals and the holidays before returning Jan. 16-17 at the Potts Invitational in Boulder.

 

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Volleyball head coach Charita Stubbs has hired Jhenna Gabriel as an assistant coach. Gabriel will be the setters coach for the Wildcats and comes to Arizona after three years on staff at Missouri as a technical coordinator and assistant coach.
 
“I am excited to welcome Jhenna to Arizona to round out our coaching staff,” head coach Charita Stubbs said. “She is a true competitor in every sense of the word and will make our program better with her experience of playing at a very high level. Jhenna began her coaching career at a high level and she will bring a wealth of knowledge about the game and a good heart to elevate our program and player development.”
 
During her three years at Mizzou, Gabriel was a member of the staff that led the Tigers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. Prior to the 2025 season, Gabriel was promoted to assistant coach and helped Mizzou to a 17-win season in 2025.
 
Gabriel played collegiately at Texas from 2018-21 and at UNLV in 2022. At Texas, she led the Longhorns to a runner-up finish in the 2020 NCAA National Championship and was named third-team AVCA All-America and the Big 12 Setter of the Year in 2020. During her season at UNLV, Gabriel was named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year and led the Rebels to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Following her collegiate career, Gabriel played professionally for Leonas de Ponce in Puerto Rico and the San Diego Mojo.
 
A native of Honolulu, Hawai’i, Gabriel graduated from the University of Texas with her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations in 2021 and completed her master’s in Sport Management in 2022.
 

AUSTIN (KXAN) – As Texas volleyball gets set for a busy weekend hosting the regional semifinals and final at Gregory Gymnasium, the future takes the spotlight as much as the present.

The University of Texas issued a request for proposal (RFP) Wednesday as they look for private developers to help them create the new home for Texas volleyball and a student-athlete housing facility adjacent to the arena.

In a release, the university explained the aim is to have the arena hold around 6,000 fans, with some ability to change that number for shows and university events. The project, which will be located just north of East MLK Boulevard, is set to take up about four acres.

The request does not set a date for when the facility would begin construction, as the university currently seeks, “private developer(s) to plan, design, construct, equip, finance and operate,” the new arena and housing development. Essentially seeking partnership in developing the two buildings, the announcement delivers a message on Texas Athletics’ growing ambition to expand its facilities.

“It is important for us to be strategic about how we use our space and how our students and visitors engage with our campus,” UT President Jim Davis said. “This is a unique development that will enhance the University’s athletics facilities and housing portfolio and benefit students, Longhorn fans and our city for years to come. I am grateful to our Board of Regents for their support for our vision.”

Any initial arguments for a greater fan capacity was supported early this season when the Longhorns hosted Stanford in Moody Center in September. Setting a state of Texas volleyball attendance record of 10,899 fans, the Longhorns certainly made a case for why they deserve more space for their matches.

Texas volleyball currently resides in Gregory Gymnasium, which can officially hold a capacity of 4,000 fans, but can accommodate more if necessary. Regularly attracting a large crowd, Texas averaged 4,393 fans per match in 2024, according to UT Athletics.

“This is a critical step for the future of Texas Volleyball and our student-athletes’ housing experience,” Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said. “It is about creating an experience that our student-athletes, coaches and passionate fans will be proud of in the heart of a district built for elite talent and entertainment.”

The university’s proposal for the new facility will certainly create a new experience for the Longhorns. According to renderings released by the University via X, the arena will resemble the design of the Moody Center, have an upper bowl and a jumbotron over the center of the court.

Dedicating this arena is yet another indicator of the growing influence of women’s volleyball. A sport that continues to gain popularity, this step by Texas Athletics not only shows the team’s commitment to providing its athletes some of the nation’s best facilities, but to the growth of the sport as well.