What Nebraska volleyball’s ‘culture’ looks like in game

LINCOLN — The culture of the Nebraska volleyball program is sometimes difficult to see clearly. But it will be on display the No. 2 Huskers face Iowa on Sunday.

The culture is evident when Bergen Reilly plays defense. The sophomore setter blocks better than expected for a player of her height and has 141 digs, No. 2 on the team behind Lexi Rodriguez with 179.

Reilly gets more chances for digs as one of the only players who rarely leaves the court. But she’s proving she’s out there to do more than run NU’s offense.

The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native said she picked up the mentality of contributing on defense after she arrived in Lincoln.

“I was never really focused on defense,” she said. “In high school, it was never really a huge priority, especially as setter. Setters just don’t really play a lot of defense.”

When she got to college, Reilly saw how players such as Rodriguez, Laney Choboy and Maisie Boesiger played back-row defense and wanted to match that.

“Nebraska is known for its defense, so they all push me every single day,” Reilly said.

Reilly even got a solo block in last week’s win over UCLA. Teammates Kennedi Orr and Harper Murray both gasped in astonishment at what Reilly had done.

“Blocks always feel great, especially when they’re one-on-one,” Reilly said.

Her skill and confidence on defense was developed during practice.

“We do defense every single day in our gym,” Reilly said. “And it’s not just a quick, short burst. We’re going for a while at defense. It’s just getting it in your head that this ball is not going to get past me, and this ball is not going to hit the floor.”

Before coming to college, Reilly mostly practiced defense through six-on-six play. At Nebraska, the back-row defenders face hundreds of shots during a week of practice, sometimes hit or tossed by coach John Cook himself.

“So we’re prepared when we get to a game for whatever comes at us,” Reilly said.

Defense is where Reilly has improved the most in college.

“It’s been a change in mentality, and defense is honestly 90% mentality that I’m not letting this ball hit the floor,” she said.

Nebraska has routinely had one of the best defenses in the country in recent years, ranking No. 1 the past two seasons.

The Huskers weren’t among the top defenses to start this season, but they have slowly started to climb the rankings. The Huskers are 38th in opponent hitting percentage at .164.

Husker middle blocker Rebekah Allick ranks No. 4 in the country in blocks with 1.52 per set.

Nebraska’s defenders struggled to get in the right spots in some matches early this season. But NU’s lower spot in the defensive rankings is also a reflection of the better teams it was playing.

“We played a significantly tougher schedule then we did last year,” Cook said. “Last year we scheduled lighter because we had five freshmen and a transfer. But this year our schedule was pretty tough.”

The Huskers have more time to scout and practice for each opponent during Big Ten play, which has been a major advantage for NU defenses led by Cook and defensive coordinator Jaylen Reyes.

During last week’s sweep of Southern California, the Trojans hit .000 in the final set as Nebraska had three blocks and 19 digs.

“I just thought our block and defense really took over that match,” Cook said.