Fans filled all 8,309 seats inside the Bob Devaney Center for the Nebraska Volleyball Red-White Scrimmage. The unique annual intra-squad game gives the entire Huskers team (starters, reserves, and substitutes) the chance to challenge one another in the form of two separate teams. It not only gives fans a glimpse of what the team has in store for them ahead of the regular season, but it also helps the head coach select the starters.

Naturally, Dani Busboom Kelly observed every serve, dig, kill, and everything in between on the court. After all, DBK will select her AVCA First Serve Showcase starting six from this group. But before Nebraska kicks off the 2024 NCAA volleyball season on August 22 against Pittsburgh, there’s another hurdle that DBK and Co. need to overcome, and Coach Kelly saw weak spots.

Speaking to the media about making any adjustments ahead of the August 16 Alumni Scrimmage, Dani Busboom Kelly said the Huskers don’t need to adjust anything. However, with the season’s first game barely a week after the August 16 scrimmage, she explained what they need to work on. “A lot more serving and passing,” DBK said during the post-match presser.

“You know? I do think we are a very good serve and pass team. I think that’s the toughest thing to do when you’re nervous and when there’s a lot of pressure, and I thought that showed a little bit today. So we’ll do a little more serve and pass,” DBK said in the clip uploaded to the HuskerOnline YouTube channel. Sports Illustrated’s Jeff Sheldon agreed.

Sheldon also spoke about setter Bergen Reilly, despite her otherwise stellar showing, struggling in “locating the ball when setting behind her, leaving sets either too low or too far inside.” He also noted that Italian freshman Virginia Adriano made some hitting errors due to the occasionally misplaced low sets. Thankfully, the good far outweighed the slip-ups.

Veterans and newcomers shone bright under Dani Busbom Kelly

Whether it was the veterans or the newcomers, everyone showed up to play and not just to take part in an exhibition. The immensely competitive game saw the Red and White squads go toe-to-toe in close sets, with the Red winning it 25-23, 25-23, 25-22, 17-25 (3-1). While everyone played well, Rebekah Allick edged everyone out, notching 16 kills for a .433 hit% and five blocks.

“I thought she was the player of the game,” Dani Busboom Kelly said about Allick. However, other seniors weren’t far behind Allick on the stats sheet. Harper Murray scored 15 kills, and three other Huskers ended the night with double-digit kills. It was a similar success story on the defensive side of things. Laney Choboy notched 17 digs, Olivia Mauch scored 16, and Bergen Reilly was right behind with 15.

However, there was more to Bergen Reilly and Campbell Flynn’s play than just good defense. “I thought both Campbell and Bergen were solid and played great. They both served great and played great defense. They’re both studs. I’ve been saying it all year; I truly believe we have the best setter group in the country,” said the former Cardinals head coach. Now that’s high praise.

However, the stakes will be much higher when Nebraska kicks off the regular season against Pittsburgh. Last year, the Pittsburgh Panthers fought their way to the NCAA semifinals before losing a hard-fought match against then DBK led Louisville Cardinals. The injury Anna DeBeer suffered during that winning effort put her out of action during the finals. So this time, Dani Busboom Kelly is keen to eliminate any weaknesses before leading the Huskers against Pitt in the AVCA Showcase.