With the first sessions of the Big Ten Volleyball Media Day behind us, there’s a lot to unpack. Star players and coaches from the top NCAA volleyball schools said a lot about the upcoming season. Defending champions Penn State’s coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley announced her intentions to win again. Yet, it was Nebraska stars Harper Murray and Rebekah Allick who generated a lot of buzz, and not because of their large fan base.
You see, the upcoming season will be new head coach Dani Busboom Kelly’s first season with the Huskers. While John Cook’s sudden retirement in January was an absolute shocker for the team and the fans, excitement about seeing Dani Busboom Kelly back again is now at an all-time high. What’s more? The woman who helped Nebraska clinch national titles as a student and an assistant coach is not shy about trying new things.
So the hosts asked Harper Murray if she would treat the fans with a new serve this year. “Potentially,” the 20-year-old said in the Big Ten Volleyball published on X. However, the outside hitter didn’t reveal exactly when she plans to pull out the new serve. “Dani’s letting me try it out a little bit. I’ll whip it out here and there,” added Murray, keeping the suspense alive. Meanwhile, there’s a good reason why the hosts asked this question in the first place.
In the six months since taking the reins from her mentor, John Cook, DBK has already shown she’s willing to experiment to find success with Nebraska. While she has preserved the foundation that John Cook built across 25 seasons, the 40-year-old has made tweaks. One of those tweaks involves trying new things, even if they are unplanned. Case in point? The spring game against Kansas.
Q: We’re gonna see a new serve from you this year?
A: “Potentially.”
Expect to see @HuskerVB star @harpermurray4 doing some topspin jump serves this fall.#B1GFirstServe pic.twitter.com/nq7CWsqbXq
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) July 28, 2025
During the April 26 clash, Harper Murray and Co. surprised fans when Andi Jackson switched from middle blocker to D-ball attacker. That was a change John Cook never made, but it worked wonders against Kansas. “The funny thing is that it was our first time running it live. And it worked,” Jackson confessed after the Huskers’ 4-0 win. DBK chimed in too.
“She killed like six of them in a row in one drill, and we’re like, we should probably do that in a game,” said Dani Busboom Kelly. So when Jackson and Bergen Reilly asked to test it out against Kansas, DBK agreed. And this is a hint of things to come.
Harper Murray hinted at a lot more new yet to come
Speaking after her Big Ten Media Days segment, Harper Murray explained how Dani Busboom Kelly has brought fresh ideas to Devaney Sports Center. While Coach John Cook followed his tried and tested methods to get Nebraska to the top of the mountain every season, lately the Huskers have missed the title by a whisker every year.
From Texas to Penn State, the Huskers have had to deal with some heartbreaking losses in the past few seasons. However, Harper Murray feels that DBK tweaking Coach Cook’s fundamentals and injecting her methods will only help Nebraska. “All love to John, but I think maybe we did need a little bit of a change,” said the NCAA volleyball star.
Credit – Instagram/Harper Murray
“Dani’s been able to bring that out of all of us. It’s been super fun. She’s open to more ideas. She’s very… she’s laid-back. I’ll put it that way,” Harper Murray told HuskerOnline. Switching things up during the clash with Kansas is the perfect example of what Murray tried to say. Murray also spoke about taking on more responsibility as a Husker.
After all, Murray and her fellow juniors and seniors now have to step up to the leadership roles that Lexi Rodriguez, Merritt Beason, and the rest of the graduates left behind. While it’s been overwhelming at times, Harper Murray believes things will go smoothly once the season kicks off and everyone finds their groove.
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