Gone are the constant travel and triple-headers of the non-conference. 

Now, Nebraska has settled into the regular rhythm of the Big Ten schedule: two matches per week, at venues they’ve been to before, with regular practices where they can crank up the intensity. 

The first month of the season gave Nebraska chances to play in big, new venues and showcase the team on national platforms. However, the road trips and three opponents during a three-week homestand have allowed the Huskers (17-0) to practice more and work on specific areas of development. 

“It’s nice to finally be on a schedule and just to know exactly when we’re playing and to have two games a week,” Laney Choboy said. “Our team is also finding their rhythm along with that. We’re not as chaotic as we were in the first couple of weeks with how many matches we were playing. I think you can tell by the way that we’re playing too that we’re settling into a rhythm now.”

The Huskers take on their next opponent Thursday night at Northwestern, with first serve set for 7 p.m. and the match streamed on B1G+. NU will then host No. 13 Purdue Saturday at 4 p.m. on BTN. 

NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said they’ve also implemented more detailed game plans for Big Ten matches. She said one of their strengths is simulating opponents and working on strategies, and she credited the Huskers with putting the game plan into action. 

When the Huskers have two opponents in a week, they usually focus on the second opponent early in the week before turning their attention to the midweek match. 

“It’s been really nice the last few weeks to be able to have tough practices early, then taper down and really prep for teams,” NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “The two games a week makes for a nice cadence of training and playing.”

During early-week practices, the Huskers can work on fundamentals and add new wrinkles to their game. They also mix the lineups to help build team chemistry and connections between players. 

Mixing up the practice units also lets every player get a taste of success and failure during training. 

“One team’s gonna win, one’s gonna lose, and you’re not going to have your starters win every time because they’re on different teams,” she said. “They have to learn how to lead and to work with everybody on their team.”

Busboom Kelly also uses the opportunity to try new lineup combinations during scrimmages. She unveiled one new twist last week against Indiana when Kenna Cogill checked in at opposite Virginia Adriano’s usual spot. She played her usual middle blocker role, which moved Manaia Ogbechie to the right pin. 

The move paid off almost immediately as they blocked the Hoosiers’ best attacker, Jaidyn Jager, twice to end the match. Busboom Kelly said they could use it again soon, until an opponent shows the switch’s downside. 

“We want to be able to do some things and use our depth and use our bench when we need it,” Busboom Kelly said. “I’m excited to try that again. Hopefully we’ll see it this week at some point and continue to see it, and you know, playing against opponents will show us the negatives of it. So we got to try it and see how it can be stopped, but I love it. I think our team has bought in that that could be big for us down the stretch.”

One non-negotiable for NU at practice is the serving drills. Nebraska hasn’t been shy about improving their prowess from the end line. Even though it might not always be the most enjoyable drill, the results have proven it’s worth the time. 

The Huskers already have 105 aces this season, 1.94 per set, up from 1.32 last season. In addition, they’ve improved their ace percentage from 5.4 to 7.6 and their point-scoring percentage by one point to 51.3 percent. 

“We’ve been serving really, really well in the games, so it’s working,” Choboy said. “It might not be the most fun drill in practice, but Dani says we’ll never skip it. So we just know that every day we come into practice, we’re going to do those two serving drills.”

The Wildcats (7-10) have had a tough go in Big Ten play, with a 0-6 record. They’ve faced three ranked teams, but also lost matches to Ohio State and Maryland. Northwestern ranks in the bottom three of the league in 10 of the 13 statistical categories the league tracks. (The three exceptions: opponents' blocks, digs and opponents' digs.) 

Mara Stiglic leads the Wildcats with 3.71 kills per set, the seventh-highest in the Big Ten, on a .221 hitting percentage. This match will likely give NU’s bench a chance to see some action. 

The Boilermakers (10-5) were expected to be a conference title contender, but are just 3-3 after a winless road trip to the Pacific Northwest with losses to Oregon and Washington. They suffered an opening-weekend loss to Creighton but rebounded with nonconference wins over Texas A&M and SMU; the latter came in straight sets in the Bahamas.

With All-American outside hitter Kenna Wollard out indefinitely, freshman Addy Tindall has stepped into the spotlight with 3.79 kills per set. Georgia Tech transfer Lameen Mambu has added secondary punch, averaging 3.53 kills per set. Purdue also features Elkhorn North graduate Grace Heaney, who is third on the team with 2.68 kills per set. 

Fourth-year starter Taylor Anderson runs the show as the setter and has the Boilermakers hitting .258 as a team. Dior Charles leads the charge at middle blocker and comes off a big match, recording 13 kills and only one error on 17 swings in a five-set win over Illinois on Sunday.