One of the most incredible aspects of Nebraska volleyball’s run under Dani Busboom Kelly is that the Huskers are in their second straight undefeated regular season. Even more incredible, NU isn’t just undefeated in matches; more often than not, the wins come in straight sets. That’s not simply because the Huskers are much more talented than their opponents, or just blind luck. It’s an approach the team has adopted that lets them win sets and matches in small chunks.
Busboom Kelly’s squad is now 159-0 in sets where they get to 20 points first. They were 3-0 on Saturday night against USC in yet another straight-set sweep. Earlier this week, veteran middle blocker Andi Jackson explained how the “first to five” approach has worked for her team over the last two years.
“We always just say foot on the gas,” The Nebraska superstar told Hail Varsity. “And in those timeouts we like to say games to five, and so usually at the beginning of the game we're like, first five points let's make a statement and then when we get to five we're thinking all right 10, 15.”
“So we have those benchmarks of five, and I think that it really shows at the end when we hit 20, like we want to be the first one to 25. So really shutting it out, and yeah, many games to five, so we minimize it and just do those different levels.”
Nebraska volleyball is 156-0 when reaching the red zone (20 points) first under Dani Busboom Kelly in her two seasons. 🤯
— Hail Varsity (@HailVarsity) October 23, 2026
Andi Jackson explains the team's "first to five" mentality. pic.twitter.com/V79vffYELW
Andi Jackson explains Nebraska volleyball’s 'first to five' mentality behind historic run
While the approach isn’t new, they used it last year as well, and they hope perfecting their current system will let them bring the same “first to five” goal tracking into the NCAA Tournament.
In their Saturday night game against USC, Nebraska also tied a school record. The Huskers won their 52nd consecutive regular-season match dating back to the end of the 2024 season, matching 52 straight that spanned the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Nebraska also won its 63rd straight regular-season home match, including 61 at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 wins over the Trojans also showed that when the Huskers reach 20 points first, they tend not only to reach 25 first, but to do it in style. USC never even really approached 20, and that’s another norm for this run.
In the 159 sets they’ve won this season, they’ve allowed an opponent to reach 20 in the same set just 9 times. The Huskers have allowed only two matches in which their opponent scored 20 or more in a set.
Nebraska’s “first to five” approach has helped them pile up wins. It’s also allowed them to dominate. How far can it take them?
Add us as a preferred source on Google