Nebraska
Nebraska Volleyball Preview: AVCA First Serve Showcase vs. No. 9 Kentucky
The 2024 college volleyball season is officially here and two blockbuster matchups are set to kick off a campaign that sees the sport thrust into the national spotlight like never before. With nationally televised matches set to be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, NBC and FOX, growth seems imminent.
At the front of that movement is Nebraska volleyball. For a program that churns out stars year in and year out, 2024 looks no different. All starters return from a 2023 squad that lost in the national championship match to Texas. Ranked No. 2 heading into the fall, Nebraska looks to put that heart-crushing loss in Tampa behind them as they gear up for another challenging campaign.
The Huskers are one of four marquee teams heading to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky as part of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. Nebraska will have its toughest season-opening opponent in years with a matchup against No. 9 Kentucky. It’s the first time since 2019 that the Huskers have faced a ranked opponent to kick off the season and the first time since 2018 that the opponent is ranked inside the top ten.
Here’s all you need to know as Nebraska hits the road to start off 2024.
How to Follow Along
Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Kentucky
Where: KFC Yum! Center
Time: 6 p.m. CDT
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
Kentucky Scout
Head Coach: Craig Skinner | 20th Season | 444-147 All-Time Record
2023 Record: 21-8 (17-1 SEC, 1st) | Lost in Five Sets to Arkansas in Sweet 16
Key Returners: Emma Grome, Setter, Sr. | Brooklyn DeLeye, OH, Soph. | Eleanor Beavin, L, Sr.
Key Departures: Reagan Rutherford, OH (Texas) | Azhani Tealer, MB (Eligibility) | Elise Goetzinger, MB (Eligibility)
Outlook: The Wildcats bring back a strong nucleus heading into Craig Skinner’s 20th season at the helm. Three-time All-American setter Emma Grome is back to run the offense after leading the power five with the most assists per set for the second straight season.
Gone is star hitter Reagan Rutherford to Texas, but the Wildcats return SEC Freshman of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye. The 6-2 sophomore racked up nearly 400 kills in 29 matches including marks of 3.7 kills and 1.7 digs per set along with 12 aces. She’ll be joined by Oklahoma transfer Megan Wilson on the other pin. Wilson saw action in 22 matches last year, but she’s expected to take an expanded role.
Eleanor Beavin leads the Wildcat defense in the back row and will aim to have her best season since winning the SEC Libero of the Year during her freshman season back in 2021.
Middle blocker will be a key area of interest for Kentucky after losing their top four block leaders. Skinner dipped into the portal to grab Xavier transfer Delaney Hogan. The 6-foot senior was a three-time All-Big East selection while being named the 2021 Big East Freshman of the Year. She’ll be the only blocker with college experience as part of a position group that includes redshirt freshman Jordyn Dailey and Brooke Bultema and true freshman Kennedy Washington.
Keys for Nebraska
The No. 2 Huskers are the favorite heading into Tuesday and they have the edge on paper. Nebraska’s block looks to be a key for victory. Kentucky lost its top four block leaders from a year ago and only has one of its four middle blockers with college experience. Husker setter Bergen Reilly may try to target her middle blockers more to expose the hole in the Wildcats’ roster.
Sophomore middle blocker Andi Jackson was hard to ignore in Nebraska’s Red-White scrimmage on Saturday. The game has seemed to slow down for the Colorado native after spending the summer with USA volleyball. Jackson exploded for a match-high 15 kills on a .583 hitting percentage to go with seven blocks. And that was against her teammates who know her tendencies best. Jackson looks ready for a breakout season and she’ll aim to start it against Kentucky on Tuesday.
MORE: Sophomore Middle Blocker Dominates Nebraska Volleyball Scrimmage
MORE: Nebraska Volleyball: White Tops Red in Annual Preseason Scrimmage
MORE: Nebraska Football Fan Gives Blackshirts Unique Gift During Fan Day
MORE: Nebraska Football’s Matt Rhule Sees On-Field Role for Heinrich Haarberg
MORE: Micah Mazzccua Bringing “Physicality” to Nebraska Offensive Line
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — After a hamstring injury during Nebraska’s baseball season, Will Jesske was advised to take it easy this summer. He is, but Jesske has found a new way to stay involved in the game.
Jesske is coaching a local legion baseball team. He is a volunteer assistant for Lincoln Hotel Group, the senior legion team for Standing Bear High School.
Jesske, a Lincoln Southeast graduate, describes himself as the “hype man” in the LHG dugout. He brings energy and enthusiasm, which players enjoy. Jesske said coaching is a way he can give back to local players while helping LHG’s coaching staff. Jesske played under Tanner Lewis and Kyle Beacom in high school. They now lead the LHG legion program.
Jesske is entering his senior season at Nebraska. He has appeared in 95 games over his career, including 33 during the Huskers’ 43-win season this spring. Jesske was injured early in the season but played through it as Nebraska hosted an NCAA regional. He hit .318 in his junior season. Jesske said he is fully healthy and credited extended rest with his recovery.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari wanted in Lincoln, accused of assaulting pregnant woman
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari is wanted in Lancaster County on suspicion of assaulting a pregnant woman in May.
An arrest warrant was filed for Ferrari on Thursday. He faces three felony charges which include first-degree false imprisonment and assault by strangling a pregnant woman.
According to an arrest affidavit, a woman from California contacted police in Lincoln on May 8 just after midnight. She told officers her daughter called for help and pointed them to Ferrari’s apartment.
Police arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door. A pregnant woman came out after several minutes of knocking with no answer. Officers said the woman was visibly upset.
She told officers that Ferrari tried taking her phone away after an argument, but she wouldn’t let him take it. The arrest affidavit shows Ferrari then dragged her off a bed by her feet.
Police think Ferrari then got on top of her and strangled her, likely until she was unconscious. The woman told police that she felt as though her throat “collapsed” and that she was “breathing through a straw.”
Once regaining consciousness, police said the woman tried hiding in a closet and contacting her mother on another device. But Ferrari followed her, pushed her onto a bed and sat on her until she apologized, according to the affidavit.
She apologized in order to be released, police said. The woman then tried to leave the apartment, but police said Ferrari dragged her by the arm back inside. She found her phone and contacted her mother, yelling “help!”, prosecutors wrote.
Ferrari grabbed the phone and hung up, according to the affidavit. The woman’s mother tried calling several more times before calling police.
Authorities transported the woman to Bryan West for treatment. Officers said she sustained injuries consistent with strangulation, including bruising around her neck and other abrasions.
Last weekend, Ferrari was arrested in Lincoln County on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving and obstructing the police. He was cited after a trooper chased a Corvette in the North Platte area.
Lincoln County authorities told KOLN that Ferrari is out on bond. His current whereabouts are unclear.
Court records show that the woman has filed for a protection order against Ferrari. A hearing has been set for July 7 to give him an opportunity to show the court why one should not be issued.
Previously, Ferrari was booked in Lancaster County, Nebraska for an outstanding warrant in January of this year, but those charges were dismissed later that week.
Ferrari parted ways with the Huskers in April of this year.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
The Nebraska State Fair is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a special 72-hour flash sale on Season Passes.
From July 3 through July 5, fans can purchase a 2026 Season Pass for just $50—a significant discount from its regular value of $132.
The pass includes one admission per day for all 11 days of the 2026 Nebraska State Fair, making it ideal for visitors who plan to attend multiple days.
Fair officials say the promotion is one of the biggest Season Pass discounts offered in years and will not be extended.
After July 5, Season Passes will remain available at a higher discounted price.
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