With a Master’s Degree in Hand, Sczech Begins Her Broadcasting Career at Scrimmage

Like most recent college graduates, Allie Sczech is worried about finding a job. 

After earning her undergraduate degree from Baylor, the former Nebraska opposite hitter finished her Master’s of Journalism on Friday.

The good news for Sczech is that she already has a lead on a possible career. On Sunday, she will serve as the analyst for the Huskers’ Red-White Scrimmage at Pinnacle Bank Arena alongside play-by-play announcer Larry Punteney on Nebraska Public Media. (The match will also be streamed on B1G+.) 

When the network reached out to see if she was interested in working the game covering  her former team, she said it was an “immediate yes.” 

“It’s a great way for me to get my feet on the ground,” she said. “Given it’s a scrimmage, but it’s super nice that I get to do that as my first get out there and get to work type of deal, but yeah. So I’m super duper excited, just really grateful for the opportunity, and just excited to be in front of the camera.”

Sczech said it has been her dream to go into sports broadcasting for as long as she can remember. While she spent most of the week prepping for her first live game broadcast, Sczech has a head start since she spent all of last season in the same practice gym as most of the players on the court. 

“It definitely is a little bit easier, given I know a lot of the players,” Sczech said. “It’s been super fun just getting to prep, and I’m super excited to talk about some of my old teammates and friends.”

Sczech hopes this first gig will lead to more opportunities this season and in the future as she prepares for life after her college career. During her time at Baylor, the two-time All-Big 12 player interned at a TV station in Waco and also spent time working with the Husker Radio Network last year. 

During the summer, the Sugar Land, Texas, native participated in the Big Ten Experience, where she went to the BTN offices in Chicago. During the week, she had the chance to call a mock game, serve as a panelist on a studio show, create digital content and work behind the scenes.

She is hoping the debut performance will lead to more games this fall and other opportunities as her broadcasting career takes off. Even as she starts her career, Sczech said she’s already had great mentors such as Emily Ehman, Ann Marie Anderson and Mac Podraza, who all played volleyball in college. 

“It's such a fun career, and when you have these different analysts that just bring so much personality to the way that they call games, it's just so fun to watch,” she said. “It's really entertaining.”

Sczech is also preparing to continue her career on the court. She suffered a freak ankle injury in the regional final against Texas A&M when she stepped on a ball during warm-ups and couldn’t play in the match. 

The recovery from the injury lessened her odds of making the Omaha Supernovas, who had drafted her in November. Eventually, Sczech landed with the Criollas de Caguas in Puerto Rico.

For the 2027 season, Sczech signed with the expansion Major League Volleyball team based in Northern California. (The team hasn’t officially unveiled its name, NorCal Rumble, and is known as MLV NorCal.) 

She will be joined by former Nebraska teammate Taylor Landfair and several other former opponents, including Naya Gros, who also played in Puerto Rico, and former Kansas State setter Ava (LeGrand) Swanson, a Papillion-La Vista South.

While she hopes her broadcasting career takes off, Sczech continues to work out and prepare for another professional season while she gets to know her teammates with the new franchise. 

“It’s been really, really cool and just super rewarding,” she said. “I’m definitely training hard. That’s never something that’s gonna slip while I get as many opportunities as I can get in broadcasting. I’m still trying to plug the volleyball dream to the same extent.