Adriano emerged as a solid contributor in her first season with the Huskers, while Hunter and Robinson add depth on the right pin.
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: Opposite
The key to telling whether Virginia Adriano is having a good match isn’t in a box score or any advanced analytics.
Instead, look for a smile.
The Turin, Italy, native struggled at times adapting to playing college volleyball in the United States. She would commit an error, be tough on herself, and miscues could pile up. As a result, Adriano said she changed her mindset to improve on-court results by staying positive and smiling more.
If Adriano and her fellow opposites can keep the positive vibes going throughout the season, the Huskers’ offense could take another step forward. Here is a look at how the position stacks up for 2026.
Who is back: Virginia Adriano, 6-foot-5, sophomore; Ryan Hunter, 6-2, redshirt freshman.
Who is gone: Allie Sczech, 6-4, exhausted eligibility.
Who is new: Jayden Robinson, 6-3, freshman.
After playing the 2024 season with just one opposite (Merritt Beason), the Huskers opted for more depth last year, adding three to the roster. It was a luxury out of necessity, as none of them had played a set for the Huskers before the fall.
NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly relied on Adriano and Sczech at opposite as they split time early in the season. It seemed inevitable that a timeshare would be in place after Adriano posted six kills and five errors on 19 attacks in the season opener against Pittsburgh. The next day, Sczech put up 12 kills and hit .400.
The Creighton match was her breakout, with 13 kills, a .320 hitting percentage, and a pair of aces. By the time conference season rolled around, Adriano had settled in and played well enough to be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team.
Adriano ended up starting 31 of the 34 matches during the year. She finished with 2.16 kills per set while hitting .287. With a year in the United States under her belt, one would think she could build off those numbers and play a bigger role in the Huskers’ offense.
She also flashed her potential from the service line. Adriano recorded 15 aces, which came on a team-best 8.5 percent of her overall serves. She was also the most erratic, with an error rate of 19.2 percent. Often she’d get a chance or two to unleash her line-drive serve before giving way to the defensive specialist for the remainder of the match.
The one area Adriano has room for improvement is blocking. She finished the season with 64 blocks, which is less than two per match. Adriano had a 47.7 good touch percentage, which was behind setter Bergen Reilly and outside hitter Harper Murray. The opposite is often lined up against an opponent’s best attacker, and NU could use more production from the 6-foot-5 Adriano at the net.
Adriano seems penciled into the starting lineup, but Ryan Hunter is ready to contribute after redshirting last fall. Depth at opposite is crucial for the Huskers as they’ve been bitten each of the last two years. Beason looked out of sorts at times in 2024, but NU had no one to turn to. And when the Huskers needed a spark from the bench against Texas A&M, Sczech was injured after an unfortunate ankle injury during warm-ups.
Hunter flashed her potential in a spring 2025 match against Kansas, but hasn’t matched that outing since. She never settled into a good rhythm this spring and finished with more hitting errors over the three matches. She especially struggled during the one rotation when she was positioned on the left pin, including against Creighton and had to be subbed out after multiple errors.
Hunter is still young enough in her potential to be a solid contributor. She provides a different look than Adirano, as the left-hander relies on quickness, athleticism and leaping ability to attack. She’s more than two years removed from a serious knee injury and could get regular playing time this fall if she cuts down on her miscues.
Incoming freshman Jayden Robinson is listed as an outside hitter on the Huskers’ official roster, but she can play both pins. She filled in at opposite this spring when Adriano left a match ill. She’s a power hitter unafraid to take big swings.
Robinson primarily played outside hitter for her club and high school team, but when she made the U19 national team last year, she lined up at opposite. She got some run during the spring and made a solid impression while playing both positions. Robinson can provide depth at opposite if needed.
Up Next: Libero/Specialists
