Midway through her freshman year, playing for the Huskers still doesn’t feel real for Keoni Williams.
The 6-foot-4 middle blocker has watched her teammates set the standard for college volleyball for several years and said it is surreal to practice and play alongside Andi Jackson, Bergen Reilly, Laney Choboy and others.
Williams joined her teammates on the court Saturday night, finishing with a career-best four kills on eight swings. The top-ranked Huskers used a team effort to dispatch USC 25-12, 25-16, 25-13 in 82 minutes at John Cook Arena.
In her sixth appearance of the season, Williams received her most playing time since the Florida Gulf Coast match a month ago. She also took part in her first post-match press conference and discussed being called in late in the first set.
“I just knew that my teammates were going to rally behind me, and that my coaches had my back as well,” Williams said. “So going in, being confident, and relying on all the work I put in before that, and being in the moment, because that’s something that’s really big, and that you can’t take for granted.”
She’s 👏 a 👏 freshman 👏
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 25, 2026
Key’s 4th kill on the night forces a Trojan timeout! #GBRpic.twitter.com/BIYz7QL4g1
Williams’ effort was part of a dominant performance by Nebraska, which improved to 21-0 overall and 10-0 in the Big Ten. The Huskers hit .400 as Bergen Reilly dished out 34 assists. Harper Murray paced the offense with 14 kills at a .462 clip.
For the first set, it was the Virginia Adriano Show. The 6-foot-5 opposite recorded six kills on nine swings. She finished with a season-high 13 kills and a .500 hitting percentage in her third straight double-digit-kill performance.
NU coach Dani Busboom Kelly said Adriano is settling into her role and has a better mindset after struggling earlier this season.
“We don’t need her to kill every ball,” she said. “Once she was at peace with not having to be perfect or put up these numbers, that’s when you actually do. When you stop worrying about it and just think about how can I help us win today?”
In the second set, Williams took over during her first run through the front row. She recorded kills on her first three swings of the match, helping turn a 6-all tie into a 12-7 lead for the Huskers.
AJ found fingers on that swing to give S2 to the Huskers! 🫰
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 25, 2026
S3 OTW! 🔜 pic.twitter.com/AhwY79NkMz
Jackson also broke out in the second set with four kills on five swings and three blocks. The senior middle blocker finished with eight kills on a .500 hitting percentage and a team-high four blocks.
Several other reserves got a chance to see action in the third set. Skyler Pierce replaced Teraya Sigler in the front row and finished with three kills. Setter Campbell Flynn and opposite Ryan Hunter also made appearances late in the match.
Libero Olivia Mauch led the defense with 10 kills and eight assists. Choboy and Reilly each recorded eight digs.
Busboom Kelly said she liked how consistent Nebraska played no matter who was in the lineup. She said the way the match unfolded let her reward more players for the effort they put in during practice.
“We can be up by 10 points, and you see people diving into the crowd or going all out,” she said. “Just the urgency, no matter what the score is, and no matter who’s on the court, was really impressive tonight.”
Right on cue. 🙂↕️🤏@SkyPierce21 x #GBRpic.twitter.com/bVVMrn0oIF
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 25, 2026
While everything seemed to work for the Huskers, USC never settled into a rhythm. The Trojans scored on their serve only 19 percent of the time (compared to 55.4 percent for NU) and never strung together more than three points.
USC (9-11, 3-7) finished with a .095 hitting percentage after recording six kills and seven errors in the third set. Leah Ford led the team with seven kills at a .462 clip, but she was the only Trojan to finish with a hitting percentage above .100.
Nobody had a rougher night for USC than libero Taylor Deckert. Three times in the first set, a Nebraska attack ricocheted off her face or torso. She left the match before the second set, allowing Omaha Skutt graduate Paisley Douglas to play libero, but returned for the third set. She finished with six digs as the team posted a season-low 26.
With the win, the Huskers tied a program record with their 52nd regular-season victory since the 2024 finale, matching the previous mark from the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Reilly said their success in public matches starts with the work they put in daily. They have weekly culture meetings and build bonds during the offseason that pay off during matches.
“There’s so much that goes into it, and just being able to show up every day and play volleyball with your best friends is ultimately what makes it worth it,” she said. “We all want to do it for each other, so that’s it. It’s easy to go out and play when that’s the kind of joy you’re playing with.”
The match also served as the Huskers’ annual Pink Match. The team honored eight women as honorary starters, each of whom has fought breast cancer. Williams said she got a bit emotional as she walked with Hunter to give one of the women flowers and a mini volleyball.
The Huskers wore pink arm sleeves and pink ribbons in their hair. Busboom Kelly said it’s always a special evening when they honor those battling cancer and survivors.
“I don’t know if there are very many people that don’t know somebody or haven’t been affected by cancer and even breast cancer,” she said. “It’s just awesome to be able to play for something a little bit bigger than ourselves in the program.”