Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez (left) and Madi Kubik celebrate a kill against Campbell during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Journal Star file photo
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (right) celebrates after recording a kill against Kansas during a spring exhibition match on April 23 at Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
CHICAGO — At Nebraska, volleyball players don’t feel like a sideshow to the football program.
Volleyball in the Big Ten is popular, too, and the Big Ten Conference is trying to continue to elevate the sport with more matches on TV and on Monday, the first-ever Media Days for the sport.
Nebraska’s contingent of coach John Cook and seniors Madi Kubik and Kenzie Knuckles made the trip to the Big Ten Network studios in Chicago via a charter airplane — another perk of being a big-time program (and one of the only volleyball programs to ever generate a profit via its ticket sales).
Kubik loves that she’s been able to play volleyball for Nebraska in the Big Ten, the league that has produced five of the past nine NCAA champions.
“I came to Nebraska because I love what Nebraska is as a volleyball program,” Kubik said. “Like I love that we have fans that are ride-or-die; we love volleyball and we love Nebraska volleyball. I love that our staff invests in people as humans and as volleyball players.
“And I love that our university supports us and we’re not a sideshow to football. Like we are our own thing, and that’s really cool, and that’s something I don’t think you see in a lot of other programs. I hope in the future there’s more of that because the game of volleyball is growing and that needs to be validated and seen and heard. I think what we have at Nebraska is so special and friends that I have that go to other schools, and are in other conferences, they just don’t have it like us. It’s sad, and I hope they get it in the future.”
Cook thanked the Big Ten for putting on the event.
“It's a great statement for our sport,” he said. “One of my hopes and wishes from all this is this is now going to spread to other conferences and continue to validate the growth of volleyball in this country and how big it is and the Big Ten is certainly leading the way in setting the example.”
Classmates represent different Big Ten teams: Only 28 players were chosen to attend Big Ten media days, and remarkably, two were classmates from the same high school in Yorktown, Indiana.
Knuckles was there for Nebraska, as was her longtime friend Kylie Murr, the Ohio State libero.
“It’s pretty cool,” Knuckles said. “It’s a surreal moment getting to see her, because I haven’t seen her in a while, and just knowing that we both made it here. It’s pretty awesome. We grew up playing club since we were 9 or 10 years old.”
In the polls: They didn’t have to overthink the conference's preseason poll this season.
Seven months after Wisconsin and Nebraska played in the national championship match, they’ll start the season as the top teams in league in 2022.
Wisconsin is No. 1, and Nebraska No. 2. Minnesota is No. 3, and Ohio State No. 4.
In addition to winning the national title last fall, the Badgers are the defending league champion, winning the league with a 17-3 record. Nebraska was second at 15-4.
Wisconsin has more to replace after graduating All-Americans Dana Rettke, Sydney Hilley and Lauren Barnes.
Nebraska’s most recent Big Ten title was in 2017.
Nebraska had three players chosen for the 15-player preseason all-conference team: Kubik, libero Lexi Rodriguez and middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord. Kubik was the only player in the Big Ten unanimously chosen to the preseason team. Rodriguez was the Big Ten defensive player of the year as a freshman last season.
Big Ten preseason poll
1. Wisconsin
2. Nebraska
3. Minnesota
4. Ohio State
5. Penn State
T6. Illinois
T6. Michigan
8. Purdue
9. Northwestern
10. Maryland
11. Michigan State
12. Iowa
13. Indiana
14. Rutgers
Photos: Nebraska volleyball officially opens 2022 season with spring game in Grand Island
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (right) celebrates after recording a kill against Kansas during a spring exhibition match on April 23 at Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.