Nebraska
Ex- O’Gorman star Bergen Reilly returns to Sioux Falls with Nebraska volleyball
Nebraska volleyball will be playing a spring game at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at the Sanford Pentagon in what will be a homecoming for the Cornhuskers’ All-American setter.
Bergen Reilly, a three-time South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year while at O’Gorman, is a senior on Nebraska’s team. She has become a three-time All-American, three-time Big Ten Setter of the Year, a two-time First Team Academic All-American and the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year.
Saturday’s spring game will represent her first game in South Dakota donning the red and white, and she isn’t quite sure how she’s going to feel stepping on the Pentagon court again for the first time in years.
“It kind of feels just like a full-circle moment getting to start off my senior year here,” Reilly said. “It’s the first spring game of my senior year, so it’ll be really cool to get to go home and have so many friends and family at the game and get to play at an arena I’ve played at a lot.”
Tickets for the event were sold out within minutes, meaning some of Reilly’s friends were unable to get them initially. The Sioux Falls native said she took all the extra tickets on the pass list, her parents have a 50-person suite and over 100 people have contacted her saying they’re going.
Nebraska volleyball is one of the biggest brands in the sport, and big crowds tend to follow. Bringing that fanfare to South Dakota is a point of pride for the former O’Gorman star.
“Everywhere we go, it’s always such a great atmosphere and most of the time the crowd’s cheering for us regardless of how far we are from Nebraska,” Reilly said. “It feels like Nebraska fans just spawn out of nowhere, but it’s been really cool to just see. Whether it’s Washington and Oregon or Rutgers, there’s people waiting outside of our bus after the game and getting to see that environment in South Dakota is going to be really special.”
That pomp and circumstance comes as volleyball has boomed as a spectator sport. The 2025 Nebraska-Texas A&M regional final averaged 1.2 million viewers on TV and peaked at 1.6 million, according to ESPN. Both are NCAA regional records.
That rise has been evident in South Dakota, with Harrisburg’s program rising to a nationally-relevant level after finishing the 2025 season at No. 8 in the AVCA/USA TODAY Super 15 poll.
“I could never imagine that volleyball would be where it is when I started volleyball and even just in middle school, like no one would have ever imagined that we sold out a football stadium and are traveling coast to coast and selling out, so it’s really cool that I could be a little part of that and I’m really happy that it’s it’s definitely getting there in South Dakota too,” Reilly said.
Reilly has become a star both in Sioux Falls and Lincoln due to her success on the court. Lots of young players look up to her, and that has led to some major buzz for her return to the Sioux Empire.
“I don’t even know if I necessarily have to handle it because for me it still feels not real that people are excited to see me or want to take a picture or want my autograph,” Reilly said. “It just feels like I’m still a high school girl that’s playing volleyball just because she loves it, so it’s really awesome that volleyball has given me these opportunities because it really is just me playing the sport that I love with some of my best friends.”
Adding to the nostalgia of the homecoming is the location. Reilly has won many tournaments, in both volleyball and basketball, on the courts at the Sanford Pentagon. She hasn’t really considered what the emotions will be like on the court early on in the game, even though it doesn’t officially count.
“I don’t know what’s going to be going through my head,” Reilly said. “I don’t know if it really feels real that I’m playing in Sioux Falls so I think that’ll take a second to sink in and I’m sure some memories will come flooding back from playing on the Pentagon floor for club tournaments and for high school volleyball and high school basketball, so I’m sure there’ll be a lot going on in my head.”
Reilly and the Cornhuskers will venture back to South Dakota for a regular-season game at South Dakota State on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Brookings.
Nebraska Game and Parks is offering residents a chance to win prizes simply for getting outside and moving, as part of a challenge honoring America’s 250th birthday.
The Outdoor Nebraska 250-Mile Challenge invites participants to log miles through activities like walking, running, kayaking, horseback riding and more using any fitness app. The goal is to reach 250 miles before the end of the year. Once completed, participants fill out a form on the Nebraska Game and Parks website to become eligible for prizes.
Mike Selman, a regular walker at Zorinsky Lake, said the challenge caught his attention.
“I think it’s great, as long as you put in the time and effort,” Selman said.
Selman said getting outdoors is already a big part of his routine.
“I absolutely love it, I love being outdoors, just the beauty, the nature, the trees, the water,” Selman said.
He said one of his favorite aspects of the challenge is the opportunity to explore Nebraska’s many outdoor spaces.
“Especially here, around Zorinsky, Standing Bear, Flanagan, you got great opportunities and great places to go,” Selman said.
When asked if he planned to submit his miles, Selman did not hesitate.
“I’ll definitely think about it, most definitely,” Selman said.
Between Memorial Day and the end of the year, logging just over 1 mile a day would be enough to reach the 250-mile goal and qualify for prizes.
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We’ll have to wait a bit longer to get into the Cowgirls’ Super Regional.
A rainy night in Lincoln meant the teams only managed to get four outs into the Super between Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The game is tied at 0. The weather delay lasted about two hours before they called it.
The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday and be televised on ESPN2. They will not play another game Friday, as Game 2 will now take place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Nebraska football team added its third 2027 offensive line commitment and addition from the state of Georgia on Wednesday.
Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive lineman KD Jones officially announced his commitment to NU this week. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jones picked the Huskers over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He visited Lincoln on May 6 and is scheduled to take his official visit to Nebraska on June 6.
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The Huskers first offered Jones in April, after offensive line coach Geep Wade had previously been recruiting him at Georgia Tech.
“Coach Wade called me and offered me today,” Jones told HuskerOnline on Apr. 25. “He has been on me for a long time, ever since he was at Tech. So his interest wasn’t anything new to me. He came to watch me train at school and was amazed. He offered the next day.”
Jones joins safety Corey Hadley from the state of Georgia in NU’s 2027 recruiting class.
“I knew nothing about Nebraska before the offer,” Jones said in April. But now that Coach Wade and Coach (Lonnie) Teasley are there, I know I can trust them.”
Jones had planned to take official visits to all the schools recruiting him, but his early commitment to NU appears to have shut down those visits.
He jones Omaha (Neb.) Millard North’s Matt Erickson and fellow Grayson product Jordan Agbanoma are the other offensive linemen in the Huskers’ 2027 recruiting class. He’s now the 10th commitment in Nebraska’s class of 2027.
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