51¶ÌÊÓƵ

And for Lincoln Lutheran, it’s never happened until now.

College volleyball signing day was historic in northeast Lincoln as Lincoln Lutheran defensive specialist Keri Leimbach made it official with the Huskers on Wednesday. It comes just a few days after she led the Warriors to a state championship, and about two months before she’ll enroll at Nebraska and start training with the Huskers.

Lincoln Lutheran has sent seven players to NCAA Division I, but this is the first time in the 30 years of the program that one is going to play for the five-time national champions.

“This is our first player that’s a Husker,� coach Sue Ziegler said. “That’s awesome. It’s amazing to have her just down the street, literally, and be playing state championships on the court that you’re going to be playing on for four years.�

It’s the first time in six years that a player from a Lincoln high school signed with Nebraska — the last being Emma Gabel of Lincoln Pius X in 2019 — and just the second time in the past 13 recruiting classes.

For Leimbach, it’s special to be the first from her school to go to the Huskers.

“It’s really cool, and this opportunity it just shows that my hard work pays off,� Leimbach said.

That she’ll be on the team in January is “surreal.�

“Growing up a Lincoln kid just being able to go play for the university is pretty special and I’m really blessed,� Leimbach said.

While playing with the Huskers will be a major step up, Lutheran’s program trains at a high level with two former Huskers as assistant coaches with Kadie Rolfzen and Michelle (Lynch) Sjuts.

At Nebraska, Leimbach knows she’ll improve her defense while “going against the best hitters in America.�

Leimbach had family friends who had season tickets and would sometimes go to Nebraska matches with her dad.

Nebraska’s coaches started recruiting Leimbach as soon as they could. She ended up as the No. 40 national recruit.

Ziegler has known Leimbach for many years and knew from a young age she could be pretty good.

“She was always playing with her older siblings or anybody who would grab a ball and play with her,� Ziegler said. “It didn’t matter their age Keri wanted to challenge herself to be better. When she’d come to our camps sometimes we’d have to bump her up an age group or two because she was already talented as a young girl.�