Nebraska Volleyball’s Bergen Reilly pens heartfelt note for father Brendan on his birthday

Nebraska Cornhuskers’ volleyball player Bergen Reilly wished her father Brendan on his birthday. She did so with a heartfelt note by sharing a glimpse of her childhood days with Brendan.

The 19-year-old setter posted on her Instagram story to wish her father on his birthday. She captioned the story:

“Happy birthday dad !!... don’t know what I would do without you”

Screenshot of Bergen Reilly’s Instagram story. Credits - IG/ bergenreilly

Bergen was born to her father Brendan and mother Tiffany on May 26, 2005, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both her parents have also been very supportive of her volleyball career, often accompanying her from one venue to another during her journey.

Since joining the Nebraska Cornhuskers in July 2021, Reilly has had a remarkable career, including being named Big Ten Setter of the Year for two consecutive years. With this, she also became the first player in Big Ten history to achieve this feat in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.

She even played a pivotal role in Nebraska’s top-four finish at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships. Following the team’s exit against Penn State in the semi-finals, Bergen Reilly posted on her Instagram to express her gratitude to her teammates as bid them an emotional goodbye, writing:

“Words cannot express how thankful I am for this group of women…To Lexi, Merritt, Kenna, Lindsay, and Leyla, you all have had such an impact on me, this program, and the sport of volleyball as a whole. You have turned this team into a family. Nebraska won’t be the same without you five, but I will forever be thankful that I got to share the court with you all.”

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When Bergen Reilly opened up on why Nebraska Cornhuskers felt the right choice for her

Bergen Reilly at the Division I Women's Volleyball Semifinals 2024 (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Bergen Reilly once opened up about why she felt the Nebraska Cornhuskers was the most suitable college for her. During an interaction with Jessica Coody, the Huskers Radio Network’s host and announcer in July 2023, she spoke on how she eventually became a part of Nebraska, saying (2:01 onwards):

“So, I honestly was pretty under the radar until probably my freshman or sophomore year, just being from South Dakota, playing for a small club, all that. I was never really super highly sought after… And so, I was just kind of going through it, kind of blind, not really knowing, just because there wasn't a lot of people ahead of me that had gone through it through my club.”

However, after attending a setting camp, Bergen Reilly instantly fell in love and eventually decided to commit to Nebraska.

“And then just a couple weeks before the June 15th date, I came down to a setting camp and fell in love instantly... And then June 15th came, they offered me, and originally I was like, ‘I’m gonna take all five official visits’… And then I came to Dream Team, and I was like, ‘I can’t risk losing this position. I can’t let anybody else have this.’” [2:50 onwards]

Notably, Nebraska was initially not a top choice for her to attend, which she also mentioned during the interview.