Nebraska volleyball is back and gearing up for the 2026 season. The Huskers will head into year two under Dani Busboom Kelly ranked No.1 in the AVCA and looking to put on a show every time they take the court.
To get you ready for the season, Hail Varsity is going through the deep and talented roster position by position, highlighting the returning stars and up-and-comers alike that will make an impact this season.
We’ve already covered the setters and middle blockers. Up next is a look at the defensive specialists.
No. 6 Laney Choboy
5-foot-3 Senior; Raleigh, N.C. (Leesville Road)
Busboom Kelly has two experienced liberos with different yet equally elite strengths, creating a difficult choice as to who will get the jersey on any given night.
Last season, Choboy — who had put in the work developing her game while playing defensive specialist next to Lexi Rodriguez for two seasons — got the first nod, opening the season as Nebraska’s libero. She also closed out the season in the role, starting Nebraska’s last three NCAA Tournament matches. In between, libero job went back and forth between Choboy and Olivia Mauch.
Overall, Choboy led Nebraska in digs (averaging 2.71 per set) and serves received (sporting a .935 reception percentage on 501 attempts). She added 107 assists (0.98 per set) plus 12 aces and 26 errors on 306 serves. Choboy earned second-team All-Big Ten and collected a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award while landing on the AVCA All-Region Team.
Choboy started 22 matches at libero while playing defensive specialist in the other 12. In just her libero starts, Choboy’s numbers jumped to 3.25 digs and 1.18 assists per set. She sported a .931 reception percentage while totaling 11 aces and 24 errors in 72 sets.
Laney Choboy digs the ball against the Northern Colorado Bears in Chadron, Neb. Photo by John S. Peterson.
As a defensive specialist, she averaged 1.64 digs and 0.59 assists per set while posting a .947 reception percentage.
“It was definitely a learning curve, trying to figure out how to give to the team but also having your role switched in and out,” Choboy said. “But I think that me and Liv both did a really good job with that, and we just continue to work and continue to stay positive and try to do what the team needs.”
Whether she was the defensive specialist or the libero, teams targeted Choboy in serve receive as she averaged over 4.0 attempts per set regardless of her role (and nearly 5.0 per set as the libero). Continuing to improve in that area — and especially in terms of her aggressiveness in terms of putting herself in position to pass — has been the clear focus for Choboy during the offseason.
“I think last year was kind of my year to build back the confidence that I used to have or that I once had, and I think that this year is kind of my year to just let loose and play free,” Choboy said.
If Choboy can continue to improve her passing consistency to go with her dynamism defensively and her fiery, infectious personality, 2026 could be her best season yet.
But will it be her last? Choboy shared her thoughts on the eligibility model change that awarded Nebraska’s senior class the option of a fifth season of eligibility.
“I think that all the seniors are trying to make the decision on our own, and it can be difficult because everyone thinks that when if one of us is staying, all of us are staying, but we really don’t know what each other is doing,” Choboy said. “And personally, I don’t even know what I’m doing, so I think it’s a lot to process. There’s a lot to think about, pros, cons for everything … I don’t necessarily have a timeline. I think it’s just whenever I feel like it’s a good time to make a decision, because obviously it’s my future and it’s a big decision for me, so I think that whenever I feel the time is right is when the decision will be made.”
No. 10 Olivia Mauch
5-foot-6 Junior; Bennington, Neb. (Bennington)
The other half of Nebraska’s two-headed libero is one of two in-state products on this year’s roster. She averaged 2.56 digs and 0.73 assists per set and was second on the team with 21 aces while misfiring just 15 times.
The ultra-steady Mauch started 11 matches at libero as a sophomore and also replaced Choboy in the jersey mid-match twice when the latter was struggling in serve receive. She averaged 3.46 digs and 1.23 assists per set with eight aces and six errors. Her reception percentage actually dipped to .893 with nine reception errors, but it was on low volume (2.4 receptions per set) as teams chose to avoid targeting her because of her prowess in the back row.
Olivia Mauch serves the ball against Washington on Oct. 10, 2025. Photo by Brandon Tiedemann.
Mauch said the most important thing she learned from her experience at libero is the importance of “being a leader of the backcourt.”
“I think that’s something that I’ve learned throughout my three years here,” Mauch said. “So I think just continuing to grow on that and be vocal and just try to lead and take charge of the backcourt.”
Mauch logged one DNP-CD in the regular season finale when Busboom Kelly gave senior Maisie Boesiger the start at libero and played Choboy at defensive specialist, the former Bennington Badger played in every other match. As a defensive specialist, she averaged 2.12 digs and 0.49 assists per set, served 12 aces to just nine errors and recorded a .962 receptions percentage, allowing just six aces on 158 serves in 73 sets (2.16 receptions per set).
Whereas Choboy excels in defense and the ability to make plays all over the court, Mauch’s biggest strength is her reliable serve receive, and she’s been working to catch up to her counterpart in terms of floor coverage.
“Definitely defensively, just expanding my range, and then serving,” Mauch said. “We’ve talked about it throughout the whole last season and this offseason, so I think that’s something that everybody’s really improved on.”
Mauch said both players have benefitted from the friendly competition for the libero jersey as each of them gets an up-close view of what the other does best.
“I think just watching each other helps a lot too,” Mauch said. “I feel like we’re both visual learners, so we do better if we see it. I think just being able to watch each other and we do communicate and just tell each other what we see, so I think that definitely helps.”
No. 1 Keri Leimbach
5-foot-4 Sophomore; Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Lutheran)
With Boesiger graduating last year, the Lincoln native slides up the depth chart this season as a sophomore. She won four state titles and racked up more than 2,000 digs during her high school career with the Warriors, averaging 6.0 digs per set as a senior. She spent her first season on campus redshirting, soaking up as much as she could from Choboy, Mauch and Boesiger.
“Redshirting, it’s very hard in the moment, but you come in with a really good mindset, knowing that this season of life is for you to get better and really just try and evolve your game,” Leimbach said. “I think that’s how me, Ryan [Hunter] and Kenna [Cogill] looked at it. We showed up every day with a good attitude, wanting to get better, wanting to make the team better, and I think I really just got better at volleyball throughout that season.”
Laney Choboy (6) and Keri Leimbach (1) run out to take on California Golden Golden Bears on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Leimbach said observing matches rather than playing in them helped her to see the game from a different point of view and combat her early nerves, and she’s made the biggest strides in her serving and serve receive over the past year.
“Keri has definitely grown so much,” Mauch said. “It’s been so fun to watch her just continue to get better and better. She gets in there and she does her job. She has been in the libero role at practice a little bit, so I think that’s just really cool to see her game grow and her confidence grow as well.”
Leimbach said she’s taken something from each of the other three littles in the group last season and has built strong relationships with Choboy and Mauch as she continues to grow her own game.
“Laney really helped me with my talk and seeing the game,” Leimbach said. “Liv has helped me with my serve receive and just looking up to her in that aspect, because she’s so good at serve receive and she’s just so dominant. And Maisie really just told me what being a good teammate was about.”
Choboy and Mauch are likely to fill the primary back-row roles this season, but opportunities could be there for Leimbach to contribute this season as a serving sub or situational defensive specialist. The lone Lincoln native on the roster said she’ll embrace whatever that role may look like.
“I think just coming in with an open mindset and an open role, whatever the team needs from me, I’m willing to do it,” Leimbach said. “Just showing up every day with a good attitude, good effort, and just striving to be like the best player that I can be.”
Final Word
“Keri redshirted last year, but she’s playing great, having an impact in practice from the service line and just defensively,” Busboom Kelly said. “And then Laney and Liv are two of the best in the country, and just like last year, it hasn’t changed much. They are very good at different skills, but both super, super talented.”
