Bench Brigade: Huskers’ Exhibition Depth Shocks Cyclones
Nebraska’s volleyball squad split its roster into two distinct lineups and still steamrolled Iowa State 25-17, 25-16, 25-16, 26-24 in a Sanford Pentagon spring exhibition. Coach Dani Busboom Kelly rotated every available player—only redshirt freshman Keri Leimbach hit the court in all four sets—showcasing unshakeable depth. Key contributors included outside hitters Virginia Adriano, Teraya Sigler, Skyler Pierce and newcomers Gabby DiVita, Keoni Williams, Jayden Robinson. Confident frontline attacks yielded 24 kills on 34 swings, zero hitting errors, and featured a back-row attack surprise. Fresh faces like DiVita and Williams added spark off the bench, while seasoned names like Campbell Flynn and Olivia Mauch anchored stability. Even Iowa State’s coach, Christy Johnson-Lynch, praised Busboom Kelly’s seamless lineup engineering and signaled a renewed Cornhusker–Cyclone rivalry on the horizon.
Ah, the romantic poetry of bench depth: nothing says “team synergy” like turning your star players into cameo artists. Nebraska’s coach essentially ran a volleyball open mic night, giving everyone a solo at the mic—even that one freshman who thought she was just coming to watch. If this exhibition proves anything, it’s that Huskers can throw a rotational fiesta so dizzying that Cyclones probably needed Dramamine. And kudos to those confidence-boosting power swings—they’re less about finesse and more about announcing, “We came to crush your dreams in four sets or fewer.” Rivalry renewals? Just code for “please schedule more TV time and give us another chance to bench-load your star hitters.”
Canvas to Gridiron: Husker Artist Brushes Red Glory
On the latest Husker Doc Talk Podcast, hosts Travis Justice and Dr. Rob Zatechka chat with Ashley Spitsnogle, Nebraska’s officially licensed Husker artist. Raised on an Odell farm and art-trained at Doane College, Spitsnogle parlayed a live painting at a Teammates event into a thriving business, capturing Memorial Stadium scenes and storied Husker players on canvas. Despite navigating name, image, and likeness rules plus mountains of red tape, she’s earned her place in Husker Nation’s hearts. Fans can purchase prints at Husker Hounds or her website, or splurge on originals to deck out the ultimate man cave. Her creative journey reveals that earning the right to paint the Big Red is as competitive as any tailgate rivalry.
Move over, offensive coordinators—there’s a new playmaking genius in town, and she wields a paintbrush instead of a playbook. Spitsnogle’s art journey is basically a gladiator’s trial by red tape: channeling seven levels of NIL bureaucracy just to paint guys running around in red jerseys. Who knew that the hardest part of Husker fandom was securing a license to doodle coastal sunsets? Fans are now officially invited to drop more coin on framed football portraits than their last Fantasy Football entry fee. And if you think watching paint dry is boring, try untangling NCAA endorsement clauses—talk about thriller!
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