Nebraska volleyball claims top spot in Big Ten preseason poll
The Huskers are coming off their fifth Big Ten title in 2024 with a 19-1 conference record. They finished the season with a 33-3 record and reached the NCAA Semifinals.
The program enters the 2025 season under new leadership after the surprise retirement of former head coach John Cook. Former Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly replaced Cook.
The Big Ten's coaches have also noticed the individual talent the Huskers roster holds this season. Four Huskers were named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
Andi Jackson is a junior middle blocker. She was an AVCA All-America First Team member and a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team honoree last season.
Harper Murray is a junior outside hitter. She was an AVCA Second Team All-American last year and led the Huskers in kills with 3.40 per set.
Bergen Reilly is a junior setter. She is coming off her second straight AVCA All-America Second Team honors and is the first player in conference history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year as both a freshman and sophomore.
Rebekah Allick is a senior middle blocker. She averaged 1.82 kills per set in 2024 with a career-best .357 hitting percentage. She had a team-high 1.43 blocks per set. She was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2022 and 2023.
Earlier this week, Jackson, Murray, and Reilly were named to the AVCA Player of the Year watch list. The three juniors are among the 30 players named to the list.
Nebraska will begin the 2025 season on Friday, August 22, when the Huskers host Pittsburgh at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Find the entire Big Ten volleyball preseason poll by scrolling below.
2025 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL1. Nebraska2. Penn State3. Wisconsin4. Minnesota5. UCLA6. USC7. Purdue8. Washington9. Illinois10. Michigan11. Indiana12. Oregon13. Ohio State14. Michigan State15. Northwestern16. Maryland17. Iowa18. Rutgers
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lincoln Riley believes this year's Trojans have what it takes
The USC Trojans had a disappointing start to their tenure in the Big Ten last season. They finished 7-6 overall and had an abysmal 4-5 record in the conference. This was not the usual success we were accustomed to seeing from USC, even though the Trojans are in the Big Ten, the best conference in college football. The expectations were still higher. Lincoln Riley is confident with what he has in the building. He believes that this year will be different. Adrian Medina with the Sporting Tribune broke down Riley's recent comments on USC's depth this season. "Trojans Head Coach Lincoln Riley, entering his fourth year at USC, was confident about the team's sufficiency of depth and support during this year's Big 10 Media Day. It's very apparent that USC is extremely serious about making this football program and returning it back to being one of the greats of college football," Riley said in his opening statement at the podium. "With our current team, seeing how our roster has evolved on all sides, especially defensively, after the huge improvements that we've made a year ago. The championship-caliber depth that is starting to be established all across the board is something that we have all worked hard for." The Trojans have a better coaching staff now with the addition of former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. They also have a more experienced roster this season. Out of their 68 players, 44 of them saw some action last season, and 17 Trojans got a chance to start. That is the experience needed to help the Trojans be a more competitive team this season in the Big Ten. They can mix in the talented freshmen and transfers they have acquired. It is notable to see Lincoln Riley have confidence in the team he is fielding this year, but now the talk needs to turn into action and results. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley believes this year will be different with new USC roster
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Lincoln Riley believes this year's Trojans have what it takes
The USC Trojans had a disappointing start to their tenure in the Big Ten last season. They finished 7-6 overall and had an abysmal 4-5 record in the conference. This was not the usual success we were accustomed to seeing from USC, even though the Trojans are in the Big Ten, the best conference in college football. The expectations were still higher. Lincoln Riley is confident with what he has in the building. He believes that this year will be different. Adrian Medina with the Sporting Tribune broke down Riley's recent comments on USC's depth this season. "Trojans Head Coach Lincoln Riley, entering his fourth year at USC, was confident about the team's sufficiency of depth and support during this year's Big 10 Media Day. It's very apparent that USC is extremely serious about making this football program and returning it back to being one of the greats of college football," Riley said in his opening statement at the podium. "With our current team, seeing how our roster has evolved on all sides, especially defensively, after the huge improvements that we've made a year ago. The championship-caliber depth that is starting to be established all across the board is something that we have all worked hard for." The Trojans have a better coaching staff now with the addition of former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. They also have a more experienced roster this season. Out of their 68 players, 44 of them saw some action last season, and 17 Trojans got a chance to start. That is the experience needed to help the Trojans be a more competitive team this season in the Big Ten. They can mix in the talented freshmen and transfers they have acquired. It is notable to see Lincoln Riley have confidence in the team he is fielding this year, but now the talk needs to turn into action and results.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck praises former Nebraska wide receiver Malachi Coleman
A former Nebraska wide receiver is receiving high praise from his new head coach. Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck discussed the impact of Malachi Coleman on the Golden Gophers' offense while meeting with the press at Big Ten media days. Coleman transferred to Minnesota after spending two seasons at Nebraska. In 2023, he appeared in 11 games and had eight catches for 139 yards and one touchdown. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining after he redshirted in 2024. The Lincoln native was the No. 11 overall wide receiver in the 2023 class and the top player in his class from the state of Nebraska, according to the 247Sports Rankings. He committed to the Cornhuskers on December 21, 2022. Fleck opened his comments by mentioning Coleman's athleticism as reported by Clint Cosgrove of ProPath Management. 'You talk about a dynamic playmaker that can do things in the air that I haven't seen many people do at the wide receiver position throughout my entire coaching career. You talk about playing for the Niners, coaching for the Buccaneers, coaching all the receivers we have. He's got very rare attributes." Fleck has had success against the Huskers since becoming the head coach of the Golden Gophers, boasting a 6-1 record against the Cornhuskers, including a five-game winning streak in the series. Minnesota will host Nebraska on Friday, October 17. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
