Nebraska Volleyball’s Middles Key to 2024 ‘Race for the Roses’

Nebraska’s middles of Rebekah Allick, Andi Jackson and Leyla Blackwell will play an integral part in the Huskers chasing a volleyball national title in 2024.

Kaleb Henry | Aug 28, 2024

Nebraska volleyball middle blocker Rebekah Allick (left) and right side Merritt Beason celebrate a point against Kentucky during the AVCA First Serve Showcase. / Nebraska Athletics

Don't forget about Nebraska volleyball's middles.

The only position for the Huskers that didn't make the All-Big Ten Conference preseason team was middle blocker. In 2024, that could be the position that puts the Big Red over the top in a national title chase.

Andi Jackson let loose Saturday in the Red-White Scrimmage. The sophomore had seven blocks, including a couple against Husker great Lauren Stivrins, to go with a match-high 15 kills.

"Like I've been saying all preseason, she has now discovered that she's good enough to play here," coach John Cook said Saturday. "She's worked really hard. She's really confident. Her and Bergen (Reilly) have a great connection; they played on the USA team earlier in June. She's blossoming."

On Tuesday in the season opener, Rebekah Allick reminded the country that the Huskers have more than one quality middle. Allick racked up a dozen blocks to go with 11 kills on .667 hitting. That effort earned her MVP of the AVCA First Serve Showcase, which included No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 6 Louisville and No. 9 Kentucky. That's elite company to beat out.

"The big push for her was she's already a really good defender," assistant coach Jaylen Reyes told the Huskers Radio Network after the match. "It's just, can you be an offensive threat? There was times there where she was carrying us. I thought her mentality as she's taking an approach to go and attack was on point tonight."

Nebraska volleyball players warm up ahead of their match in the AVCA First Serve Showcase at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Aug. 27, 2024 / Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The KFC Yum! Center in Louisville was not only the host site of the season opener, but it is also where the national semifinals and final will take place in December.

The pair of Allick and Jackson have both been on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and have both been All-Big Ten Second Team. That's without the transfer addition of Leyla Blackwell, who was All-WCC First Team the past three seasons at San Diego. Blackwell actually began her career in the Big Ten at Indiana, where she earned a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor after a 13-block performance as a freshman.

Blackwell had two blocks and four kills on .500 hitting in the Red-White Scrimmage. She did not appear in Tuesday's season opener.

The next chance for the middles to assert their dominance will come at home in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers host the Ameritas Players Challenge this weekend, taking on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday and TCU on Saturday.

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Published Aug 28, 2024|Modified Aug 28, 2024

KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.