Nebraska Volleyball signs two top-20 athletes to its class of 2024
Nebraska volleyball officially signed two top 20 players to their class of 2024 on National Signing Day.
The Huskers add Olathe, Kansas outside hitter Skyler Pierce and Bennington, Nebraska libero Olivia Mauch. Both players have been committed to NU since the summer before their junior seasons.
6-foot-4 middle blocker Ayden Ames was a part of Nebraska’s class for a long time. However, she flipped to Texas eight days before National Signing Day to stay home.
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This Husker recruiting class was ranked No. 1 by PrepVolleyball.com before Ames decommitment.
Since the recruiting class rankings were released in June 2023, Pierce has dropped from the No. 2 overall recruit to No. 20. However, she ranks higher on Prep Dig’s rankings.
Nebraska’s class ranking will go down after three straight top-ranked classes (2023, 2022, 2021).
Pierce adds dynamic arm talent
6-foot-3 outside hitter Skyler Pierce is the No. 20 player in the class of 2024, according the PrepVolleyball.com. Prep Dig ranks her as the No. 4 player in the class and the No. 1 outside hitter.
“Skyler is a six rotation outside and is a talented multi-sport athlete who excelled in basketball, too,” Husker Head Coach John Cook said. “She has spent time with the U.S. Under 19 and 21 teams and has competed at an extremely high level. Skyler already bleeds Husker red and has traveled to more of our matches than any recruit we’ve had before.
“Skyler is an incredibly gifted athlete who is not only a great attacker, but can serve, pass and play defense in the back row as well. She has a very calm but stable demeanor to her but is a fierce competitor who wants the ball in big moments. We are excited to see her develop into a dominant left-side attacker, and she will be a great addition to our team.”
At Olathe (KS) Northwest High School, Pierce recorded over 1,700 kills and 1,000 digs. Over her four seasons on varsity, Pierce hit .321 and averaged 4.9 kills per set.
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As a senior, she recorded 444 kills, hit a career-high .402 and averaged 4.6 kills per set. She added 230 digs, 43 blocks and 67 aces. The outside hitter averaged 0.70 service aces per set as a senior.
Pierce led Olathe Northwest to a third-place finish in class 6A. She was on the KVA 6A Volleyball All-Tournament team with two other teammates. Plus, she was named the Sunflower League Player of the Year for the third straight season.
She was named a 2023 AVCA Girls High School First-Team All-American.
As for club volleyball, Pierce played for Dynasty, one of the top clubs in the nation. Dynasty’s 17 Black team was the 17 Open National Runner-Up. Pierce was on the All-Tournament Team with teammate and 2025 opposite hitter Abigail Mullen, the No. 1 player in her class.
Pierce will play a few high school basketball games in December before graduating and enrolling early at Nebraska in January.
Nebraska adds Bennington all-time dig leader Olivia Mauch
Libero Olivia Mauch is the all-time dig leader at Bennington (Neb.) High School. She is the No. 16 overall 2024 recruit according to PrepVolleyball and is the No. 49 recruit in the class by Prep Dig.
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“Olivia is one of the most technically sound and steady liberos in the country,” Cook said. “She has played at a high level with the U.S. Under 19 National Team and helped them win a world championship this summer in Croatia. She’s got a feel for the game that you really want to see in a libero.
“Olivia is always in the right spot at the right time and just makes it look easy. She is an elite serve receiver who can easily take charge of the back row. We have watched her emerge into a fiery and vocal leader for her teams. Olivia understands what it means to be a Nebraska volleyball player and we are looking forward to her continued growth as a Husker.”
She recorded 2595 digs during her four years on varsity. As a junior, Mauch had 837 digs, averaging 8.5 digs per set. In her final season as a Badger, Mauch had 682 digs and 7.1 digs per set average.
At the service line, Mauch served 49 aces or roughly 0.5 aces per set as a senior. Over her high school career, she served 0.6 aces per set. As a senior, Mauch started taking the second contact a lot more in out-of-system plays. She had 90 assists as a senior and 39 as a junior.
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According to Maxpreps, Mauch only had two service reception errors in over 500 receptions in her final season. She did allow a single ace in 2022.
The libero was a huge part of Bennington making the Class B semifinals for the first time in school history in 2022. In 2023, the Badgers also advanced to the Class B Semifinals but fell to Norris.
During Bennington’s two state matches in 2023, Mauch recorded 81 digs and 15 assists in eight sets. She had 58 digs in the Badgers’ five-set loss to Norris in the semifinals.
As for club volleyball, Mauch anchored Premier Nebraska 18 Gold. They were the 2023 18 Open National Championship runner-ups.
Mauch was the libero for the US Girls U19 Team that won the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championship in August. She had 13 digs in the championship match.
