Outside Opposition: Who Will Be the Starters?

For the past several years, the main hindrance of the Nebraska Volleyball offense was a lack of production from the second outside position. While they were able to find stable, six-rotation players in Madi Kubik and now, Harper Murray, the second outside spot – which has typically only played the front row – have been widely inconsistent. It just seemed that they couldn’t string together a match where both outsides were impactful, either one or the other going off. Think back to the Wisconsin games last year – Taylor Landfair had some of her best performances against them, and we all know how that went. However, games where she would struggle to put the ball to the floor – like Penn State – opened up the opportunity for their comeback. Penn State won that game because both of their outsides, Mruzik and Hannah had fantastic matches – simple as that. When you have two pins going off at the same time, it's almost impossible to stop. 

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We say this every year, but the abundance of talent on the team makes for All-American level competition everyday in the practice room. The outside position pool alone is enough to be an example of this – stacked with 4 top recruits in their respective classes. Harper Murray and Skyler Pierce’s play styles are emblematic of the modern Nebraska outside; athletic, bouncy, quick arm, with solid ball control. They won’t overwhelm you with force (although their arms are certainly not one to be messed with), but their court vision and range of shots overcompensate for it. Meanwhile, Sigler and Landfair are reminiscent of players like Mikaela Foeke and Kathryn Plummer; big, heavy arms that the defense can’t seem to dig even when they’re in the right position. So the question is, who will step up?

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Taylor Landfair at 6-5, the tallest of the group, has a unique advantage from a height standpoint; able to hit sharper angles than most and attack over the block (when her approach is fully formed). Taylors main hesitation is that she simply doesn’t swing enough; often opting for a tip or roll shot instead that is easily picked up by the opponent. We’ve seen what her fully-formed swings look like, and if she hits it that hard every time, her hitting percentage would skyrocket. As a redshirt senior, Taylor is by far the most experienced of the team, and if Dani can instill that confidence in her game to go up and hammer the ball as much as possible, she will definitely be in contention for a starting spot. 

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Harper Murray, a 6-2 junior, and – since Lexi’s departure – the new “face” of the program. It would be pretty hard to keep the 2x All-American off the court, especially when she is so integral to each facet of the game. She has carried much of the offensive load through the past few seasons, and her attack seems to only be growing more efficient and harder to dig. Seriously, in the Ord match it sounded like a gunshot everytime she pummeled the ball. Her offensive expertise is only one aspect of her multifaceted game, alongside her vastly improved passing skills, which she has developed to be among the best in the country. She flows effortlessly from serve receive to attack, knows how to handle un-ideal sets, and hammers down the perfect ones. She even unveiled a new weapon in her arsenal this spring, the jump top-spin serve –which, if contacted properly, is an almost-ace everytime. In addition, Harper has grown significantly as a mental and emotional leader for this team; you can see an overt difference in her maturity levels from Freshman year to now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she earned the role of captain.  

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Skyler Pierce has flown under the radar for many due to her status as a redshirt last season, but her abilities and potential are not something to be overlooked. Her performance in the Kansas match was somewhat hindered by some poor sets and a lack of attempts, but the Ord match proved her prowess; getting kills from almost anywhere on the court. There were several swings where she was quick enough to even beat the block, bouncing it mid-court in an impressive fashion. She is so fun to watch with her dynamic style, impressive pin blocking, and out-of-this-world vertical. There's certainly a reason she has been coined “Sky High;” it looks like she's floating in the air each time she goes to attack, and is able to cut some really sharp angles. Although we didn’t get to see much of her in the back row, she has been a strong six-rotation outside since her high school days, and there's no doubt they have improved even more in the practice gym. I don’t like how some fans have been counting her out of the OH2 battle, but I think their minds will be quickly changed once they get to see her in action more.

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Teraya Sigler, although only a freshman, plays like a seasoned veteran. Her all-around play, overall consistency, and on-court demeanor mirror that of an upperclassman – no doubt coming from her experience with USA and Club Nationals. Teraya is more than accustomed to big moments, and I think she is 100% prepared to fulfill whatever role is asked of her. Not only did she show a diverse toolbox of shots over the spring matches, but was the most efficient attacking out of the back row. It wasn’t just the power part of her game that drew me to her, but the subtle consistency of her serve reception, something very few freshmen excel at instantly. Her back court game was just as strong, with a thumper of a serve and infectious personality to go along – she's the full package. Already, Teraya has more than lived up to her title as the top recruit in the nation, and she’s only going to get better throughout her career. 

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While there's certainly nothing wrong with running a balanced offense, in the modern era of college volleyball, it seems almost imperative to have that aggressive, go-to attacker. Nebraska’s lack of terminal pins that can clean up the trash even on tough plays – like Babcock, Franklin, and Skinner – is a liability that has been exploited in past seasons. While the Huskers have had some incredibly talented outsides, they have yet to have a Jordan Larson-esque revelation in the position since Mikaeyla Foeke. In this current era, Harper seems to be the most likely candidate to earn her place as “one of the greats,” and I have no doubt in her ability to do so. I have a feeling she's going to be on another level this season.

I’m not going to make a prediction on who will start, considering Dani herself said that they’d probably be tweaking the lineup into the start of conference play. This is one of several tough decisions for Busboom-Kelly, but unlike Cook, we know that she doesn’t shy away from trying new things and getting different looks. I have no doubt that if a starter is struggling, that Dani won’t hesitate to sub in someone from our very capable bench. It also could vary match-to-match; if there's a taller block in front of them, she may opt for Taylor’s height, but if they’re playing a smaller but scrappier team, Skyler or Teraya could certainly go to work with their vast array of shots. Regardless, this is the most confidence I’ve had in the outside position for the past several years, and the pure depth of ability is something that should certainly be taken advantage of. 

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