The No. 2 Nebraska Volleyball The team had a lot of hype to prove before its season opener against No. 9 Kentucky in the first televised college volleyball game of the season. Fresh off the release of E60s “No Place Like Nebraska”, The Huskers did not lack attention and the spotlight.
Although Nebraska looked a little immature on offense, the team delivered a convincing win against the Wildcats in four sets. Outside attacker Harper Murray And Lindsay Krause didn’t have their best nights by far, but it was the middle blockers that made up for it. Rebekah Allick wanted some attention after teammate Andy Jackson made headlines after their masterful performance in the Red-White scrimmage. Allick posted 12 blocks with 11 kills on a .667 hitting percentage, while Jackson added 10 kills of his own on a .412 hitting percentage as the Huskers posted 18 blocks, their highest total since 2018.
Nebraska now turns its attention to its home game this weekend, the Ameritas Players Challenge. Oklahoma, TCU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will all come to Lincoln, with the Huskers facing the latter two.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Ameritas Players Challenge.
How to follow the instructions
Comparison: No. 2 Nebraska vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center
When: Friday, August 30, 7 p.m. CDT
Regard: Public Media in Nebraska
Hear: Huskers Radio Network and Partners
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Scout
Head coach: Steve Greene | 8th season | 135-100 school record | Most successful coach in school history
Record 2023: 22-10 (16-2 Southland, 2nd) | Swept off the court by No. 1 Southeastern in the final of the Southland Conference tournament
Record against Nebraska: 0-1 (2022)
Important returnees: Kyndal Payne, OH, Sr. | Leah Stolfus, MB, Sr. | Kayla White, L, Sr.
Important departures: Belle Morgan, S (Authorized) | Morgan Smith, MB (Authorized)
Outlook: The Islanders have three of their four all-conference players from last season back in the team and should be back in contention in the Southland Conference and fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Steve Greene is entering his 8th season at Corpus Christi and he knows how to win. He has led the Islanders to three of their four NCAA Tournament appearances in school history.
Returning senior outside attacker Kyndal Payne will be a huge proponent of that push. Payne has excelled in her time under Greene, earning honorable mention in the AVCA twice in her three seasons, being named to the All-Southland team three times and being named the 2023 Southland Player of the Year. Fellow senior Leah Stolfus will anchor the center after winning Southland All-Conference First Team honors two years in a row. She is a weapon in the middle and has averaged over three kills per set two years in a row. Kayla White returns to the starting libero position after leading Corpus Christi with 4.37 digs per set. She led all Southland liberos in passing average and percentage of good passes in 2023.
Setter will be the question mark for the Islanders. Belle Morgan, the 2023 Southland Setter of the Year and AVCA Honorable Mention, is gone. Morgan was a hit for Greene and he’s going back there. 5-6 sophomore Alex Hoglund comes to the Islanders after four seasons in San Diego, where she was part of the 2022 team that reached the NCAA Final Four. Hoglund didn’t get much playing time with the Toreros, finishing her four seasons with just under 200 assists, including 131 in her senior year. Junior Rylie Romero will also compete for the spot after appearing in 21 games in her sophomore season.
How to follow the instructions
Comparison: No. 2 Nebraska vs. TCU
Where: Bob Devaney Sports Center
When: Saturday, August 31, 7:30 p.m. CDT
Regard: B1G+
Hear: Huskers Radio Network and Partners
TCU Scouts
Head coach: Jason Williams | Season 3 | 34-26 record in school
Record 2023: 17-15 (8-10 Big 12, 8.)
Record against Nebraska: 0:1 (2016)
Important returnees: Melanie Parra, OH, Sr. | Jalyn Gibson, OH, Jr. | Cecily Bramschreiber, L, Sr.
Important departures: Brianna Green, MB (Eligibility) | Audrey Nalls, OH (Eligibility)
Outlook: After finishing under .500 four times from 2017 to 2021, TCU brought in Baylor associate head coach Jason Williams and the program has become more successful since then. The Horn Frogs have reached two consecutive NCAA tournaments in his first two seasons, both ending in the round of 32.
TCU loses firepower with the departures of standout middle blocker Brianna Green and outside attacker Audrey Nalls, who scored over 400 points and was named to the 2023 All-Big 12 Second Team. Williams does, however, have its best player back, AVCA Third Team All-American outside attacker Melanie Parra returning for her senior season. The Mexico native posted two 34-kill performances last year to earn AVCA National Player of the Week honors. She finished the year with 482 kills, 47 aces, 266 digs and 70 blocks and set a school season record with 569 points.
Playing alongside Parra will be 6’2″ forward Jalyn Gibson. Gibson was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team last season and averaged 3.24 kills per set and hit a team-high .259 in 28 games. Cecily Bramschreiber provides stability and experience as libero. She started all 32 games for the Horn Frogs last year, recording 464 digs (3.68 per set) and 26 aces. She had an interesting career in Fort Worth, playing outside attack during her injury-shortened sophomore season before returning as libero the next year.
Let’s not forget the freshman. Williams has sparked TCU’s recruitment, coming in as the No. 9 recruiting class last cycle, according to PrepVolleyball.com. Mikala Young enters a crowded hitting room with Perra and Gibson, but was ranked as the No. 46 overall prospect and No. 15 in the state of Texas. Alice Volpe is blocked by Bramschreiber, but could see more usage with the brand new two-libero rule in volleyball. She was the No. 83 overall prospect from Texas and was named to the AVCA First Team All-American as a senior.
TCU has been pretty aggressive against ranked teams in the two seasons under Williams. The Horn Frogs defeated three ranked opponents in 2023, including No. 20 Baylor twice on consecutive nights and No. 22 Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska is still the clear favorite, but Tuesday showed that the 2024 Husker squad is a bit rusty. If Nebraska stumbles, don’t be surprised if TCU gives NU trouble.
MORE: Glenn Thomas: Dylan Raiola “more confident” as starter for Nebraska football
MORE: Behind the scenes of the scoring: Nebraska vs. UTEP, Georgia vs. Clemson and more
MORE: Big Sports Radio talks with Kaleb Henry about Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule, Dylan Raiola, key players
MORE: Several Huskers land in the National Football League squads
MORE: The place of single-digit jerseys among Husker football traditions
Stay up to date with all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers on SIin connection HuskerMax on Xand visit HuskerMax.com daily.
