Laney Choboy’s journey has been plagued with ups and downs, but she’s not letting that stop her from giving Nebraska volleyball her all in 2026.
Those downs included multiple health issues in high school. The defensive specialist and libero underwent double labrum surgery in her hips, then was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis while at Leesville Road in Raleigh, N.C.
“I think that having to come out of that really shaped my future, and knowing that if I can deal with all of those things in high school, then I know I can deal with things in college, or other things,” Choboy told Hail Varsity. “I know that I have the will to fight until I can’t anymore.”
The resiliency she developed in high school has helped her in college, where the challenges have been more mental than health related. With an all-time program great in Lexi Rodriguez holding down the libero job in 2023 and 2024, Choboy had to adjust to an entirely new role, one that included less time on the court than she was used to.
“Learning how to be a D.S. and how to come off the court and come on and still be mentally as tough as I was as if I was playing the whole time is really difficult,” Choboy said. “I think that I learned so much my first two years by not being on the court. I saw it from a different perspective, and I think that it just changed the way that I looked at volleyball, and how appreciative I was of certain things.”
She used that newfound appreciation to propel her into 2025. The path didn’t get much easier though. Choboy shared libero duties with junior Olivia Mauch, forcing the former to fight for court time once again.
“Me and Liv especially, we’re close friends and we’re teammates and we’re going to go to war for each other know matter what,” Choboy said. “I think that people just think, ‘Oh, they’re just in competition.’ No, that’s not it at all. We are teammates just like every single one of my other teammates who I’m not in competition with.”
Laney Choboy dives for a save against the LIU Sharks during the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Dec. 5, 2025. Photo by John S. Peterson.
As a junior, Choboy started 22 matches at libero, playing defensive specialist in the other 12. She led the Huskers in digs, averaging 2.71 per set, and serves received with a .935 reception percentage on 501 attempts. The senior added 107 assists (0.98 per set), 12 aces and 26 service errors on 306 serves.
In her starts at libero, Choboy’s averages climbed 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.
As a defensive specialist, Choboy averaged 1.64 digs and 0.59 assists per set, while posting a .947 reception percentage.
Competing for a job isn’t the only challenge Choboy’s faced since joining Nebraska. She’s also had to learn how to handle the negative comments on social media.
“Things hit me really deeply, so I think that it’s been a challenging road for me to navigate, just with all the pressure and the outside noise and trying to compartmentalize that area of it,” Choboy said.
She’s working to overcome those difficulties with the help of her teammates, however. Prior to the season starting, the team held a meeting discussing the effects of social media and how they can support one another this season.
“We don’t need to hide our feelings for it, we don’t need to just be like, ‘Don’t listen to it, ignore it, don’t let it bother you,’ because at the end of the day, it will,” Choboy said. “If somebody sees something enough times, it will bother you, and that’s a human experience. We don’t need to hide it, but how can we go about it and come back into our team?”
Choboy originally joined the Huskers in 2023 after decommitting from Minnesota. A coaching change in Minneapolis forced her to rethink her path, eventually leading her to the Big Red. She went on visits to Nebraska and Texas before choosing the Huskers.
Choboy said she may have received a sign that Nebraska was the place for her in the form of a car when she got home.
“When we landed at the airport, the license plate said, ‘NE Huskers,’” Choboy said. ‘I was like, ‘That is so weird.’ It was just so odd, because I’d never seen anything Huskers in North Carolina before.”
Choboy followed the sign and committed to the Huskers, joining a stacked class including Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Harper Murray. The quarter has won 99 matches, secured three Big Ten titles and made history at Volleyball Day in Nebraska. The one thing that has eluded this senior class is a national championship, and the play of the littles will play a key role in changing that.
Choboy and Mauch are both back for the Huskers this year, and sophomore Keri Leimbach is joining the mix after redshirting last season. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly has given all three reps at libero during the preseason, and each of them have held their own.
Laney Choboy passes the ball against the California Golden Bears on Sept. 7, 2025. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Choboy said the group is very close, and she’s excited to see what the unit can do this season.
“We go through the highs, the lows, and it’s always just us together,” Choboy said. “Yes, we have the rest of the team that can help us come together, but at the end of the day, they don’t understand exactly what we’re going through. Only we understand each other, so I think that having an amazing libero group like that, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Choboy and the liberos have been working to prepare for the upcoming season. The Huskers will look to make the most of their opportunities this year as the No. 1 team in the country. The Huskers are challenging themselves with matches against No. 2 Texas, No. 13 Creighton, No. 21 Baylor, No. 10 Penn State and others.
“We’re getting pushed in preseason, we’re getting pushed in the Big Ten, we have a Big Ten Tournament this year,” Choboy said. “I think that all of that is going to really set us up for being able to finish at the end of the year.”
This may not be Choboy’s last chance at winning a national title, however. With the passage of the age-based eligibility model, the senior may return to the team next season. She said that she’s not making any decisions yet; rather, she’s focused on staying in the moment.
“I want to weigh all of my options before I go and make a decision, because this is my future,” Choboy said. “I think that it’s not just a small decision, that I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to stay,’ or ‘I’m going to leave.’ I think that there’s way more to think about, than just, ‘Oh my gosh, I should stay for this.”
Although Choboy’s path hasn’t always been a straight one, she’s remained loyal to Nebraska while staying ready for every opportunity that comes her way.
“It was not an easy decision, and I can’t sit here and say I didn’t think about leaving at some point,” Choboy said. “I think really what kept me was that I would rather be pushed and struggle and come out on the other side of it than have the road be straight and narrow, and just have it be super easy and not be pushed. At some point in your life, you’re going to be pushed. It’s inevitable; it’s going to happen …
“I’m just proud of how I’ve stayed true and didn’t run away just because something got tough or didn’t go how I wanted it to.”
For more on Choboy’s journey, check out her exclusive interview with Ana Bellinghausen on the Hail Varsity YouTube channel.
