As Nebraska kicks off fall camp on Thursday, they welcome three new freshmen for their first season on the roster. While all three enrolled early, they are about to embark on their first fall season with the Huskers. 

The trio was part of the third-ranked recruiting class by PrepVolleyball and will try to boost NU’s chances of winning another Big Ten Conference championship and its first national title since 2017. 

Jessica Coody of the Husker Radio Network sat down with the three true freshmen on NU’s roster over the summer and talked about their paths to Lincoln, their likes and dislikes and how their first few months on campus went. 

The 6-foot-3 pin hitter has settled into campus after she spent her first few months in Lincoln in her dorm room. Now her favorite part of Lincoln is walking around the Union with other students. Robinson grew up playing basketball, soccer, gymnastics and golf before following in the footsteps of two god sisters who played volleyball. 

Robinson said the first time she stepped on the court as a Huskers was a little shocking. She was blown away by how loud the environment was, and it took her a little bit to settle in. 

“Putting on the jersey was exciting to me,” she said. “The excitement really got to me the first time I went on the court with it, and I was mainly focused on having the jersey on my back and representing Nebraska. It was pretty exciting the first time being on the court.”

Her favorite moment of the spring came during NU’s trip to Florida during the beach volleyball season. They stayed in a house with her teammates and bonded during the week-long trip. “We really grew as a team and players because there were new faces, new people trying to get to know each other, and that trip really brought us all together”

Robinson bounced around club teams growing up. She also played several positions: outside hitter, libero, middle blocker. Her confidence took a hit because she didn’t feel like she was getting a shot to prove herself. However, she moved to Houston Skyline and used the reset to regain her confidence and reach her potential. In addition to finding herself on the court, Robinson said she focused on her identity off the court. 

Her father, Jason, played basketball professionally until she turned 8. Robinson said he has pushed her to be the person she is. She would often follow along with him while he worked out and helped her grow as an athlete. 

“He’s always pushed me to be the person that I am now,” Robinson said. “He didn’t really have to do a lot because I would always be under his shoulder all the time since I was a baby.”

Even though he was a basketball player at heart, Jason eventually became a “Volleyball Dad,” and her family is now huge Nebraska fans. 

During her recruiting process, Robinson was adamant that she wanted to take a campus visit before committing. When June 15 rolled around, she went through the normal phone calls and talked with Nebraska and stuck with her plan. However, after talking with her family and looking at her calendar, she didn’t know when she would squeeze in a trip to Lincoln before she traveled to Honduras to play with the U19 national team. A few days later, Robinson called Nebraska back and committed. She said she was drawn to the smaller town of Lincoln (compared to Houston), the fan base, the family-oriented culture and the competitive gym. 

“They were all shocked that I committed that day because I told them I wanted to take a visit,” she said. “They were trying to be like, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure you want to come in now?’ Because I told them that I wanted to take my visit before, but I just knew that was the place I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to close my recruitment that day.”

During her first six months with the program, Robinson said she’s been surprised by how much time the players have spent together off the court. They’re a diverse group of people who get along but are also focused on their goals. 

“The best part about this team is that we’re all looking for one thing, and that’s to win that Big 10 title and also to get a national championship.”

Robinson’s favorite athlete is Jordan Thompson, whom she’s gotten to know through her time with the League One Houston franchise. By watching Thompson, she’s learned how to play better at opposite and carry herself on the court. 

“She came to one of our scrimmage nights for club to watch our game, and I was very tense,” Robinson said. “She pulled me aside afterward and was like, ‘Don’t try to do a lot. Try just to play your game and take all the stress out.’”

The 6-foot-1 outside hitter joined the team with several connections already. She is the third Huskers player who played for Legacy, based out of greater Detroit. She was teammates with sophomore setter Campbell Flynn and met Harper Murray when she was 12 years old. She’s settled in quickly and has enjoyed the camaraderie so far. 

“To make me laugh at seven in the morning is pretty hard, but they do it every single day,” she said. 

DiVita said she was best friends with Campbell when they played together, even though they went to different high schools. While she never played with Murray, she knew who she was and looked up to her. That relationship has blossomed now that they are teammates. DiVita said when Murray sees her frustrated at practice, she will grab her hand and tell DiVita to squeeze it and get it all out. 

“She’s been amazing, and she’s one of my best friends here,” DiVita said about Murray.  “I love her to death. It’s really special being close with her now that I’ve looked up to her and I’ve seen her grow as much as she has since she’s gotten here.”

DiVita became interested in the Huskers when she was a sixth grader. She watched Nebraska play on TV and was impressed with the passion of the crowds. After she got her initial recruiting call after her sophomore year, emotions got the best of her when it sank in that she was talking to John Cook and Jordan Larson, who were both on the coaching staff at the time. 

“I started just bawling after (the call). I was like, ‘There’s no way this just happened.’ It’s amazing,” she said. “The conversation was so good. It just flowed, and it felt like I had to come here and it worked out great.”

What stuck with her was a text from Cook at Midnight that reminded her to “dream big,” quoting one of his favorite mantras. The following morning, she talked to several other schools, but her connection with Nebraska won out. 

One aspect of Nebraska that caught DiVita’s attention was the match at Memorial Stadium three years ago. DiVita said she is looking forward to her own “once-in-a-lifetime” type event when they play at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs, this fall. 

“I don’t think it’ll really click until we’re standing there and I’m looking around,” she said. “I am probably gonna tear up a little bit because it’s so cool to have these opportunities. I don’t think I’d be getting a lot of them if I didn’t come here.

Even though she got her start in gymnastics, volleyball was always going to be DiVita’s sport. Her sister played volleyball as well, and her mother, Janeil, was their high school coach. The youngest DiVita would go to her sister’s practices and would jump in the drills with them. (Jada would later go on and play at Lipscomb from 2022-2024). In addition, her brother Gianni is committed to play hockey at Ohio University. Both of her parents were college athletes at Lake Superior State. (Her mother played volleyball and her dad, David, played hockey) 

“I kind of got beat up on when I was little, so I think they made me tough,” DiVita said. “Having my mom and dad understand what it’s like (to be highly competitive) means a lot to me, and they supported me through it all, and honestly, giving me endless support has gotten me where I am today. So I give everything to them.”

Because of her family’s connection to hockey, it’s her second favorite sport, even though she prefers just watching. She said she’s looking forward to going to a Lincoln Stars game sometime this year. 

“I live for the fights,” DiVita said. “It’s so fast, and I love that. There’s always something to look at. Compared to baseball, that’s pretty boring.”

DiVita said she loves playing serve receive even though it gets hated upon by others. It’s part of her overall love of the competitive nature of the sport, including the staredowns at the net. 

“It’s something that’s kind of come really naturally to me ever since I was little, and something I think I’ve worked really hard on,” she said. “I take a lot of pride in being able to pass really well.”

The 6-foot-4 middle blocker wrapped up her first semester on the Student-Athlete Honor Roll (Robinson and DiVita also made the list). Williams said she was proud of how she settled into the new environment and adjusted to college life. 

“At this level you have to have a strong mentality and just have a good mindset just going into everything positively and just taking it on,” she said. “It wasn’t too bad — just making sure I was on top of everything. We have an amazing academic advisor that just helped me through it.”

On the court, Williams also adjusted to the college game. She is working to improve her attacking and has tried to stay positive, adapt to the team culture and learn how the Huskers operate.

“It was a lot to take in,” she said. “Obviously, it wasn’t going to be perfect, but I feel like I took in a lot of feedback from the coaches; they’re top tier, a lot of feedback from them, and just learning how Bergen sets and Campbell, and just getting a feel for the team.”

Williams began playing volleyball when she was around 10 years old, playing for a small club in the Dallas Metroplex. She said she was just trying to get a feel for the game and pick up a few new skills. Her parents supported her journey, and eventually she ended up playing for powerhouse Dallas Skyline. 

 “I actually remember the first time that I started. I literally lost my mind,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I don’t know how to do this or that, but I want to be good at it.’”

She grew up participating in dance, gymnastics and track and field. While she enjoyed the ballerina shoes, makeup and dresses, eventually she found her calling on the volleyball court. The reason why? She wanted to smash the ball. Eventually, she stuck with it and won the USAV Girls Junior National Championships 15 Open in 2023.

“As I got older, I’m not really for the sweet stuff too much,” she said. “I want to get aggressive and hit a ball, block a ball.”

Her aggressive play comes from her parents, Mike and Emy (Ogide) Williams, who both played basketball at Cincinnati. Her father also played professionally in Europe. Williams calls her father a “go-getter.” He pushes her to achieve more. When he wakes her up in the morning, he’s ready to attack the day and may throw in some push-ups to get going.

“I just always want more, and I’m hungry, and that competitive spirit pushes me on,” she said. 

During her freshman year, Williams set a goal of winning a state championship. She attended the brand-new Eagle Mountain High School in Fort Worth, which opened in 2024. She capped off her senior season by leading the Knights to the Texas 4A Division II state title. They made the third round in their inaugural season with no seniors on the roster. Eagle Mountain became the first school in the Fort Worth area to play in a state championship since 1977 and the first-ever to win a championship.

“I had a coach that believed in us and pushed me as well,” Williams said. The first year we didn’t do it; the second year we didn’t know we could do it, but we all had to lean on each other and fight adversity. We did that, and the win was really, really big, and it was great.”

Williams also suited up for the United States at the 2025 FIVB Women’s U21 World Championships in Indonesia. They went 4-1 in pool play but lost their first match in bracket play and finished ninth.  Williams also made the U21 team this summer and played in the Norceca PanAm Cup.

She said she learned a lot being around other elite players during the tournament and learned more about why she plays volleyball. Williams said representing her country was a huge honor. 

“That’s a feeling that honestly you can’t really explain. It’s just something that has so many words, but obviously one big word could be surreal,” she said. “It was just great that I was wearing a USA jersey, something I dreamed of for so long.”

While she was a bit nervous at times, Williams looks back at her recruiting process fondly. Nebraska was at the top of her list, but she didn’t want to rush into a decision. After her second call with NU coaches, she sat down with her parents to review the options. Her gut and heart told her Nebraska was the choice. “There’s no place like Nebraska, but honestly, like, it’s way deeper than that,” she said. “The culture, the girls always wanting more, and just the fan base is incredible, and it’s something that I want to be part of.”

Her nickname, KeyBaby, came from her grandmother, who would call her “Key, my baby,” which stuck with her. Her family picked it up and used it at volleyball matches, which helped it spread more. Now she has it on her water bottle, backpacks and social media. Now she embraces the moniker and introduces herself with the nickname.