In place of Andi Jackson, Kenna Cogill displays growth in Nebraska's sweep of DePaul

Jackson, who walked out to pregame warmups at Wintrust Arena in street clothes, was coming off an ankle injury suffered Wednesday against South Dakota State. The Huskers knew they didn’t need Jackson to get by the Blue Demons.

The trust Busboom Kelly had in her middle blocker depth helped her not deviate from that plan.

With Jackson on the bench, Kenna Cogill stepped into a starting role next to Manaia Ogbechie without a hitch, assisting the Huskers to a 25-19, 25-13, 25-15 sweep in Chicago that was never in doubt.

“They just did a great job from the start,” Busboom Kelly said of Cogill and Ogbechie after the win. “I have a lot of confidence in all of the middles, outside of Andi, to do a great job, whether they are M1 or M2. I thought they delivered and it was awesome to see. They made some really big plays.”

Jackson, according to Busboom Kelly, could be available in Sunday night’s Wrigley Field match against Missouri. Nebraska’s confidence in Cogill, a second-year player, and her ability to replace Jackson’s production against the Blue Demons could sway her thinking, sticking with what worked on Friday.

In her first career start, Cogill finished with four kills on 10 swings and a team-high seven blocks. She played all three sets. Ogbechie added four kills and two blocks in just two sets of work.

Cogill said she felt some jitters walking onto the Wintrust Arena floor, in front of a Nebraska-majority crowd.

They quickly went away, and she was able to settle into the game.

“When that died down, it was more just fun getting to show what our team has been working on the past couple months,” Cogill said.

Cogill has rarely been able to show her growth since arriving in Lincoln in the summer of 2025. She redshirted as a true freshman and only appeared in two sets to this point this season.

Cogill said her blocking has improved the most since getting to college, and it is something she takes pride in as she tries to make game-changing plays.

“All the middles have been working on it so much,” Cogill said. “Just the reading of (the ball), we talked about being long and over today, so all of that.”

Cogill and Nebraska (4-0) know that Jackson’s return will limit her on-court responsibilities in the near future. But for now, she is making the most of an expanded opportunity, hoping it leads to more in the future.

“Just taking everything from that game, focusing more on being fast and getting over on my blocks,” Cogill said. “Just taking all of that in.”