A new era is about to begin for Nebraska volleyball. The top-ranked Huskers will head into the season with a new coach leading the way in Dani Busboom Kelly, but the expectations have not changed.
To get you ready for the 2025 campaign, we’re running through the expanded roster and breaking down all the key players. After highlighting the littles first, we’re breaking down the middles next.
Roster
>> Rebekah Allick: Senior, 6’4”, Lincoln, Neb.
>> Andi Jackson: Junior, 6’3”, Brighton, Colo.
>> Manaia Ogbechie: Freshman, 6’3”, Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.
>> Kenna Cogill: Freshman, 6’4”, Gilbert, Ariz.
Breakdown
One of the trends from Nebraska’s public exhibitions and scrimmages has been the effectiveness and involvement of the middles offensively, something that has Dani Busboom Kelly excited about the upcoming season.
Nebraska strength coach Brian Kmitta presents Rebekah Allick (5) with the Lifter of the Year award during the Red-White Scrimmage on Aug. 9. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Rebekah Allick committed to Nebraska before she set foot on a high school volleyball court, and now she’s heading into her final season in the scarlet and cream poised for a big year. She represented the program at Big Ten Media Days, she’s been a consistent standout in Nebraska’s public competitions and her teammates voted her Lifter of the Year for her offseason work in the weight room.
“I just knew this preseason she was at another level, and I think her competitive spirit is where it needs to be, and to see that get rewarded, and of course, it’s a lifting award, but it’s still a vote, and to see that get awarded by her teammates is pretty special,” Dani Busboom Kelly said after the Red-White Scrimmage. “This means a lot to her in her senior year. I know she wants this to be her best year, not just as a player, but also as a teammate. So I’m really excited for her. I knew she was going to be very, very excited about that.”
Allick averaged 1.82 kills per set on a career-best .357 hitting and 1.43. blocks per set as a junior, and she was one of four Huskers named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.
Andi Jackson was also a preseason All-Big Ten pick (unanimously so) after a first-team AVCA All-America season in 2024. After setting a freshman program record for hitting percentage at .399 in 2023, Jackson upped both her volume and efficiency as a sophomore. She averaged 2.62 kills per set on .439 hitting (the sixth-best mark nationally and fourth-best in program history) and 1.18 blocks per set.
Nebraska Cornhusker Andi Jackson (15) spikes the ball against Rebekah Allick in the third set during the Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Jackson notched double-digit kills 12 times last season including a season-high 19 on .630 hitting in Nebraska’s five-set loss to Penn State at the Final Four. With Busboom Kelly’s emphasis on playing faster and feeding the middles, she could be poised for an even bigger year in 2025.
Behind the veterans is a pair of talented freshmen looking to add depth in their first season in Lincoln.
Manaia Ogbechie was something of a late riser, ranked outside the top-100 in her class by PrepDig.com when she committed to Nebraska. The former Northwestern commit reopened her recruitment after a coaching change in Evanston and chose Nebraska in May of 2024. A couple months later, Ogbechie led the U19 USA National Team to the NORCECA Continental Championship gold medal, earning tournament MVP honors.
The 6-foot-3 middle from California averaged 3.2 kills on .304 hitting and 1.4 blocks per game as a senior at Oaks Christian High School. She showed flashes of her potential with six kills on nine swings and three blocks in just two sets during the Alumni Match.
Kenna Cogill was the first player to commit to Nebraska after Busboom Kelly took the reins. She originally committed to Oregon but reopened her recruitment after head coach Matt Ulmer left to take the Kansas job.
Cogill played for the same club team as fellow Husker freshman Teraya Sigler and averaged 2.5 kills on .443 hitting and 1.3 blocks per set as a senior for Perry High School. The 6-foot-4 middle was one of the standouts from the Red-White Scrimmage, totaling 10 kills on .421 hitting and five blocks.
“Kenna and Manaia are really talented blockers, and both of them, I think, are well ahead of their years as middles compared to a lot of freshmen in the country, so they’ve been really impressive,” Busboom Kelly said.
