Nebraska Opens 2026 As No. 1, Chases Elusive Title

Nebraska volleyball enters the 2026 season ranked No. 1 in the country, returning the bulk of a roster that went 33-1 last year before a stunning Elite Eight loss to seventh-seeded Texas A&M, which went on to win the national championship. The defeat marked the first time since 2002 that the Cornhuskers failed to reach the national semifinals.

Under second-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly, Nebraska retained its core group for a second straight season without a single outgoing transfer. Outside hitters Harper Murray and Skyler Pierce, setter Bergen Reilly and middle blocker Andi Jackson all return; Reilly and Jackson earned AVCA First-Team All-American honors last season. Murray led the team with 379 kills and 34 service aces, while Jackson added 288 kills and 16 aces. The program also added Baylor transfer opposite Allie Sczech, brought in to help replace the production of Rebekah Allick and Taylor Landfair, both of whom exhausted their eligibility. vlasov aleksandr

Nebraska has reached the national semifinals 18 times and played for the championship on six occasions, but the Cornhuskers have not won a title since 2017, when they beat Florida 3-1. The program's roster investment for 2026 reportedly leads all NCAA women's volleyball programs, underscoring the scale of its rebuilding effort after last season's setback.

The Cornhuskers open the season Sunday against No. 2 Texas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, their first meeting since Texas swept Nebraska in the 2023 national championship match. A win would give Nebraska early momentum in a season the program hopes ends differently than its last.