Dani Busboom Kelly is two for two after the much-awaited spring volleyball game in Ord. The relatively small court was filled to the brim with fans, some of whom waited “15+ hours for their spring match tickets,” as per Hurrdat Sports. In fact, the hype surrounding what the Huskers will look like under their new head coach was palpable from the very beginning.
Huskers Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal revealed the buzz around the town with a little over 2000 people. “1,400 tickets for Nebraska’s spring match in Ord sold out in 27 minutes,” he wrote on X in April. And what a show Dani Busboom Kelly’s Nebraska Huskers put on for those 1500 volleyball fans in Ord. DBK’s roster featured everyone from stars like Harper Murray to rookies like Campbell Flynn. It was a new look from a diverse roster that DBK has tweaked since arriving. However, that doesn’t mean everyone’s liked every change she’s made.
Take Harper Murray, for example. The 20-year-old is one of the players in the best position to truly feel every change, having trained with John Cook for two years. So when the media asked one thing she didn’t like about Danu Busboom Kelly’s training style, the volleyball star didn’t think too long. “The one thing I don’t like is that we have to shag our own balls coach didn’t make us do that,” Murray said during the post-game interview.
Then again, is it surprising? After all, picking up every ball from the court after the drill probably doesn’t feel as fun as scoring kills. Thankfully, it’s nothing major, and the 20-year-old does love most of those changes. “I just really like how we do competitions a lot. With coach (John Cook) it was timed so we didn’t know how long we were going to go for, we didn’t know how many reps we were going to get,” said Murray.
However, things are different with Dani Busboom Kelly. “With Dani, there’s always a goal at the end of the drill. So I think that’s also something that we really like that she changed,” Murray added. Murray has said in earlier interviews that adjusting to DBK’s style has been a learning experience so far. No matter what, Harper Murray has had faith in John Cook’s choice from the very beginning. And the results are showing.
The standouts of Dani Busboom Kelly’s Huskers
The Nebraska Huskers’ spring game in Ord was a huge success. In fact, calling it a success is probably an understatement. Besides selling nearly 1400 tickets in under 30 minutes, the Ord High School volleyball court played host to a sold-out 1750-strong crowd. Yes! You read that right. In a town with a population of just about 2000 people, 1750 of them watched the Huskers take on South Dakota State.
Dani Busboom Kelly also didn’t hesitate to give the rookies a place on the squad. The result? The 4-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19) against South Dakota saw some old stars reassert themselves, and the new talent showed her mettle. Harper Murray notched 12 kills, including the one that finished off the game. But that’s not all. The outside hitter also posted five blocks and two aces.
Meanwhile, Andi Jackson once again proved her offensive prowess. While this time she didn’t surprise the fans with a D-ball attack, Jackson still scored 11 kills and 10 blocks. And how can we forget Campbell Flynn? The Gatorade High School Player of the Year stunned fans by notching a whopping 44 assists in four sets. Yet, that’s not all, as the setter posted eight digs, four kills, and four blocks for good measure.
Dani Busboom Kelly had said that she would work on organizing the Huskers’ offense. Well, winning eight straight sets in two strong games is any indication; those changes are coming along just fine. With that being said, the man whose foundations Dani Buboom Kelly is developing was there with them. Hurrdat Sports spotted John Cook and DBK sharing a moment on the sidelines. As the Huskers enter the offseason, maybe the only kink in their armor is finding a libero to live up to Lexi Rodriguez’s legacy.
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