Teraya Sigler made her official Nebraska volleyball debut against a top-five team in front of nearly 16,000 fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena. There was no easing into things for the freshman in Lincoln, and the nerves were real.
“I would say the first five points definitely was kind of like, ‘Whoa, where am I? What am I doing?” Sigler said. “And then, of course, my teammates had to tell me, ‘We’re just playing volleyball, it’s just a big game in the big arena with a lot of people.’”
Sigler said she’s learning to embrace the nerves and enjoy the kind of experience most people her age never have the chance to live through. Pre-game worship music and talking with her teammates are Sigler’s keys to settling in.
“I definitely had to get right with myself and with my teammates … Laney [Choboy] and I had a lot of talks before the game of we’re just playing volleyball, it’s just a volleyball game, we do this every day at practice,” Sigler said. “I’ve been doing this since I was 9. I know what I’m doing, and it’s just on a bigger stage.”
The 6-foot-3 pin-hitter has started No. 1 Nebraska’s first four matches, though she’s had few opportunities to actually play near the pin. For most talented outside hitters, back row play seems to take longer to develop. For Sigler, the top-ranked left side in the 2025 class according to PrepDig.com, it’s been her passing and defense that have gotten her into the lineup.
Sigler is essentially seeing the court as a defensive specialist, playing three rotations in the back row before subbing out for 6-foot-5 senior Taylor Landfair to play at the net.
“She’s a great passer, and that’s something that’s super important coming into college, and being able to do everything as an as a six-rotation outside,” said Harper Murray, who has developed into one of the top six-rotation pins in the country. “Her defense is remarkable, and her passing is outstanding for a freshman, and I know it was better than mine, so I’m super impressed with her and I’m really happy that she’s getting the chance to show that, because I feel like she’s definitely holding her own back there.”
Only Choboy, the libero, has seen more serves come her way through four matches. Sigler has 47 receptions and has only allowed two aces, a .957 reception percentage. She carries a 2.31 passing grade on a 0-3 scale according to VolleyMetrics with a 55% good pass average — great numbers for anyone, let alone a freshman. She was Nebraska’s top-graded receiver in the five-set win over No. 7 Kentucky with a nearly flawless 16 receptions, on a day where passing played a big part in the 0-2 hole the Huskers fell into.
Sigler is also responsible for the highlight of the match, sprinting through a sign beyond the baseline to make a save on a rally that ended up going Nebraska’s way.
“That was a pretty awesome play to get the crowd on their feet,” Coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “The gym, it was 11 a.m. so it felt a little dead, and that got the place rocking. I think it just sets the standard; if she’s going to go all out like that, then there’s no reason why everybody else can’t match that effort.”
Playing only three rotations has been an adjustment for Sigler, who led the state of Arizona in kills during her senior season at Horizon High School in Scottsdale, but she said she’s happy to help the team in any way she can.
“As much as it is an adjustment, because that’s not my full position, I’ve been taught my entire life to be good at everything,” Sigler said. “We really push in this gym to be good at everything in case something happens, in case your role changes, and I feel like really learning to just embrace my role — I love to help this team however they need to be helped, whether that’s playing, whether it’s doing whatever they need me to do. So I’ve just learned to embrace it and I kind of see it as an opportunity to just however it is, I’m going to prove myself and be the best I possibly can be at that position.
“I know as a freshman, I’m going to get targeted in serve receive, and instead of shying away from that, I embrace it, and it’s really helpful having Laney and Olivia [Mauch] and Harper back there with me. I always feel support from them at all times, and I never feel like I’m the odd one out because I’m a freshman. I always feel like I’m a part of the group.”
Sigler said she’s benefited greatly from playing alongside Murray, who also faced heavy service pressure as a freshman.
“I just feel like she’s one of the best teammates because she’s just someone that looks to you when you just need someone to smile, her and Andi [Jackson],” Sigler said. “I feel like Laney and I are pretty hype all the time, so I never have to worry about needing some energy or just needing a shove or a chest bump. But with Harper and Andi, it’s almost calm sometimes when things get hectic.
“Obviously in serve receive when you have Olivia Babcock looking at you at the endline, it can get a little intimidating, but having someone with the experience, and I don’t know, just the emotional control to get you through those times is really helpful.”
Sigler also has a familiar face to traverse the peaks and valleys of freshman year with her in former club teammate Kenna Cogill. The 6-foot-4 middle blocker is from Gilbert, Arizona, and played for Arizona Storm alongside Sigler. Cogill wasn’t originally part of the Husker recruiting class, but after the coaching changes at Oregon and Nebraska, an opportunity for the former Duck pledge to follow her friend to Lincoln materialized.
“I’ve been here for almost seven months, which is crazy to say that I’m there to kind of help her and guide her through things, kind of show the ropes. We do waters together every practice, we get to bond a little bit. As much as, yes, we are best friends, I want her to go and make her own life and experience college differently than I do, and so it’s really nice to have those little glimpses of revisiting our conversations or putting ice in water bottles before practice.
“Those little things make it really special, because I’ve known her since I was 12, and so getting to see her grow and especially in the gym, she’s been killing it, and seeing her grow as a not just a person, but also a player, is just super cool to see.”
The next step on the court for Sigler is to learn how to take advantage of her offensive opportunities at the college level. She has seven kills and seven errors on 30 attacks so far this season for a .000 hitting percentage. Several of those swings have come out of the back row, but she’s also had a few chances to play all six rotations, including during the Kentucky match in which she finished with three kills and two errors on 13 sets. It’s a work in progress, but her head coach sees the potential.
“She’s got to kill balls,” Busboom Kelly said. “She’s young, and she’s not the biggest player on the court, so she’s going to have to work hard to get kills. She does a great job in practice, and we’ll continue to push her and put her in tough situations in practices so she can get more and more comfortable in matches.”
Sigler’s next chance to translate her practice play to the matches will come this weekend as Nebraska hosts the Ameritas Players Challenge at the Devaney Center.
