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Past, Present and Future of Nebraska Volleyball Converge in 2025 Alumni Match

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The past, present and future of Nebraska volleyball converged on Terry Pettit Court during the program’s Alumni Match on Saturday night.

The current squad took down the collection of former Huskers 3-1 in front of a sold-out Devaney Center crowd, with all 17 players seeing the court once again.

“I thought it was great, and pretty much everything we had hoped for,” Dani Busboom Kelly said. “The alum were excited to play, they played great, and then we got tested and kind of felt some pressure, which was amazing going into next week. We got to see a lot of different players too, step up in that pressure, and I think it really helped us figure out who we’re going to start and what realistic changes we can make.

“I think it made me a lot more comfortable going into next weekend, so big thank you to the alums for showing up and playing great.”

The Huskers took the match 25-21, 25-14, 17-25, 25-22 behind strong offensive showings from Harper Murray (12 kills on .476 hitting) and Andi Jackson (11 kills on .389 hitting). Bergen Reilly started three sets and played in all four, totaling 37 assists, eight digs and two blocks. Laney Choboy played the first two sets at libero and finished with five digs and an ace while Olivia Mauch donned the black jersey for the last two sets and recorded a team-best nine digs.

Busboom Kelly said the usual suspects impressed her in the face of the aforementioned pressure, highlighting three juniors.

“I thought Harper played great and was a huge voice,” Busboom Kelly said. “I thought Bergen had an awesome match, and you can really just feel the team steadied when she was in there. I thought Laney, sometimes her play is not super, super smooth, but her presence just helps us a ton.”

Other standouts included Virginia Adriano, who started the first two sets at opposite hitter and finished with six kills on 10 errorless swings and two blocks, and Manaia Ogbechie, who started the last two sets and totaled six kills on nine attacks and three blocks.

On the other side of the net, Ally Batenhorst (13 kills on .242 hitting) and Lindsay Krause (12 kills on .474 hitting) led the alumni, while assistant coach Kelly Natter got the chance to show her players what she’s capable of, amassing 46 assists and six digs.

“In practice, we’ll chirp each other because sometimes Kelly will step in, and we always heckle her a little bit on the other side of the net, just because she’s our coach now, and you do — not necessarily forget, but she was such a great player here, and now she’s a coach, so you just get used to seeing her in her coach form, not her player form,” Jackson said. “So getting to play against her and actually see her in her element, she was doing really well. I was really impressed with her. She was flowing and running a great offense, so she was great.”

Before the match, Nebraska recycled old player intro videos for the alumni, and the Devaney Center crowd gave them each a warm welcome. Busboom Kelly said she felt immense pride watching it play out — and even said she was going to train so she can play in next year’s match.

“It was great,” Busboom Kelly said. “I got a little bit teary-eyed just seeing all those alums come back and I know they were excited to get the standing ovations and get that feeling back. Some of them haven’t played in years, and that was really fun to see them out here. Some of them I recruited really hard and didn’t get to finish out their careers as their assistant, so it was just really great to get to connect with them again.

“I think it’s really important for our players to get that feeling too, that when you leave, this place is still really special and once a Husker, always a Husker. They saw that truer than ever tonight.”

The first set saw 13 ties as the Alumni jumped ahead early. Both teams hit for a high clip, but the current Huskers settled in late and surged ahead, taking their first lead at 20-19 and closing the match on a 7-2 run overall.

On game point, Choboy made a diving dig that led to a Taylor Landfair winner, closing out the first frame in style. The Huskers hit .467 with Murray terminating on six of her eight swings. The Alumni hit .375.

The second set saw three ties and two lead changes, all in the first nine points. After that, it was all 2025 Nebraska as the Huskers used a 7-0 run with Murray at the service line to take control.

With the Huskers up 15-8 midway through the set, Busboom Kelly began substituting liberally, sending in most of the reserves over the back half of the set. Despite the rotation, the Huskers didn’t miss a beat, cruising to the 11-point win.

Nebraska hit .440 while holding the Alumni Team to .071, a big defensive improvement from the first set. Jackson led the way with four kills on five attacks.

Busboom Kelly continued the youth movement in set three, but the Alumni locked in and fought back, flipping the script to extend the watch with a dominant showing. They opened the set with a 4-0 run and stretched the lead as high as 10, out-hitting the younger Huskers .350 to .065.

Busboom Kelly went to a mix of starters and reserves to start the fourth set. The Alumni continued to roll, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. After the Huskers pulled within one, the veterans fired off a 5-0 run to stretch it back out.

However, Jackson sparked a comeback from that point, not at the net but from the service line. She served back-to-back aces during a 7-1 Husker run to tie it at 15-all then another during a 4-1 finish to the match.

“I think it’s every middle’s goal to serve, so it’s really exciting to be in this position,” Jackson said. “I’ve worked really hard on it, and this summer, I really have worked on new techniques, Coach Brennan [Hagar] and I, we just tried a few different things, and I think what I’m doing right now is most consistent for me. So just keep working at that, and then hopefully continue to grow from there.”

Allie Sczech closed out the match with a solo stuff on Husker legend Larson. Murray led the way with five more kills after sitting the whole third set. The current squad hit .250 and led the veterans to .135.

The alumni match took some work to put together, but those that returned to compete hope to see it become a fixture of Nebraska’s preseason.

“I think they should do this every year,” Batenhorst said. “It was super cool and it brings everyone together again. Just seeing former teammates, you just get to experience what it’s like to be a Husker again, and after years of playing pro, it’s really cool to be able to come back and push the current Huskers and just relive it.”

“I don’t think Nebraska can get enough volleyball, so I feel like this will repeat itself, hopefully, many, many years,” Gina Mancuso-Prososki added.

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Purdue volleyball vs Baylor NCAA tournament final score, game result, next

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8:25 pm ET December 5, 2025

When is Purdue volleyball’s next game? Purdue volleyball next game in Sweet 16. Who does Purdue volleyball play next?

Aaron Ferguson

Barring an upset, the Boilers are headed to Pittsburgh, the No. 1 seed in their quadrant. Times for next weekend are to be determined, and Purdue will know its opponent late Saturday night. Florida punched its ticket with a sweep of No. 7-seed Rice in an upset, and the Gators will play either No. 2 SMU or Central Arkansas.

It may set up a potential rematch with SMU, which Purdue beat 3-1 on a neutral court.



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Live updates, how to watch

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The Longhorns celebrate after winning the game against Florida A&M during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

The Longhorns celebrate after winning the game against Florida A&M during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

Texas volleyball, with its first No. 1 seed in three years, began what coach Jerritt Elliott hopes is a three-week journey through the NCAA Tournament Friday with a resounding sweep over Florida A&M Friday at Gregory Gymnasium.

But the competition will significantly stiffen Saturday when the Longhorns (23-3) face defending national champion Penn State in a second-round meeting. The eighth-seeded Nittany Lions (19-12), which beat South Florida 3-1 in the first game Friday at Gregory Gymnasium, have endured a rocky season that included the September departure of All-American setter Izzy Starck because of mental heath concerns.

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But Penn State still has a championship pedigree that includes eight national titles, and the team still has an All-American attacker in 6-foot-6 Kennedy Martin.

“It’s one of the storied programs we have,” said Texas coach Jerritt Elliott, who’s led the Longhorns to three of their five national titles. “Obviously, two tradition-rich programs in the sport, and that makes it great for TV and great for our fans. We’re excited to be part of it.”

Based on how they played against overmatched Florida A&M (14-17), the Longhorns look primed for the challenge. Rattlers coach Gokhan Yilmaz said a Texas defense powered by a record-setting performance by Emma Halter proved more impressive than the array of Longhorn hitters led by Torrey Stafford (13 kills).

 “I think their defensive effort was great,” he said. “In a match where everybody knows it would be a lopsided, they didn’t just hang around. They were going after every ball. That’s really impressive to see.”

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Halter led that defense with 25 digs, which set a school record for most digs in a 3-set match. 

“Honestly, it felt really good from earlier today in warm-ups,” Halter said. “I was just like, ‘I’m kind of feeling it today.’ It’s tournament time. It’s live or die, and so I’m trying to get every ball.”

Read below for a replay and highlights from the Texas Longhorns’ win over the Florida A&M Rattlers in a NCAA Tournament first-round match. 

MORE: After long journey to Austin, Texas’ Torrey Stafford leads Longhorns into NCAA volleyball tournament

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Torrey Stafford ended with 13 kills, and the Longhorns got contributions from across the lineup in an easy first-round sweep. Up next? Defending champion Penn State.

Stat leaders for Texas: Torrey Stafford with 13 kills, Ella Swindle with 20 assists, Emma Halter with 23 digs and Ayden Ames with seven total blocks. Texas leads 2-0.

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FAMU has more hitting errors than kills in this match as Texas continues to work through its bench and eye the champs in a second-round match Saturday. Whitney Lauenstein, one known as “Big Hit Whit” during her time at Nebraska, has four kills on five swings and three blocks off the bench. Texas leads 2-0.

Too much size, too much talent from Texas, which takes a 2-0 lead. Penn State is in the cheap seats watching, but I’m not sure what the Nittany Lions can glean from this match. Texas leads 2-0.

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Whitney Lauenstein has been getting some run late in the season for Texas, and she fires a pretty ball. Her first kill of the match leads to another Rattler timeout. Texas leads 1-0.

A service ace from Torrey Stafford caps a quick 3-0 spurt by Texas, and FAMU takes a time out. Texas leads 1-0.

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No drama in set one. Torrey Stafford paces Texas with five kills, Ayden Ames has three kills and three blocks, and Emma Halter tallied a whopping 10 digs.

Ayden Ames is having her way at the net for Texas with three kills on three swings and three blocks, but it’s the diving saves from Emma Halter and Rella Binney that really get the crowd going.

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That last post may have jinxed FAMU. Texas keeps swinging away, Abby Vander Wal comes off the bench for three quick kills, and Texas is on a 6-0 run.

FAMU is hanging in there early. The Rattler are making Texas work for its kills, and that’s all you can do as a big underdog.

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Ayden Ames starts it off with a spike for Texas. NCAA Tournament first round. Winner faces Penn State tomorrow.

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Penn State, the defending national champion, shook off a first-set loss and beat South Florida 3-1 and will face either Texas or Florida A&M Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in a second-round matchup. The Nittany Lions (19-12) have endured a rocky season that included the in-season departure of All-American setter Izzy Starck because of mental heath concerns, but they flashed their firepower against South Florida. Texas and Florida A&M will start at 7:08 p.m.  

The matchup between Texas and Florida A&M will likely start after its scheduled time of 7 p.m., based on the current battle between Penn State and South Florida. The Longhorns and Rattlers need their allotted warm-up time, so their match will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Friday’s first match at Gregory Gymnasium. Penn State just took a 2-1 lead after winning the third set.

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Volleyball Falls at No.4 Pitt in NCAA Tournament

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PITTSBURGH – The America East champion UMBC Volleyball team season came to end as No.4 Pitt swept an NCAA Tournament first round match-up (25-10, 25-17, 25-13) on Friday night. 

Jalynn Brown led the Retrievers with eight kills, while Pittsburgh-area native Hannah Dobbs added seven kills, three digs and a block. 

Hannah Howard tallied a match-best 11 digs and ended the season with 457 digs, the tenth most in a single season in UMBC history.

Laura Fuehrer had four kills and two blocks and finished the season with 114 blocks and 101 assisted blocks, good for sixth and fifth most, respectively, in a single season in program history. 

Claudia Lllamas picked up six kills, Helen Frankovich had four on .500 hitting with two blocks and Izzy Ostvig added a kill with 12 assists and a team-high three blocks

Serin Maden had 13 assists and finished her stellar career in the black and gold with 2,461 assists.

Ella McAllister chipped in with two digs and Ema Djordjevic also saw action in the contest.

This was both the Retrievers fifth America East championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the past six seasons.

 



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Michigan Sweeps Xavier to Advance to NCAA Tournament Second Round

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» Michigan swept Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

» Allison Jacobs tallied a match-leading 19 kills on a .326 hitting percentage.

» Maddi Cuchran recorded four aces, becoming just the fifth Wolverine with four or more aces in a tournament match.

» Serena Nyambio hit .583 with eight kills on 12 swings.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The University of Michigan volleyball team swept eighth-seeded Xavier 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 on Friday (Dec. 5) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at the Petersen Events Center.

Michigan (22-10) was led by Allison Jacobs, who tallied a match-leading 19 kills on a .326 hitting percentage. She was the only player who recorded double-digit kills in the match. Ella Demetrician had nine kills, including Michigan’s final two and Serena Nyambio hit .583 with eight kills on 12 swings. Maddi Cuchran tallied four service aces to become just the fifth Wolverine in program history with four aces or more in an NCAA Tournament match. Morgan Burke and Camille Edwards led the U-M offense to a .287 hitting percentage, with Burke recording 17 assists and two aces while Edwards had 18 assists and one ace.

A kill from Nyambio opened the match, but Xavier (26-5) responded with a kill. The Wolverines used a kill from Jacobs and an ace from Cuchran to take the lead. Xavier tied the set at five and six, but U-M kept the Musketeers from taking the lead. Michigan followed with a 4-1 run, led by an ace from Burke and a block from Nyambio and Cymarah Gordon. Xavier brought the set to within one at 10-9, but a Nyambio kill ended the threat and jump-started four straight Michigan points. A block from Gordon and Jenna Hanes put Michigan up 15-11 going into the media timeout. The Musketeers took two of the next three points out of the timeout, and Michigan followed with a 5-2 run with kills from three different players and an ace from Burke to go up 21-15. Xavier took four of the next five points to force a Michigan timeout. Out of the timeout, Jacobs recorded a kill followed by a block from Hanes and Gordon to reach set point. The Musketeers called their second timeout of the set, and out of the timeout, Jacobs ended the set with a kill for a 25-19 set one win.

Xavier started the second set with two quick points to take an early lead, but it was all Michigan after that. A 5-0 run led by Cuchran, who recorded her third ace of the match, put the Wolverines ahead 8-3. After the teams traded points midway through the set, U-M went on a 4-0 run to build a 15-7 advantage, but Xavier countered with a 4-0 run of its own. A Nyambio kill and Musketeers attack error forced Xavier’s second timeout of the set, trailing 17-11. After the timeout, Michigan took eight of the final 12 points, with a kill from Demetrician finishing off the set 25-15.

In the third set, the Wolverines jumped out to an early lead, once again 8-3, led by service runs from Edwards and Jacobs. Xavier hung around and tied the match at 11 before taking the lead. A kill from Gordon tied the match at 12 and Cuchran’s fourth ace put Michigan back in front. From there, neither team held a lead bigger than two points the rest of the way, with the final 14 points alternating back and forth. Demetrician tallied the final two Michigan points as U-M took the third set 25-23 to advance to the second round.

The Wolverines will take on either top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Pittsburgh or UMBC on Saturday (Dec. 6) at 7 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Petersen Events Center. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.



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Men’s, women’s track & field unveil 2025-26 indoor schedule

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Holy Cross Richard L. Ahern ’51 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Egetta Alfonso has announced the Crusaders’ 2025-26 indoor track & field schedule for the men’s and women’s programs.

The Crusaders are set to open the season on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener hosted by Boston University and the Alden Invitational hosted by Brown. Next weekend, Holy Cross heads to New Hampshire for the Dartmouth December Invitational that will be held on Dec. 12 and 13.

Following a break for the holidays, the team returns to action on Jan. 17 at the URI Invitational and the Suffolk Ice Breaker on Jan. 18. The women’s team will compete on Jan. 30 at the David Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston followed by the men on Jan. 31 with the order of events staying the same for the River Hawk Invitational hosted by UMass Lowell on Feb. 6 and 7.

Holy Cross will then compete in meets at Boston University/URI (Feb. 14) and Brown (Feb. 21) in preparation for the 2026 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships that will be hosted by BU on Feb. 28 and March 1.

The annual New England Indoor Championships are slated to be held on March 7-8 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston


FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS

Be sure to follow the Holy Cross track & field and cross country teams — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!

X – @HCrossTFXC | @goholycross

Instagram – @hcrossmxctf | @hcrossWXCTF | @goholycross

Facebook – Holy Cross Men’s Track & Field | Holy Cross Women’s Track & Field | Holy Cross Athletics

YouTube – GoHolyCross

 





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Phoenix Athletes Shine On Day Two At Liberty Kickoff

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LYNCHBURG – Coming home with a pair of event titles and several personal bests, the Elon University women’s track and field team wrapped up competition Friday at the Liberty Kickoff inside the Liberty Indoor Complex.
 
Isabella Johnson led the Phoenix in the shot put with a fourth-place finish. The sophomore recorded a personal-best throw of 13.99m, moving into fifth on the program’s indoor performance list. Adriana Clarke placed fifth with a personal-best toss of 13.01m.
 
On the track, Elon earned two event wins as Jasmine Young and Winter Oaster claimed titles in the 5,000 meters and the mile, respectively. Young posted a time of 17:26.66, while Oaster crossed the line in 5:10.95. Shayla Cann added a sixth-place finish in the 500 meters with a time of 1:15.63.
 
In the high jump, Hannah Schonhoff finished third after clearing 1.68 meters. Newcomer Eloise Mulready placed fifth with a clearance of 1.63 meters. In the 400 meters, Duna Viñals finished fourth with a time of 57.73 while Mary Sollars took sixth in a personal-best 58.74.
 
Caden Cerminara finished seventh in the pole vault, clearing 3.75m, while Ja’Mia Johnson placed eighth in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with her time of 8.91.
 
ON DECK
Select members of the Phoenix distance group will compete at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener tomorrow, hosted at Boston University.
 

— ELON —



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