Friday Five: Nebraska hits the road, stays on top and looks ahead
Volleyball’s unbeaten run, football’s first true road test, basketball’s next steps and a new chapter coming for John Cook Arena.
There’s no easing into this weekend.
Nebraska volleyball is chasing perfection, football finally hits the road and both basketball teams are stepping into new chapters. Even John Cook Arena is changing shape for what’s next.
Let’s get into it.
Volleyball looks to remain perfect
The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team is 14-0, leading the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.102) and ranked third nationally in offensive efficiency (.327). Friday night, the Huskers will try to stretch that streak against Washington before boarding a late-night flight to West Lafayette for Sunday’s noon showdown at No. 12 Purdue.
It’s the kind of weekend that tests both legs and focus. Friday’s match at John Cook Arena (8 p.m., BTN) doubles as a Stripe Out with red and white alternating through the Devaney stands. Sunday’s match is online-only via B1G+.
The numbers keep stacking up: Nebraska hasn’t hit above .300 for a season since 2007 and this team’s doing it through balance: Harper Murray (3.59 kills/set), Rebekah Allick (.475 hitting, first in the nation), Bergen Reilly (9.43 assists/set) and Andi Jackson (.379 hitting, 1.07 blocks/set). Freshman Virginia Adriano keeps coming too, fresh off eight kills at Penn State.
Washington sits .500 overall but just took down Ohio State and Iowa, while Purdue is surging after sweeping No. 17 USC and Ohio State. Nebraska’s margin for error is thin: the last five seasons under Dani Busboom Kelly have yielded a staggering .899 win percentage (134-15). But the Big Ten can never be overlooked, no matter the opponent.
John Cook Arena’s next evolution
Nebraska Athletics announced the first full reseating of the John Cook Arena at the Devaney Center and parking process, timed with a 2026 renovation that will lift capacity to 10,000+ and swap bleachers for chairbacks in the A level.
The revenue math is aggressive: expected $8 million haul, nearly double the $4.5 million projected this season. Donation tiers range from $25,000 at the top Nebraska Leadership Society level to $100 for the Sea of Red. Selection windows start June 8 with five minutes per fan to choose seats.
Deputy AD Tyler Kai said renewal rates hover at 99%.
Translation: demand is there, of course. The wait list once hit 2,000 names but the new structure should, theoretically, reward donors while letting more fans in the door.
Renderings and staff booths are popping up at each home match. You can read more here.
Football takes its first real road test
You know, excluding the first game of the season in Kansas City that might as well have been a home game for the Huskers.
Anyway, Matt Rhule’s checklist for great teams — courtesy of Andy Reid — is simple: eliminate distractions, create your own energy and fear nothing. He’ll find out Saturday in College Park how close Nebraska is to checking all three.
The Huskers get Maryland’s noon-Eastern kickoff, travel quirks and a front seven that leads the Big Ten in sacks (19) and interceptions (9).
“We don’t want to make excuses,” Rhule said. “And we don’t want to let others make them for us.”
The weather looks mild — 70 degrees, light rain, much preferred to wind — but the personnel isn’t. Nickelback Malcolm Hartzog Jr. is highly doubtful for a fourth straight week. The 74-man travel roster includes a handful of tight calls, Rhule said, the first real test of depth on the road.
And special teams — once a liability — have turned into momentum fuel.
“Guys are not just playing special teams, they’re causing you to win,” Rhule said.
Between the lines, this game is about identity. Nebraska’s defense hasn’t allowed a passing touchdown all year. Maryland’s quarterback Malik Washington hasn’t been sacked much at all. Something gives.
Amy Williams and the next step for Nebraska women’s basketball
Last March ended the same way the previous three did with a promising Nebraska team bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the opening weekend. Coach Amy Williams doesn’t shy away from that truth. She says the fix starts now, not in March.
“That’s a focus,” Williams said at Big Ten Media Days. “We know that that’s gonna put us in the best position to be able to advance in that tournament, and that’s what we view as next steps.”
The goal: finish as a top-16 team nationally and host the first two rounds at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska’s roster turnover feels strategic too. Northwestern transfer Hailey Weaver torched the Huskers before joining them.
“A little bit of a thorn in our side,” Williams said with a grin.
And Maryland transfer Emily Fisher — a onetime Husker recruit — brings the toughness and IQ that Williams covets.
They join a core that’s seen how thin the margin is between 20 wins and the Sweet 16. Williams’ bet is that experience, plus hosting stakes, finally tip it the right way.
Fred Hoiberg’s crew resets in Chicago
Fred Hoiberg, Rienk Mast and Sam Hoiberg took their turn under the bright lights at Big Ten Media Days, and the tone was confident.
“It was a season of runs,” Fred said of last year’s 2024-25 campaign.
The College Basketball Crown title gave Nebraska something tangible to build on, but he knows the volatility has to settle.
Getting Mast back — healthy, vocal and, in his words, “finally” feeling right — changes everything. Fred called him the roster’s “centerpiece,” noting his gravity as both a shooter and passer. The coach also spotlighted redshirt freshman Braden Frager as a “guy who can flat-out stroke it,” along with transfers Connor Essegian, Pryce Sandfor, and Kendall Blue.
Replacing Brice Williams and Juwan Gary’s defense will take a committee but Fred likes what he sees from Lawrence and Sam as on-ball defenders.
Sam, for his part, said having Mast back “opens up a completely new bag of plays.” Mast added that sitting out reminded him how crucial vocal leadership is and something he plans to supply as loudly as his shooting.
“At the end of the day, that’s all that matters,” Fred said. “We got him back… He brings it every day, and we’re going to need that.”
Bonus: Banana Ball comes to Memorial Stadium
Add baseball — or something like it — to Memorial Stadium’s event list.1
The Savannah Bananas are bringing their 2026 Banana Ball World Tour to Lincoln for two stops: Haymarket Park on June 11 and Memorial Stadium on June 13.
The Saturday game will mark one of more than 70 dates nationwide, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. against the Firefighters. Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen called it “an exciting day for Nebraska Athletics and the City of Lincoln,” noting that the Bananas were one of the most requested events when the department began exploring new stadium shows.
Banana Ball — famous for fan catches counting as outs and a running-clock pace — has exploded into a national phenomenon, selling out every stop in 2025 and packing 81,000 fans into Clemson’s Memorial Stadium earlier this year.
Fans can sign up for the ticket lottery list at bananaball.com through Oct. 31, 2025.
With that, here’s to the weekend ahead. Should be a fun one.
The newsletter was already written by the time this news broke. Hence, the bonus. But hey, just more newsletter for your Friday!