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. We’ve covered defensive specialists and middle blockers so far. Up next is the opposite hitter group.
Roster
>> Allie Sczech: Senior, 6’4”, Sugarland, Texas
>> Virginia Adriano: Feshman, 6’5”, Turin, Italy
>> Ryan Hunter: Freshman, 6’2”, Charlotte, N.C.
Breakdown
Merritt Beason left some big shoes to fill on the right side, but Busboom Kelly has three intriguing and very different options to choose from.
Allie Sczech prepares to dig a ball during practice on July 31. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
Allie Sczech committed to Nebraska as a transfer from Baylor shortly before John Cook announced his retirement from coaching, but she chose to stick with her commitment through the transition — the same as every other recruit and player already on the team.
Sczech racked up 754 kills and 258 blocks during her three seasons in Waco. She averaged 2.44 kills per set on .273 hitting as a junior, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors. In her final match as a Bear, she totaled 21 kills on .463 hitting and six blocks as Baylor fell in five sets to Dayton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bergen Reilly praised Sczech’s physicality, athleticism, work ethic and experience.
“She’s kind of a goofball and the type of person this team really needed,” Busboom Kelly added. “She’s different than anything we’ve had. She just can hit really hard, she’s a lefty, she puts up a great block, and she’s definitely a fiery competitor, so she’s been really fun and I’m excited to see how she is throughout the season.”
Virginia Adriano ready to serve the ball during the Red-White Scrimmage on Aug. 9. Photo by John S. Peterson.
The final addition to the 2025 roster came all the way from Italy. Busboom Kelly said at Big Ten Media days that Virginia Adriano coming to the NCAA was already in the works when she took over at Nebraska, but the staff sealed the deal in May to add an experienced pro to the opposite hitter group. The NCAA granted the 6-foot-5 pin three seasons of eligibility.
Last season, she played for Bergamo in Serie A1, Italy’s top professional league, averaging 2.39 kills per set on .385 hitting while totaling 21 kills, three blocks and an ace in her final match. In 2023-24, she played for Volley Hermaea Olbia on the Serie A2, notching 395 kills on a .384 clip.
She made her Nebraska debut at the Red-White Scrimmage and displayed a powerful arm, totaling 11 kills and three aces.
“It’s been fun,” Reilly said of playing with Adriano. “It’s kind of funny. In some things she does, you can tell that she is European. Just her serve, the way she swings, she has a really high volleyball IQ, so it’s been really fun to play with and kind of see the different styles of volleyball come together. She’s great, and she’s been able to come out of her shell since she got here, and she’s just been awesome, an awesome teammate. She’s been growing a lot volleyball wise, too, so it’s been really fun to get to play with her and get to know her.”
Ryan Hunter spikes the ball against Harper Murray (27) and Kenna Cogill (8) during the Red-White Scrimmage on Aug. 9. Photo by John S. Peterson.
The youngest player at the position was the first to arrive on campus, getting a head start during the spring season. Ryan Hunter enrolled early after missing her senior season with a torn ACL. She averaged 4.1 kills per set on .317 hitting as a junior at Cox Mill High School and ended up as the third-ranked opposite hitter in the 2025 class according to PrepDig.com.
The southpaw showed off a powerful swing in her Devaney Center debut, recording 11 kills on .563 hitting and two blocks in three sets against Kansas in the spring.
“I’m so proud of Ryan,” Andi Jackson said after the exhibition. “She has worked so hard to get to this point, especially coming off of an injury that she had, you would never be able to tell. I’m just really proud of her and her adversity, and she’s been an amazing teammate through the entire thing, which is, in my opinion, the coolest thing, because it’s one thing to be an amazing volleyball player, but it’s another thing to be an even more amazing person. So I’m really proud of her.”
