Nebraska Volleyball
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — After a long offseason filled with breaking news and anticipation, the 2025 Nebraska volleyball season is finally here.
The No. 1-ranked Huskers will start their 2025 campaign against No. 3 Pittsburgh in the AVCA First Serve Showcase at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
Nebraska starts the season following heartbreak in 2024, getting reverse-swept by eventual champion Penn State in the national semifinals.
The Huskers held a 2-0 lead in the match, but the Nittany Lions won the next three to advance to the championship game (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 28-26, 15-13).
But a plethora of breaking news throughout the offseason has kept Husker fans busy leading up to a highly anticipated 2025 season.
The biggest news of the offseason came not even a month after the season ended as head coach John Cook announced his retirement after 25 years at the helm.
SEE ALSO: Husker volleyball coach John Cook retires; Dani Busboom Kelly will succeed him
There were mixed reactions to Cook’s retirement, but the appointment of former player Dani Busboom Kelly as his replacement created a palpable buzz across the state of Nebraska.
Busboom Kelly’s resume speaks for itself, as she is a two-time national champion (player in 2006 and coach in 2015) and won the AVCA National Coach of the Year award in 2021.
She is a Nebraska native and, according to Cook, a perfect fit for the job.
The offseason hype continued after Nebraska was named the No. 1 team in the country in the AVCA poll.
SEE ALSO: Husker volleyball ranked No. 1 in AVCA preseason poll
The Huskers received 40 first-place votes in the poll, while Penn State was ranked No. 2 and got 21 first-place votes.
Pittsburgh, Louisville and Texas round out the top 5.
Besides the Huskers and Nittany Lions, five other Big Ten teams are ranked: Wisconsin (8), Minnesota (11), Purdue (15), UCLA (18) and USC (21).
A trio of Huskers were also named to the AVCA Player of the Year award watch list.
SEE ALSO: Trio of Husker volleyball players make AVCA Player of the Year watch list
Juniors Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were all put on the list, racking up impressive stats a season ago.
Jackson averaged 2.62 kills per set with a .439 hitting percentage, which put her at sixth in the nation and fourth in school history.
Murray was an AVCA Second Team All-American last year. She led the Huskers with 3.4 kills per set and a team-high 39 aces.
Reilly is the first player in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Setter of the Year as both a freshman and sophomore.
She averaged 11.08 assists per set last year while helping the Huskers to a .284 hitting percentage.
Those three Huskers were also named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team.
SEE ALSO: Four Nebraska volleyball players named to Preseason All-Big Ten team
After a vote by the league’s 18 head coaches, Jackson, Murray and 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 as well.
The Huskers won their fifth Big Ten title in 2024 with a 19-1 conference record to share the crown with Penn State.
On Wednesday, Nebraska named three players as captains for the 2025 season.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska volleyball reveals 2025 captains
The three upperclassmen leading the team this year are Allick, Jackson and Reilly.
Also on Wednesday, Adidas announced a name, image and likeness deal with Nebraska volleyball star Harper Murray.
SEE ALSO: Husker volleyball’s Harper Murray signs NIL deal with Adidas
The first serve of Nebraska’s season is set for 6 p.m. on FOX.
Tags: andi jackson, avca first serve showcase, bergen reilly, college volleyball, dani busboom kelly, herper murray, Huskers, John Cook, Nebraska, Nittany Lions, Penn State, pinnacle bank arena, Rebekah Allick, Volleyball