OMAHA — After piquing everyone’s interest in the first spring exhibition, Tereya Sigler put the volleyball world on notice during Nebraska’s second match of the spring.
The sophomore outside hitter finished with 11 kills on 17 swings against Creighton as the Huskers won the exhibition 25-19, 25-19, 25-15, 15-25 Friday evening in front of 2,374 fans at D.J. Sokol Arena.
Against Iowa State last week, she recorded eight kills on 14 attacks and hasn’t committed a hitting error in either spring match.
“She just has a physical presence at the net like the rest of their team,” Creighton coach Brian Rosen said. “She did a great job out of the back row, and I thought she passed well tonight, too.”
On her first swing of the match, Sigler split the Creighton block for a kill. For her next two kills, she fired missiles from the back row that the Bluejays had little chance of digging. By the end of the first set, the Scottsdale, Arizona native recorded six kills on seven swings.
😮💨 HUGE swing from T from the back row pic.twitter.com/ZemeSyQOLU
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) April 18, 2026
Last season, Sigler suffered a back injury in late October and battled through during the remainder of the season. She primarily played just the back row for Taylor Landfair, who finished her collegiate career. While Sigler dealt with the physical ailment, she used the experience to build trust with her teammates and gain greater mental strength.
“Coming back healthier, but also more confident, has been something I’m proud of, rather than just the injury,” she said.
Sigler attacked all over the court as Creighton never had much of an answer for her. They managed to touch a few of her attacks, but Sigler finished most of her swings with a point. She also flashed her defense in the third set with back-to-back blocks that gave the Huskers a 12-7 advantage and capped off a 4-0 run.
Sigler had her teammates back, too. In the fourth set, after Creighton had scored seven points in a row, opposite Ryan Hunter struggled to terminate on the left pin and committed three hitting errors. Sigler checked into the match and on her first rally, hit a roll shot into the middle of the Bluejay defense to side out and end the run.
Besides feeling fully healthy, Sigler said she has been more aggressive on the court. She’s trying to live out the mantra of “Going for it.” She knows spring is a time to try new things and make mistakes, and isn’t holding back. However, if she is making mistakes in practice, they aren’t carrying over to the match.
“You don’t grow when everything’s going right. You grow when things are rocky, and you’re just building off of taking risks,” Sigler said. “This just showcases how much we work in our gym, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. But it’s also really cool to look back and be like, ‘Okay, we worked for this and to show that we’re not the same people that we were our freshman year or the year before.”
Nebraska players huddle after a kill from Virginia Adriano. The Huskers used a different lineup in each set against Creighton. | Nebraska Athletic
Here are other takeaways from Nebraska’s match:
Mixing it up
Just like in its first exhibition match against Iowa State, Nebraska used different lineups against the Bluejays. While the Huskers split the first two sets and the last two, they switched the look every set on Friday night.
In the first set, Harper Murray and Teraya Sigler started at outside hitter, while Andi Jackson and Keoni Williams played middle blocker. Hunter was at opposite, Bergen Reilly played setter and Laney Choboy got the start at libero. Jayden Robinson subbed in for Sigler late in the set.
For the second set, Murray stayed in and was joined by Pierce at outside hitter. Manaia Ogbechie played middle blocker with Jackson. Virginia Aridano was at opposite, Campbell Flynn played setter and Olivia Mauch wore the libero jersey.
Gabby DiVita made her debut as an outside hitter in the third set along with Sigler. Ogbechie and Kenna Cogill started at middle blocker. Adriano and Reilly played opposite and setter, respectively, and Choboy returned to libero. NU made a double switch with Robinson coming in at opposite and Flynn playing setter.
In the fourth set, Pierce and DiVita played outside hitter. Cogill and Williams teamed up in the middle, Hunter returned to opposite, while Flynn ran the offense and Mauch played libero. Robinson and Reilly subbed in as part of a 6-2 offense.
Ogbechie finished with six kills and a .714 hitting percentage. Jackson, Robinson, Pierce and Murray all tallied four kills. Reilly dished out 20 assists, while Flynn racked up 18. Choboy and Mauch finished with 10 digs each.
NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said they improved in some areas but took a step back in others, which is typical for the spring match when teams are changing lineups.
“Our level was really high for three sets,” she said. “The floor defense on both sides of the net was pretty high level for a spring match, which made it really fun and exciting for fans.”
Always love some neighborly competition! 🌽 pic.twitter.com/oexz80fJtb
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) April 18, 2026
Redshirt growth
Kenna Cogill showed signs of potential last year during the Red-White Scrimmage with 10 kills and five blocks while hitting .421. However, after a brief appearance in the Alumni Match the following week, that was all Nebraska fans saw from her all season as she sat out the year while redshirting.
She is battling with Ogbechie and Williams to earn a starting spot next to Andi Jackson at middle blocker. She started hot with five kills on her first five attacks against Creighton and finished with six kills on a .400 hitting percentage.
While some people might think sitting on the bench the whole season would be difficult, Cogill enjoyed the opportunity to push herself in practice and get better. She said she was excited to go to the gym every day and learn from her teammates. She said her blocking improved, and she’s more confident in herself.
“A lot of people talk about how redshirting is hard, but I saw it more as an opportunity to grow. It didn’t really mentally set me back,” she said. “I always came in and was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to work hard, because it’s going to pay off for the next season.”
Fourth Set Falters
After dominating the first three sets, Nebraska stumbled out of the blocks in the fourth set. Creighton scored seven points in a row and never trailed after the first point of the set.
The Huskers got as close as 12-8 before CU answered with three straight points and then went on a 5-0 run a few points later.
Nebraska committed 12 hitting errors in the set while only recording nine kills. After hitting .393 in the first three sets, the fourth set tanked the hitting percentage as NU finished at .248.
However, Busboom Kelly said she wasn’t overly worried about the performance since they were running a 6-2 offense, which they don’t plan to do in the fall. She said Pierce passed well, and Mauch was “digging absolutely everything.”
“We got rolled in game four, so I wouldn’t say we handled (the adversity) very well, but there were some good things that we saw,” she said. “We’re going to look at those positives and not worry about a couple of those bonehead plays.”
AYDEN. AMES.
Get used to this, Bluejay Nation ‼️#GoJays pic.twitter.com/rSU4ARfK9v
— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) April 18, 2026
Ames returns to the Cornhusker State
Creighton middle blocker Ayden Ames played her first match in the state of Nebraska after spurning the Huskers late in the recruiting process.
Ames was committed to NU for more than a year when she switched her pledge to Texas shortly before signing day in 2023. She spent her first two years with the Longhorns before transferring to Creighton this semester.
Despite the late change of plans, there was no bad blood between Ames and the Huskers before the match. She greeted several NU players whom she knows from club volleyball and the junior national team. Ames also received a warm welcome from NU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Jaylen Reyes and Busboom Kelly.
“Ending up back in Nebraska is just so cool to be back here, even if I’m not in red, I’m in blue, but it’s so awesome,” Ames said. “It was great to play against them for the first time, which is cool.”
Ames finished with seven kills and three blocks for the Bluejays.
The last time Ames was at a Husker match was in 2023, when she was in Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day in Nebraska. She will make a return trip ot Lincoln this fall when NU hosts Creighton at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Even though her volleyball career hasn’t played out like she thought it might, Ames is relishing the chance to play with the Bluejays and enjoy the opportunity she has in front of her.
“My whole journey has been all over the place, but to end up here in Omaha at Creighton has just been the greatest decision I’ve made so far,” she said. “I’m very grateful to be here, even though I’ve had kind of a crazy journey.”
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