Nebraska Volleyball Position Previews: Libero

For the rest of July, Huskers Illustrated will examine the position groups: setter, middle blocker, opposite, libero/defensive specialist and outside hitter, as Nebraska prepares for the 2025 season. 

Today: LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST: 

Hall of Fame football coach John Madden is attributed to saying, “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.”

While it might apply to signal callers on the gridiron, Nebraska proved that adage doesn’t apply to liberos as they frequently swapped back-row specialists on their way to an undefeated regular season and another Big Ten championship. 

In the quest to find a replacement for All-American Lexi Rodriguez, Laney Choboy started 22 matches at libero while Olivia Mauch began 11 matches in the off-color jersey. In addition, Maisie Boesiger earned one start at libero against Ohio State on senior night. 

Going into 2026, Nebraska will likely use a libero-by-committee approach again with three players on their roster who would start at many schools. 

Who is back: Laney Choboy, 5-3, senior; Olivia Mauch, 5-6, junior; Keri Leimbach, 5-4, redshirt freshman.

Who is gone: Maisie Boesiger, 5-foot-6, exhausted eligibility.

Who is new: None

While fans might not have liked the rotating libero, NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly had no qualms about mixing up the lineup. Even before the season, she said that she would use whichever player provided what the team needed. 

Laney Choboy was the sparkplug of the team, providing energy and making hustle plays for better floor coverage. She started most of Nebraska’s biggest matches of the season, including the final three in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, Olivia Mauch provided a steady presence and better passing. Twice she switched to libero during intermission and helped solidify the Huskers’ defense. Perhaps her best match of the year came against eventual national runner-up Kentucky when she sparked a reverse sweep. As a result, she earned her first career start the following game against Grand Canyon. 

Busboom Kelly kept the rotation up most of the year, including eight straight matches from Nov. 14 to Dec. 8 where the Huskers didn’t start the same libero in consecutive matches. 

Because of the split time at libero, the defensive stats were not particularly impressive for any individual. 

Choboy led the Huskers with just 295 digs, averaging 2.71 per set, the lowest team-high since 1998 and 1992, respectively. Setter Bergen Reilly was second on the team with 2.69 digs per set, while Mauch checked in behind her at 2.56. 

The individual numbers were the lowest since the libero era began in 2002. NU still had a stingy defense. The Huskers were fourth in the Big Ten with 13.58 digs per set and limited opponents to .129, the best mark in the nation. 

Of the Huskers’ main four players in serve reception, Mauch graded out the best with a 60.6 good pass percentage on 246 attempts. Choboy was targeted on a team-high 498 serves and passed at a 53 percent, which was also a tick behind outside hitters Harper Murray and Teraya Sigler. Choboy was much better down the stretch as her good pass percentage rose to 59 percent over the final 10 matches of the season. 

Despite the lower numbers, peers still recognized Choboy for her impact on the Huskers’ elite defense. She was named to the All-Region Team and made the Big Ten second team. In addition, she earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 10 after posting a career-high 20 digs against Illinois and adding 15 more versus Minnesota. 

Choboy was slightly better out-of-system setting with 107 assists compared to 79 for Mauch. However, Mauch was better serving with 21 aces and 15 errors and the Huskers scored on her serve 51.4 percent of the time. Meanwhile, Choboy missed 26 serves to her 12 aces and helped NU score on 46 percent of the time when she was at the endline. 

Choboy and Mauch will likely reprise their roles from a year ago, with the other playing defensive specialist on the opposite side, even though Virginia Adriano showed promise attacking from the back row. 

While Keri Leimbach was on the bench last season, she didn’t see any action as she redshirted for the Huskers. She should fit into the role held by Maisie Boesiger last season — a third option in the back row specialist and serving specialist for the second middle blocker. 

Leimbach has the pedigree to be an elite defensive player and showed flashes during the spring matches. 

Next week: Outside hitters