When Andi Jackson sat out the DePaul match with an ankle injury, Kenna Cogill filled in with four kills and seven blocks. 

Manaia Ogebchie missed the Creighton match with an illness, and Cogill stepped in again, posting eight kills on 11 swings and two blocks. 

When Teraya Sigler left a match with a foot injury, Siyler Pierce replaced her. After recording four kills against Rutgers, Pierce finished with seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage with two aces versus Ohio State. 

Bergen Reilly sat out the Huskers’ contest against Rutgers after spraining her ankle, and Campbell Flynn recorded 35 assists in her place during a sweep as NU hit .278. 

No. 1 Nebraska has relied on its depth to deal with minor injuries and illnesses during the first six weeks of the season and remains undefeated. Busboom Kelly said she doesn’t take their depth for granted and is proud that they can change their lineup and still play at a high level, regardless of who is on the court. 

Despite their depth, she said it doesn’t impact their approach to recovery and availability. 

“We’re still going to do what’s best for the team in that moment, and put the players out there we think that’ll give us the best chance to be great that particular day,” Busboom Kelly said.

Even without the impetus of injuries, the Huskers have used plenty of their depth this season, as sophomore opposite Ryan Hunter played the entire match against Maryland on Saturday. 

Busboom Kelly mixes up the lineups during practice, so every hitter and setter gets time to ensure they are comfortable playing all sorts of combinations. 

Sigler left the Missouri match on Sept. 23 with a foot injury. She was in street clothes when the Huskers swept Rutgers two days later, but returned and played in the back row against Ohio State the following evening. 

She said others might wonder how she handles the changes from match to match. During her time on the bench, Sigler was cheering hard for her teammates on the court, wanting to see them do well. 

“It’s a celebration of our team working so hard to have no drop-off, and we counterbalance each other so well in our strengths and our weaknesses that everyone can go in and make a difference,” Sigler said. “It’s super cool and a testament to our coaches that work so hard to put us in these positions.”

Because they don’t know when their number might get called due to sickness or injury, they have to stay locked in and ready to go into the match. 

“There’s so much confidence in every single person on this team that if we need them or when we need them, they are there and they’re ready,” Sigler said. “There’s no dip in confidence. There’s no dip in support. We are all there for each other. It takes 16 of us, not just the six to eight players that do play throughout the game.”

For the second straight week, Andi Jackson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. 

The senior middle blocker averaged 3.83 kills and 2.0 blocks per set while hitting .526. She also added five digs and six aces in sweeps at Penn State and Maryland. 

While the honor is individual, Jackson said she couldn’t put up those numbers without her teammates’ help. 

“They have been playing so incredible, and they’ve been supporting me, both on and off the court. I’m super grateful for that,” she said. “They’ve just set me up in really good positions to go up and kill the ball, and they’ve really instilled confidence in me, blocking and serving-wise. So I can’t take the credit for it.”

Through the first two weeks of Big Ten play, Jackson leads the league with a .529 hitting percentage and 1.67 blocks per set. She is third with 5.0 points per set, ninth with 3.58 kills per set and 10th with .50 aces per set. 

“She’s been phenomenal, and just really taking control offensively, which we know she can do,” Busboom Kelly said. “She’s really leaning into defense and blocking and helping the team in other ways, which is pretty amazing for a middle to be able to do so many things to contribute to winning.”

Sigler agreed, saying Jackson’s all-around game is underrated. 

“She’s such a team player,” Sigler said. “She’s not just a middle blocker, but she’s a passer, and she’s a defender, and she’s an asset to our team behind the service line, doing all the things to help us in so many different ways.”

Adding to the impressiveness of her performance last week, her offensive stats came from two different setters across the two matches. Busboom Kelly said Jackson could put up big numbers off a lot of setters, but she liked that Jackson kept performing at a high level against Maryland after an emotional match at Penn State. 

While Jackson has been prolific with her attacking and blocking for most of the season, her serving reached new heights with six aces against Maryland, which ties the most in the Big Ten this year for a three-set match. 

During the third set, Jackson went on a 6-0 run that included three aces. In the middle of that streak, the Brighton, Colorado native said she was just focusing on getting the next serve in. She didn’t realize until a Maryland timeout during the stretch that she was targeting a different zone than what assistant coach Brennan Hagar was signaling. However, he didn’t mind because the results were positive. 

“It’s really nice when you have confidence behind the service line. I haven’t experienced that a lot, but I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable with it,” Jackson said. “It’s a good feeling, and I think the team can attest to that as well with how much we’ve worked on it.”

With all the extra time at the service line, Jackson has also worked on her back-row defense. Teams often target her at the right back position and hit down the line more often, but she handled the extra defensive duties well and tied her career best with four digs. 

Jackson said she wants to be a reliable back-row player. Even though she plays the position in just one rotation, Busboom Kelly incorporates middle blockers into defensive drills in practice. The extra time in practice has helped her get more comfortable with ball control and digging attacks to positions where the setters can run the transition offense. 

“It’s important to me,” Jackson said about playing defense. “I want to be able to dig the ball and stop getting blown up.”

The Huskers kick off one of the toughest weeks on their schedule with a trip to Bloomington, Indiana on Thursday for a match against the No. 15 Hoosiers. 

Indiana (10-3) has dropped only to No. 3 Louisville, No. 10 Tennessee and No. 7 Wisconsin. 

NU will be aided by facing Maryland on Saturday, another team that runs a fast tempo. Beyond the offensive speed, they are quite different. Busboom Kelly said they will need to get their hands over the net earlier and keep playing physically.

“Against a fast offense, you just got to be over and match their speed,” she said. “The longer you take on the ground, then they’re going to outquick you. So we can’t spend much time on the ground.”

Sophomore setter Teodora Kričković leads the Hoosiers, averaging 10.77 assists per set. Sophomore outside hitters Jaidyn Jager and fifth-year opposite Avry Tatum pace the attack, both averaging more than 3 kills per set. 

Indiana is also coming off the best season in program history. The Hoosiers finished with a record 25 victories and earned their second trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Many of those players returned and now play with the attitude that they belong among the nation’s best programs. 

“It feels like they got some confidence and some swag, and they believe they can be great,” Busboom Kelly said. “When you have a nice team, and once you catch a little bit of fire, that can take you a long way.”