Olivia Mauch leads Nebraska this season with a 65.1 good pass percentage. 

So, it was a bold move when USC decided to target her with 23 of the 36 times it served. She passed the test with a 2.65 rating out of 3 with a 73.9 good pass percentage. 

It’s not that USC had many good options. Teraya Sigler passed seven serves, graded out at a perfect 3.0 and recorded a first-ball side-out five times. Also, Harper Murray was targeted five times and still kept Nebraska in system 60 percent of the time. 

This season, the Huskers are passing in-system 60.2 percent of the time, with each of the four main passers (Mauch, Sigler, Murray and Laney Choboy) grading out above 56 percent. Solid passing is one reason the Huskers lead the nation in hitting percentage at .332. 

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said the increased workload for Mauch might not have been a deliberate strategy by the Trojans. 

“​​Sometimes they want their best servers’ best serve. They don’t care who it’s to,” she said. “Terayae and Harper are both passing great, and so is Laney. Might as well use our best serve, and try to get them out of system even though that’s Olivia back there.”

Muach leads the Huskers with 275 receptions on the season, while Murray and Sigler are also above 200. Choboy is fourth with 153 passes. The workload is fairly balanced from match to match. Sigler and Murray have each led the team in passes in six matches, while Mauch has had the highest number of receptions seven times.

The one other team that went after Mauch also didn’t have great results. Penn State targeted Mauch 24 times, and the Bennington native finished with a rating of 2.56/3 and a good pass percentage of 79.2.

Mauch has established herself as one of the country’s best liberos. She averages 3.37 digs per set and is tied for second on the team with 19 aces, just two below her total over the past two seasons. 

In August, Busboom Kelly called deciding who should play libero between Mauch and Choboy one of the toughest decisions of her coaching career. Yet, she’s stuck with Mauch every match this season. 

Busboom Kelly said Mauch’s biggest strengths and the reason she’s remained in the libero jersey has been her consistency. 

“We know what we’re gonna get from her. We need her rock-solid passing, and when she digs it, it’s typically in system,” she said. ”We have multiple options, and I think she’s just grown into the floor general. So from last year to this year, her presence is just so much better, and that’s also what you need from libero.”

During the last three matches, Virginia Adriano has elevated her offense from the right pin. 

The sophomore opposite showed flashes during the first seven weeks of the season, but errors were frequent, and she disappeared from the attack for long stretches. 

However, over the past three matches, Adriano is averaging 3.4 kills per set on a .404 hitting percentage. That span also coincides with her only three double-digit kill performances of the season. Her best stretch came early against USC, when she recorded six kills on nine swings before the first media timeout. 

Murray said she’s seen a lot of growth from Adriano this season. They focus on making new errors instead of repeating the same mistake over again, and Adriano has pushed herself to improve. When they get her on track, it helps everyone out on offense and opens up more space for her to attack. 

“When Virginia’s on a roll, it makes our jobs a lot easier because the blockers don’t know what to do,” Murray said. 

To Harper Murray, he was just Cammi’s dad, but for everyone else the mystery guest speaker brought an impressive resume. 

Last week, Mike Tirico talked to the Huskers before taking in Thursday night’s match against UCLA. Tirico serves as the play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football, the NBA on NBC and is the host for the Olympics and Triple Crown horse racing. He lives in Ann Arbor, down the street from the Murray family, and has known them for decades. 

Harper Murray said she doesn’t think of Tirico as a big-time announcer because for the longest time he was just the father of Cammi, who went to school with her older sister, Kendall.

“I always knew him as Cammi’s dad and my carpool driver to rec league at soccer,” she said. “I don’t think I realized the weight of what his job entailed for the longest time, probably until I got to college.”

Murray said she was grateful he stopped in Lincoln on his way to Seattle to call an NFL game. She said she’s talked to him a lot over the past few years about handling the extra attention that comes with being in the spotlight. He also talked to the whole team about the importance of team culture.

Busboom Kelly said she was glad to have someone like Tirico, who has worked with many high-performing athletes at big-time events, address the team. 

“To listen to him was pretty special, and also reiterates a lot of what we talk about every single day,” she said. “Being grateful where we’re at, not taking each day for granted. We might say it a different way, but the message is still the same. It hits home a little bit more when you keep hearing the same thing, different versions from all these successful people.”