The year 2025 has been one of change for the Nebraskan Huskers volleyball team. We’re not talking minor ones like schedule changes or roster shuffles. We’re talking about the big leaps. Earlier this year, the then-Huskers’ head coach John Cook announced his retirement after spending a quarter of a century at the helm of the most sought-after volleyball programs in the country. Alongside his exit, he also announced his successor, who has since then taken to the Nebraskan way of volleyball and life, Dani Busboom Kelly.
Cook’s retirement announcement invoked an array of reactions and emotions from those who revered him and some of the famous names in volleyball; the likes of Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were no exception. In a recent appearance on Wired Axcess, a live show by Hurrdat Sports, Murray opened up on the same. When asked how she was able to cope with the sudden paradigm shift in coaching, she mentioned that she turned to one fellow teammate, her roommate for a shoulder to lean on, Bergen Reilly.
“So I live with Bergen, and we hung out that night and just talked about it.” Harper went on to express that while the entire Huskers’ volleyball sisterhood felt bittersweet about Cook’s decision to move on, they all had different ways of dealing with it.
Murray and Reilly were able to seek solace from a heartfelt conversation. “I think the best thing you can do is talk to somebody when you need to. So that was really good for me, me and Bergen being able to just get off our chest, like how we feel, even if happy, sad, mad, whatever it is, like that was something that we just needed to do together. And, you know, it was emotional when Coach told us everyone was upset in their own way.”
Murray and Cook had all sorts of dynamics; less of a coach-student and more of a father-daughter duo sums up their relationship. Social media users are no strangers to the bond between John Cook and Harper Murray. In fact, Murray is a TikTok sensation and at one point, took over managing Cook’s TikTok handle and turned it into a gold mine of off-court entertainment for the Huskers fan base. So given the Tom and Jerry history between these two, Murray revealed that the separation stung a lot.
Among all the chatter in the live show between the host, Murray and former-Husker-turned-coach Renee Saunders also broached Busboom Kelly’s leadership and the changes that have happened ever since she took over. While Saunders gushed on about Kelly’s homecoming as a ‘Nebraskan-bred-kid’, Murray stayed candid about transitioning and keeping up on her word to Cook, “that we have to respect his decision and respect Danny.” Cook had been contemplating retirement for quite sometime though his announcement was abrupt and sneaky.
He could have pedalled on but by doing so, he wouldn’t have been able to usher in the new era of the Huskers volleyball program which he thought required transformation and change beyond his scope.
Harper Murray in glee over the Huskers led by a woman
Dani Busboom Kelly’s takeover of the Huskers’ volleyball program marks the dawn of a new era that would now be completely led by a woman. More power to Kelly and no one’s complaining. In Murray’s words, though the transition involves an initial bunch of changes in rules and schedules which might be hard to adapt to at first, Murray has ‘embraced’ it. After Kelly’s phenomenal success at Louisville, no one questions her capability to sustain the Huskers’ glory days.
The first major switch on Kelly’s plate is the change of the Huskers’ home ground from the Bob Devaney Sports Center to the Pinnacle Bank Arena, a move that Cook was never in favor of. Cook had sentiments tied to the Devaney sports center but he was aware that emotions alone cannot power the bandwagon to great heights. The Pinnacle Bank Arena will now witness the Huskers host the AVCA First Serve Showcase in the upcoming 2025 NCAA Season. Cook has carefully chosen to place his faith on Kelly and no one including Murray has any qualms about the same.
Kelly lived up to the expectations on her when the Huskers’ received a verbal commitment from a top draft pick for 2026, Kenna Cogill. Cogill had initially committed to Oregon but had a change of heart, all thanks to Kelly, to settle and play for the Huskers. Head coach Kelly has also been very thorough in making things as easy as possible for the players in the program, including but not limited to transitioning alone. Kelly made the choice to retain Cook’s initial coaching team so as to ease the girls into being comfortable with Kelly’s coaching and leadership.
Here is one thing that Harper Murray and Dani Busboom Kelly have in common, being a proud Husker: A legacy that drives these women above and beyond for glory. Are you also on the lookout for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the upcoming 2025 NCAA volleyball season? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
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