“I truly believe that we’re in really good hands,” Rebekah Allick wasn’t shy to go public with her views about the new Nebraska volleyball head coach after Dani Busboom Kelly’s appointment was announced in January. With her statement, the 6-foot-4 middle blocker made it clear that she was eager to start her senior year under the new management. However, with the Big Ten season still a few weeks away, Allick doesn’t want to reveal more about what makes Kelly a strategic mastermind.

As the boss of Louisville, DBK made history. The Nebraska volleyball alum took the Cardinals to two NCAA championship matches in three years, underscoring her wisdom as a bona fide volleyball coach. Naturally, when fans got to know that the 2006 NCAA champ would be taking over the Huskers after John Cook’s retirement, excitement was high. The Nebraska loyalists also believe that DBK is cooking new concoctions behind closed doors to continue building her legacy at Lincoln. But Allick isn’t one to learn and tell.

During the post-match presser after Saturday’s Red-White Scrimmage, the Nebraska volleyball star remained tight-lipped about what Kelly has been planning with the middle blockers ahead of the new season. Seated beside newcomer Kenna Cogill, Allick was asked by a reporter about the new routes being explored by Kelly. But the hometown girl wasn’t going to spill the beans to the reporters.

Admitting that changes have been adopted, Allick chose to keep mum on the matter. “I don’t want to tell all of our secrets…I don’t know how much I want to say,” she told in response to the question, unwilling to elaborate further on the strategic changes for Nebraska volleyball. Instead, the middle blocker only responded with a couple of “yes,” while smirking at the reporters.

Well, it’s true that Allick wouldn’t want to reveal everything for Nebraska’s foes to take notes of, even before the 2025 season begins. Moreover, she wouldn’t want to give away what might make her a formidable force in her senior year under the able guidance of Kelly. After all, the 2024 AVCA First Serve Showcase Best Middle Blocker looked even more sublime than her usual self on Saturday.

At the Red-White Scrimmage, played at the John Cook Arena in the Bob Devaney Center in front of 8,414 fans, Allick posted a match-high 16 kills while hitting .433 with five blocks. Naturally, she was over the moon by the time the action ended. “Today feels like a fairy tale. You pray for moments like that to work out,” the Nebraska volleyball star told reporters after the match.

But while Allick chose to keep things hush-hush, it does seem like Kelly isn’t too afraid to let the Huskers’ opponents know that they will be coming for the national title in the 2025 season.

Long drought to end for Nebraska volleyball?

Nebraska didn’t lose a single player to the transfer portal after DBK’s takeover of the program. Instead, the Huskers even added more players who were previously committed to playing for other programs. A big W for the new head coach even before the season started. And now, with a pretty swell-looking roster behind her, Kelly has a lot of options to go through to pick her team for the best results.

Talking to national championship-winning Terry Pettit last month, the Nebraska volleyball coach noted that she has a lot of firepower at her disposal who can work wonders when paired with opposite hitter Harper Murray. “Well, you know, Taylor Landfair is back. And Skylar Pierce is back. She redshirted last year. And then we have Teraya Siegler, who’s a freshman… they’re very different in their skill set. But they’re all very talented. And, again, I think it’s going to be a difficult decision,” the HC told Pettit.

If the Red-White Scrimmage was anything to go by, then fans can rest assured that the Huskers looked formidable at the preseason intrasquad match-up. Nebraska hasn’t won the NCAA title since 2017, a record that Allick will definitely want to set straight before taking her leave from Lincoln. In case things get intense along the way, the blocker can always resort to her newfound love for crocheting to keep the nerves under control!

But will the new Nebraska stars and the new head coach be able to utilize Rebekah’s skills to their fullest to bring the national championship to the USA’s volleyball capital this time around? What do you foresee? Tell us!