Nebraska Women’s Roundup: Softball’s off-season focus, Nebraska pro, college volleyball lead world in attendance
Nebraska Softball’s season did not pan out how anyone imagined. They suffered six season-ending injuries, including two-time national champion pitcher Jordy Bahl. The Huskers finished the season 30-23 overall after losing in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, so what’s next for NU?
Head Coach Rhonda Revelle is losing eight seniors, including five with significant roles. In the infielder, Nebraska needs to replace three-time First-Team All-Big Ten shortstop Billie Andrews and second-team All-Big Ten third baseman Sydney Gray. Pitchers Sarah Harness and Kaylin Kinney are graduating as well. Additionally, 2023 First-Team All-Big Ten Brooke Andrews will no longer be in the outfield.
The Huskers will use the transfer portal to pick up talent and experience. Having Bahl on the roster will undoubtedly turn heads and catch the attention of good players. Bahl also created NIL opportunities for herself and her teammates. The 1890 Initiative had an increase in donations for NU softball, and it will continue.
The 2023 season was expected to be special, with Bahl in the circle and so much experience all over the field. The injuries derailed the plans, but NU did a great job of battling past the adversity. The team will definitely look different in 2024, but Nebraska could add some exciting names from the portal.
Now, let’s jump into this week’s edition of the Nebraska Women’s Roundup, including Track and Field’s 53 NCAA Bids and the state of Nebraska leading the world in college and professional volleyball attendance.
Nebraska Women’s Roundup: Softball season concludes, Track and Field Big Ten runners-up
Stats of the Week:
53: Nebraska Track and Field earned 53 bids to the NCAA West Preliminary round on May 22-25 at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark. All athletes who rank in the top 48 in their event earned berths along with 24 of the best relays.
The women received 30 bids, with 26 individuals, and the men earned 23 bids as a unit. Mine De Klerk, Ashley McElmurry, Amelia Flynt and Kalynn Meyer will compete in two events.
5: Five Husker Track and Field stars were selected on the All-Big Team First Team: Tyus Wilson, Axelina Johansson, Rhianna Phipps, Rhema Otabor and Darius Luff. Additionally, 11 were selected on the second team, including Ashley McElmurry and Jenna Rogers on the women’s side.
Nine of the men who led NU to the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Championship made the second team as well – Garrett Kaalund, Dash Sirmon, Cade Moran, Micaylon Moore, Kavian Kerr, Jeremiah Smith, Henry Zimmerman, Kevin Shubert and Terrol Wilson.
14.8: Former Husker Women’s Basketball guard Sam Haiby had a strong start to her first four professional games. She plays for Mackay Meteorettes in Australia’s NBL1. In her first games, she averaged 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game. She also shot 41.5 percent from field goal range and 78.95 percent from the free throw line.
9656: The Omaha Supernovas averaged 9,656 fans per match at the CHI Health Center during the regular season of the inaugural season of the Pro Volleyball Federation. Not only did they lead the league in attendance, but they also led all the professional volleyball teams worldwide. Conegliano in Italy is second with a 4,614 attendance average. The Columbus Fury, a PVF team, is third with a 4,518 average attendance.
Every year, Nebraska proves why it is the epicenter of volleyball in the U.S. They continue to uphold the honor. The Huskers lead the world with 12,603 average attendance during the regular season in 2023. The numbers were bumped up by the 93,002 fans at Volleyball Day in Nebraska. The Omaha Supernovas are second in volleyball attendance worldwide.
It’s no wonder USA Volleyball is planning to move its headquarters to Gretna, Nebraska, from Anaheim, California. No one loves volleyball more than Nebraska.
League One adds another former Husker: Former Husker Outside Hitter Madi Kubik returns to the USA after two seasons overseas. She joins former Huskers Jordan Larson and Justine Wong-Orantes on Omaha’s League One team.
The League One Omaha team is putting pressure on the Omaha Supernovas, a PVF team, to get familiar faces on their roster.
Additionally, LOVB announced their six head coaches. Former Arkansas associate head coach and Kansas State head coach Suzie Fritz will be Omaha’s leader. Fritz spent 22 years as K-State’s head coach, leaving as the program’s all-time winningest coach after a 393-263 record in 22 seasons.
Player of the Week: Billie Andrews
Nebraska shortstop Billie Andrews deserves one more Player of the Week honor before she leaves the Huskers. Andrews had a great season despite the chaos caused by NU’s injuries. She earned her third First Team All-Big Ten honor and was Nebraska’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year. She was named the NCAA Player of the Week after the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in February.
Andrews made the Big Ten All-Tournament Team despite the Huskers falling in the semifinals. She had six RBI thanks to three home runs on six hits in two games.
The 2024 team captain is leaving Nebraska with a program-high 61 career home runs and the most games with multiple home runs (8). The Gretna native also drew a program-high four walks in two games. Andrews also hit 20 home runs in 2022, the most by a sophomore in Husker history.
Replacing both Andrews sisters will be extremely difficult for the 2024 season.
National and recruiting news:
Lisa Bluder retires, Jan Jensen next Iowa Head Coach: Iowa Head Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder has retired. Jan Jensen, Bluder’s assistant for 24 years at Iowa, is the next head coach. Bluder led Iowa to back-to-back National Championship games. Bluder is the Winningest Coach in Big Ten Women’s Basketball history.
In Nebraska and Iowa’s last 12 meetings, the Hawkeyes won 11 games. Their last matchup was in the Big Ten Tournament championship, where Iowa won 94-89 in overtime. NU’s one victory was in Lincoln in 2024 to upset the No. 2 Hawkeyes 82-79 behind a 14-point comeback.
Iowa will undergo a significant change for the 2024-25 season as Bluder and Caitlin Clark have both moved on.
Soccer adds two to 2024 Husker squad: Nebraska soccer added a transfer and a Class of 2024 defender to its roster. Gracie English is a graduate transfer forward and spent two seasons at Saint Louis and her junior and senior years at Missouri State. The Bellevue East product helped Saint Francis to two conference titles. As a senior at Missouri State, she scored a team-high seven goals with three assists and tied the school record with five game-winning goals.
Defender Reese Snowden was previously committed to Kansas State. While at Manhattan (Kan.) High School, she led her team to three straight Kansas Class 6A fourth-place finishes. She had 48 career goals and 28 career assists. The defender is also a three-time KHSSA Class 6A All-State Second Team and three-time All-State selection.
They join Anya McKay, Maddy Osborn and Rin Sato in Nebraska’s 2024 newcomers.
Liz Schmeltzer named Rifle Head Coach: Nebraska Rifle has named Elizabeth “Liz” Schmeltzer as their eighth head coach in program history. Schmeltzer is a former NCAA National Champion and 11-time All-American at TCU. She also represented Team USA in the 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships, winning a silver medal in the smallbore and bronze in the prone.
Schmeltzer worked for two-time Olympian Lucas Kozeniesky as a coach for Team Winning Solution in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the past two and a half years.
On the horizon:
Track and Field: The NCAA West Preliminary Rounds run from May 22 to May 25 at the John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark. The meet starts at 10:00 a.m. CT on Wednesday and Thursday. The first event is at 1:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. All four days can be streamed on ESPN+.
The Huskers compete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 5-9 in Eugene, Oregon at Hayward Field.
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