Playing defense against Andi Jackson isn’t for the faint of heart. 

Olivia Mauch knows the challenge firsthand, facing Jackson every day in practice and living to tell the tale. 

The Nebraska libero said Jackson moves the ball around and is difficult to read since she can hit multiple angles from all over the court. Plus, she hits the ball with a lot of force. 

“It’s harder than you think it is,” Mauch said. “You might think it’s hard, but it’s harder than that.”

Through 12 matches this season, Jackson is hitting a career-best .490 with 2.56 kills and 1.28 blocks per set. Last week, she raised her game to another level with 3.33 kills and 1.56 blocks per set while hitting .578. 

As a result, Jackson earned her second career Big Ten Player of the Week honor on Monday (the last came last November), and on Tuesday, she was named the AVCA National Player of the Week. It’s the 18th time a Nebraska player has earned the honor since 1993. 

Jackson’s hitting percentage is the third-best in the nation, trailing only SMU’s Natalia Newsome (.560) and Portland’s Taina Kaauwai (.527). However, her usage is different this year than in previous seasons as the Huskers continue to find new ways to use her.

Jackson takes the most pride this year in her improved blocking game, as she put a lot of time into it during the offseason. Her blocks per set are a career best, as is her 10.3 touch percentage and 51.6 good touch percentage. 

All those numbers don’t mean much to Jackson, though, who said she doesn’t look at stats so she doesn’t get complacent. 

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement,” she said after tying a season high six blocks against Missouri last week. “But it is nice to see it come to fruition a little bit in these games, and hopefully continue to do that.”

Reily said even during their fourth year playing together, they are still working on strengthening their connection on the court. In addition, the pair serve as captains for the Huskers this season.

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said middle blockers typically have a high hitting percentage, but they force the ball to Jackson even when they don’t get a perfect pass. Jackson is second on the Huskers for kills per set and keeps adding new wrinkles to her game, like hitting a two-foot attack from the right pin. 

“She’s doing a lot for us that middles and other programs aren’t necessarily asked to do,” Busboom Kelly said. “For her to continue to be that efficient and keep getting better at those things, it just has to be her because she could be the type of player that gets a little complacent. She’s not whatsoever.”

Even though all her numbers are impressive, Busboom Kelly said Jasckons’s mental game has also improved, allowing her to play at an elite level and keep improving during her fourth year in the program. 

“She’s always been a great player, and statistically, blocking, she’s doing much better,” Busboom Kelly said. “The way she’s leading and playing with joy, and letting mistakes bounce off her a little bit easier and quicker than she used to, I think those are probably the biggest changes.”

More often than not, when Laney Choboy goes back to the service line, Nebraska will score a point. 

The senior defensive specialist not only leads the Huskers with 15 service aces, but NU also scores a point on her serve 61.4 percent of the time. Her service success was most evident last weekend against Rutgers when she ran off scoring runs of at least five points in each of the three sets. 

Mauch said Choboy’s serve is tough to read because it barely clears the tape with a lot of pace. 

“You don’t know if it’s going to drop or rise on you,” she said.

In addition to Choboy serving, the rotation is one of Nebraska’s strongest, hitting .347. The front row of outside hitter Harper Murray, Jackson and Reilly presents an experienced, explosive look on offense and defense. The back row is equally stout, with Choboy playing next to Mauch and either outside hitter Teraya Sigler or defensive specialist Keri Leimbach. 

Reilly said the success of that rotation starts with Choboy’s serving, and they want her to serve big points. It can be tough for the Huskers to figure out in practice, let alone for opponents to pass the first time they see it in a match.

“There’s just a lot of experience — just knowing the game plan and knowing what’s going to come, and just reading the game really well,” Reilly said. “But it all does start with how nasty her serve is.” 

The Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame will induct its latest class this weekend, honoring two prominent members of the Husker volleyball program. 

Former coach John Cook, whose name now graces the venue where the volleyball team plays, is the only coach in the class. Cook has a lengthy resume that includes four national championships, 14 conference championships, 12 Final Four appearances and 722 wins while coaching the Huskers over 25 seasons. 

He will be joined by former NU middle blocker Amber Holmquist, who won a national championship in 2000. She was a three-time All-American and the 2002 Big 12 co-Player of the Year. Holmquist led the nation in blocking, ranked fourth in hitting percentage in 2000, and went 77-3 in conference play during her four years as a Husker. 

Busboom Kelly remembers watching Holmquist while growing up and considered the Houston, Texas, native to be one of the program’s best middle blockers. 

“There’s always talk about her being this amazing blocker. So she started us being really known for our blocking and having great middles who not only killed the ball but were a defensive force,” she said. “In those days it was pretty regional recruiting, and she opened the doors for us to recruit out of Texas and to have a little bit more of a national map.”