Rebekah Allick Reflects on Nebraska Volleyball Journey Heading into Senior Season

Lincoln, Nebraska, native Rebekah Allick is entering her final season with Nebraska and her mindset has shifted drastically from her freshman season to now. Our Ana Bellinghausen sat down with the hometown Husker on her journey to becoming one of the best middles in the country.

Q: What’s your earliest Husker volleyball memory?

A: I went to a game back in 2012 with my mom, and this is when I just chopped my hair. So I was probably in the fifth or sixth grade. I have my little ‘fro, and I was a little insecure about it, but that’s not important.

Hannah Werth was still playing, and I remember she got a block or a huge kill, and the whole Devaney [Sports Center] just said “Werth” in this really deep voice, and it was awesome.

And on top of that, she had specs, and I thought she was so cool because she had the goggles, I guess. That’s one of my earliest actual game memories.

Q: How did you fall in love with the sport of volleyball?

A: It was from a young age, but I think how I fell in love with it was just the chase. I love the chase.

And I figured out basketball, I figured that out pretty quick, and I knew I was always gonna fill out and be strong. It’s in my parents’ genetics.

I could just see the way my life was gonna go, and I just love women’s volleyball. You’re appreciated as a woman, but people aren’t like, “Oh, you’re good for a female athlete,” you’re admired because you’re just a freaking athlete.

You can do crazy things with your body, and you can do it for long periods of time. You are just seen as an athlete, and I never wanted people to just treat me that way.

I think I’m just finally tapping into my potential this year, which is really exciting, knowing that I will be starting pro here in the next six, seven months, hopefully. I’ve just always loved the chase with volleyball.

Q: Did you ever think you’d be playing for Nebraska volleyball?

A: Yes and no. I have a funny story, actually. Nebraska’s always been on top, they had just won [in 2015 and 2017].

They’re just winning a whole lot, causing a lot of damage, per usual. I wasn’t fully aware of the weight of my words. I was like, “I would never play for Nebraska.”

I wanted to go play for an underdog team and then beat Nebraska. And now here I am in love with this program. I’m in love with the city. I didn’t know what I was talking about. I thought I was talking big game back then, and here I am just in love with this place.

I thought I was gonna be an underdog at some random school and take on the big dog, and no, I’m happier on this side than that.

Q: When did you realize you were good enough to play volleyball at a high level?

A: Honestly, people just kept telling me. I know that’s not everyone’s story.

People always just believed in me, and I’m very grateful for that. Like, ‘Oh, you’re gonna be something great,’ because I was very tall, and I would just go after everything. So I was very blessed from the beginning. I’m very grateful for that. I think that’s part of the reason I’m as confident as I am today.

My parents always saw something in me, but it’s another thing when strangers see that in you as well. It just added fuel to the fire, to be honest. I’m like, ‘OK, yeah, I can do this.’

So, honestly, as early as fourth or fifth grade, people were always wanting me to be on their team, for kickball or football. Honestly, middle school, when John [Cook] approached me right before the [recruiting] rule changed, I knew I wanted to be a Husker, and I verbally committed.

Q: Do you remember what Cook said to you?

A: [Cook] always talked about my engine. He’s like, “I love that engine of yours.” Talking about my grit and my heart.

That made me feel really seen, because almost every year of club [volleyball], I was always the little one, the underdog, and I would slowly build my way up through the season. There were always girls better than me on the team.

And honestly, I loved it. I loved the chase because it sucked knowing that I was kind of a liability [on club teams]. [John’s words] meant a lot because it can kind of mess with your confidence a little bit not being the big fish. But I think it made me into who I am today, and John recognized that about me, and he always talked about it.

And I remember I used to do a top spin serve back when I was 14 and 15, and he’s like, “Oh, keep that serve up. I love that serve.”

Q: Where do you think your personality on the court comes from? Mom or dad’s side?

A: I would say maybe both and even some inspiration from my brother, [Josiah]. I always gave him a hard time growing up because he never cared about what people thought. I thought he was a weirdo.

And I realize now that [Josiah] is winning at life. He just proposed to his girlfriend, Reina — she’s an absolute gem — and he has had the same group of friends since middle school, and not a lot of people can say that.

I admire him so much, and he always talked about, it’s easy to be yourself because you know exactly what that is versus trying to maintain a mask. That resonated with me a lot in college.

With Nebraska volleyball, I think it’s really easy to forget where we come from. Especially now [with NIL], it’s really easy to get out of touch with what’s important.

Part of what Josiah always told me growing up, and my parents, I think that allows me just to be myself. I have a professional side, I have a playful side, and I want everyone to know that I don’t want to be thrown in a box. [It’s] part of what allows me to be so free is my faith. I want to live freely in my faith. I want to play freely in my faith.

Q: How much excitement is there in the gym for this season?

A: It’s honestly hard to put into words. I’ve been a part of a lot of competitive teams, but it’s another thing for the talent to also match that. Any player at any time can do damage in this gym, and however the teams differentiate through time, like the A and B squad, it’s pretty even.

Q:  How fun is that competition?

A: Oh, I love it. I would argue that our six-on-six [practice matches] are harder than some matches. I look forward to it whenever we get to go live. It revs me up and I think it will keep us on our toes as well.

These freshmen and newbies are a force to be reckoned with. I wouldn’t be shocked if we have a lot of change-ups moving forward.

Q: How has the transition to Dani Busboom Kelly been from your perspective?

A: Seamless. She’s been incredibly transparent. One of our first meetings with her was about coach changes, the plan moving forward, even for the next two years, for those that will still be here.

Transparency has been the name of the game, and I think that’s what has allowed a lot of us to buy in. She’s followed through on every single one of those things.

Her consistency, transparency, and also I will add what John [Cook] had to say about her before she got here. He acknowledged, over the last eight years, her success versus his.

And I think that spoke volumes, that he was able to acknowledge that she was arguably more successful than our program in the last eight years, and which I didn’t even realize. It’s one thing to have the personality, but to also have the stats; that says a lot.

Q: How do you reflect on losing in the national semifinal last year?

A: It still burns. It was just different. My freshman year, that was a freaking fluke. That was infuriating. And then my sophomore year, that was just brutal, an absolute beat down on national television.

So, yeah, kudos to Texas and then Penn State. Man, that is just like a gritty match. And on top of that, they’re really good people.

I had a brief conversation with Katie [Schumacher-Cawley], the [Penn State] head coach, before, just honestly congratulating her on everything that she’s done so far and will continue to do for the sport, and just for women in general.

And so at the end of the game, I was wishing them luck and telling them to go kick some butt. So, like, in the name of sportsmanship, honestly, I was like, ‘OK, I tip my hat to you,’ but leaving and sitting in the locker room, it was just like a mixture of anger, sadness.

I don’t know, because I feel like I left everything out on the floor and those losses are hard, but you’re able to live through that because you know you did everything you could, and sometimes the other person’s just better.

It’s unsettling just because that was my last chance to win one with John Cook and my seniors. I absolutely adore my senior class. They still feel like my seniors to me, even though they’re all living completely different lives now.

I guess in a nutshell, that loss was a good loss. It sucked, but not nearly as bad as 2023, to be honest.

Q: How has falling short in the Final Four the last two years changed your perspective on volleyball and life?

A: It’s changed everything. It has really allowed me to, and also forced me to, become aware of the people around me, because I can get very tunnel-visioned on my goals.

[Merritt Beason] helped me slow down and be like, “You can go fast by yourself, but you will go farther with us.”

And that includes messy losses and messy conversations. Just mess in general is very human, and that was something I thought was going to weigh me down.

But I see now and in this last spring season and in the gym, messiness is what makes us human, and that honestly allowed me to play so free. And I just want to have no regrets on how I go about things.

I’m honing in on my nutrition, my sleep, all those things that will set me up professionally. I just want to appreciate and savor every moment I have left at Devaney.

I know it will never, ever be the same after that last whistle blows, regardless of where we’re at in the season or where we’re at in the postseason. I just have to accept that this phase of my life is over. I want to be able to run and jump off that ledge. I don’t want to hold anything back.

In the beginning and even my junior and sophomore year, there were some things I wish I would have done differently. I want to have no regrets my senior year. I just want everyone to know my heart and my mind are in the right place.

Q: What is your goal this season?

A: Volleyball-wise, I want us to win a national championship. I would love to see a couple All-Americans [on the team]. That would be so cool, maybe even AVCA Player of the Year. That’d be sick. Conference title.

I just want to kick butt and take names. Accolades are great, but nothing quite beats the face-to-face fight, every Friday and Saturday night. That’s what I’m looking forward to. If the accolades roll in, awesome. But satisfaction comes from actually beating the people.

Q: When your career is over at Nebraska, how do you want to be remembered?

A: I want people to remember me as someone who just did the right thing. It doesn’t take you being put on billboards, magazines, interviews to do the right thing. You can do it in your home, on the street, in big settings and quiet settings.

It doesn’t take anything miraculous to do the right thing.