Nebraska
Husker Volleyball in Ord, Nebraska
Nebraska vs South Dakota
When: Saturday, May 3rd 2025, 2:00 pm (CT)
Where: Ord High School
Watch: Nebraska Public Media and BTN+
Radio: Husker Radio Network
Live stats
When Nebraska’s volleyball team took to the court for the first time in a match under the coaching eye of Dani Busboom Kelly on April 26th, the energy in the Bob Devaney Sports Center and John Cook Arena was pumping. The players describe being nervous and the fans treated the event like an in-season match of consequence. It made me wonder, where does this energy come from?
There are other college teams hosting spring matches and other programs poised for a great season, but they are not selling out their stadiums. The excitement that perpetually flows around Nebraska volleyball seems to spring from at least two sources.
First, the Huskers are very talented and win a lot, which is exciting. But those other programs do that too; winning isn’t the only thing. And so, the second source is the program’s relationship with the state itself; demonstrating reciprocity and dedication to its home fans that no other program can match.
Since 2007, Nebraska has played spring matches in North Platte, Scottsbluff, Grand Island, Norfolk, Wayne, Ogallala, Kearney and McCook. Ord is the smallest of the cities and towns to host Nebraska’s volleyball team, thus far, but that doesn’t mean there will be any less excitement. The town of 2,000 people is “ecstatic”, according to mayor Jeramy Sedlacek.
Watching the Huskers in this intimate atmosphere is likely to impress. Have you had the experience of walking back into your elementary school as a grown adult? If feels small and you feel like a medium giant in the hallway. The proportion of your size, to the small-scale cubbies or water fountains has changed.
Apply this comparison to the top-level volleyball athletes returning to play in a high school gym. Andi Jackson is jaw droppingly impressive in the Devaney Center; she will be hard to describe in this smaller space. Laney Choboy can use her speed to cover 15 feet before you realize it on Terry Pettit Court, but in the intimate confines of the Ord High School gym? She’ll look like a laser bolt. She may not have as much space to use but her speed will still be there.
The distance between Allick’s block to the ceiling of Devaney compared to the distance of her hands to the ceiling of the OHS gym will be dramatic. You get the idea. Big, fast action by highly athletic women in a very small place. It will be thrilling, electric.
It might be tough to perceive on TV or radio, so unless you’re one of the 2,000 in the gym tomorrow, it may not be apparent. But see if those hairs on your arm stand up once or twice… that’s electricity, you’ll feel it.
So back to the beginning, where does the energy come from? It comes from these high- powered athletes playing small gyms all over the state and churning up energy like a dynamo, completing the circuit of electricity that flows back to Lincoln on fall weekends, creating a buzz and bright lights like no other program can replicate.
And in a larger sense, the state of Nebraska has a volleyball program that is outsized in its notoriety from the size of the space within which it exists. The Huskers are like the Yankees of college volleyball, selling out stadiums and bringing energy wherever they go. And for a day, that bright shining star of a program will be in Ord. Because Ord, and all the little towns across the state, is really where it all begins. This will be fun.
QUEEN CREEK, AZ — A slice of the Midwest is coming to the East Valley! Godfather’s Pizza from Omaha, Nebraska, is set to open a new location this month in Queen Creek.
Bruce Cannon, who owns and operates two Godfather’s Pizza locations in Lincoln and Norfolk, Nebraska, will also own and operate the new Queen Creek restaurant.
“This marks the brand’s first traditional Godfather’s Pizza restaurant in Arizona since 2009, signaling an exciting return to the Phoenix metro area,” read the news release sent to ABC15.
The restaurant will open near Queen Creek Rd and Signal Butte Rd.
The restaurant will provide dine-in, carryout, and third-party delivery options, featuring its classic pizza lineup alongside favorites like breadsticks, streusels, and specialty pies.
IF YOU GO
- Opening date: January 19, 2026.
- Address: 22485 Queen Creek Road, Suite 101
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The quarterback position has been one of the most intriguing to follow early on into the transfer portal period, as schools across the country make offers to some of the best available arms. Nebraska thought they managed to bring aboard one of the best quarterbacks in the portal on Sunday when they received a commitment from Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.
That commitment ended up being rather short lived, however.
On Monday, reports emerged saying that Minchey was flipping his commitment from Nebraska to Kentucky just one day after declaring he’d be joining the Cornhuskers for the 2026 season.
Instead, Minchey now appears set to join the Wildcats under new head coach Will Stein, who is finishing up his duties as the offensive coordinator for Oregon.
Minchey is entering his redshirt junior season and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He’s spent the last three years as a backup at Notre Dame. He completed 20 of 26 passes this season for 196 yards, but did not have a passing touchdown or interception.
Now, he’ll get the chance to start for Kentucky, replacing former Wildcats quarterback Cutter Boley, who transferred to Arizona State.
As for Nebraska, this is a big blow for the program. It’s not yet clear what direction they’ll turn as the program hunts down its next quarterback after Dylan Raiola entered the transfer portal at the end of the season.
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
Ernest Hausmann is electing to hang it up after a four-year run in college football.
The former Nebraska football and Michigan linebacker announced on social media Saturday that he is medically retiring rather than pursuing a pro football career. Hausmann concludes his college football career with over 250 career tackles in 50 career games. The Columbus, Neb., product finished his final season as Wolverines with 44 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Prior to becoming a national champion with Michigan during his sophomore campaign in 2023, Hausmann was a true freshman standout for Nebraska, playing for his in-state team. The Columbus High School graduate was one of the top prospects in Nebraska during his prep career, becoming an All-Nebraska selection and earning a three-star recruitment rating as the No. 5 player in the state for the Discoverers. Hausmann signed with Nebraska over Arizona State, Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and others.
The linebacker would play in every game of the 2022 season as a true freshman, earning seven starts while finishing with 54 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery in Scott Frost’s final season as head coach. After Frost was fired early in the season, interim coach Mickey Joseph led lead the team as Hausmann’s play improved as the season continued. The linebacker had a 12-tackle performance at Wisconsin in Nebraska’s 15-14 loss in his second-to-last performance as a Cornhusker before ending the year with six solo tackles and a fumble recovery in a Nebraska win at Iowa.
Hausmann entered the transfer portal after his freshman campaign, electing to join the Michigan Wolverines for the 2023 season. He appeared in all 15 games in the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship run, finishing third on the team with 46 total tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in Michigan’s Big Ten Championship Game win over Iowa, totaling eight tackles against the Hawkeyes.
Hausmann started all 13 games as a junior for Michigan in 2024, leading the team with 89 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, and one interception. His performance led to an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by the media and coaches, as well as earning a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama while being named a captain for the game.
During his senior campaign, Hausmann was named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist while earning an All-Big Ten Third-Team selection. He earned four Defensive Player of the Week honors for the Wolverines, and started in Michigan’s 30-27 win at Nebraska on Sept. 20, totaling nine tackles and a sack.
Hausmann was born in Uganda and was legally adopted when he was two years old, but did not join his Hausmann family until he was five years old in 2008. Prior to his senior campaign at Michigan, Hausmann returned to Africa and later partnered with One Million Wells, a nonprofit that seeks to provide water to impoverished communities.
The Wolverine linebacker began communication with his biological family through social media in the past few years, as Hausmann was able to speak to his mother for the first time in 2024. His return journey to Uganda was featured on ESPN’s College GameDay as a feature story earlier in the college football season.
Hausmann stated in his social media post that it was time to “focus on my true purpose on this earth full time.” He added that he would finish his degree at the University of Michigan.
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