Nebraska Volleyball position breakdown: Setter

Nebraska volleyball’s season is fast approaching. With six talented freshmen and several players who left the Huskers program, it’s a great time to review NU’s weapons at each position and what each player’s skill set will bring to the program.

Head coach John Cook said the competition has been very high but also healthy on the court. He said he’s planning to mix and match his lineup to find the best combination of athletes. So no position is safe.

Next in the rotation is the setters, a group that has the clearest leader but the most uncertain backup.

Senior Nicklin Hames has been in control of Nebraska’s offense for three years and has made big improvements each year. Hames and Husker volunteer assistant coach Kelly Hunter have been working hard on Hames’s creativity and her improvements are clear.

This season, Hames will have four new hitters (Middle blocker Rylee Gray and outside hitters Whitney Lauenstein, Ally Batenhorst and Lindsay Krause) to take advantage of and create chemistry with.

Sophomore Anni Evans was able to dip her toe in the rocky waters of Big Ten volleyball and played in 15 sets.

At Waverly High School, Evans was a four-year setter and finished with 3,294 career assists. From her moments at Nebraska, it is clear that she is a talented setter and can be a great backup for Hames if necessary.

Evans might get some game experience during the non-conference games to get her acclimated to playing in front of a full Devaney Center.

Despite Evans talent, three years of starting experience at setter is impossible to ignore and is invaluable. Hames is also one of Nebraska’s strongest leaders on the court.

Freshman setter Kennedi Orr has the resume to be a very talented Big Ten setter. She is the No. 1 2021 prospect by PrepVolleyball.com and won gold in the 2018 and 2019 for the USA 18U National Team. She was named the best setter for both.

Orr didn’t play her senior year of high school at Eagan High School in Minnesota because she tore her right ACL, sprained her MCL and partially tore her meniscus. Cook said on Wednesday she is currently participating in 90 percent of practice and will play during the Red/White scrimmage on Saturday.

Because of her injury and consequently a drought of playing volleyball, Orr will likely be the third setter.

However, if she is fully healthy at some point in the season and has a good grasp of Nebraska’s offense, which she was able to learn during her early enrollment, Orr could take the court.

With Hames’s possibility of returning for another season after 2021 and Evans, the Huskers might be interested in redshirting Orr. A lot of that will depend on Orr’s health and how much confidence they have in Evans as a backup.

1. Nicklin Hames

2. Anni Evans

3. Kennedi Orr