Tag: Nebraska Head Coach John Cook

Nebraska volleyball opens 2024 season with Red-White Scrimmage

Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling to Texas.

The Nebraska volleyball team returns to the court for the 2024 season this weekend, opening up with the Red-White Scrimmage. Nebraska finished the 2023 season at 33-2 (19-1 Big Ten) and reached the NCAA Championship match, falling 3-0 to Texas.

The Huskers also won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2017. Head coach John Cook was also named AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.

The Huskers, who had no seniors on their roster in 2023, return ten letter-winners, including every starter. With four freshmen in the lineup, the Huskers won their first 27 matches of the 2023 season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season.

Nebraska now has two new additions via the transfer portal: Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair and San Diego middle blocker Leyla Blackwell. Landfair, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter who won Big Ten Player of the Year in 2022, has two years of eligibility remaining.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker, was a three-time All-WCC selection at San Diego, guiding the Toreros to the NCAA semifinals in 2022 by shattering the school record for single-season block assists (152), and she finished sixth nationally at 1.50 blocks per set.

Nebraska also brings in two freshmen: Skyler Pierce, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Lenexa, Kansas, and Olivia Mauch, a 5-foot-6 libero from Bennington, Nebraska.

The scrimmage is set for Saturday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.  The first serve is set for 6:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on Nebraska Public Media and streamed at B1G+.

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Husker volleyball ready to play for National Championship

The Nebraska volleyball team is preparing to play for the National Championship on Sunday afternoon.

The Nebraska volleyball team is preparing to play for the National Championship on Sunday afternoon. The No. 1 ranked Cornhuskers will face No. 5 Texas in the title game on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Nebraska enters the game with a record of 33-1 and will face the Longhorns in the title game for the third time in program history. The Huskers previously defeated Texas in 1995 and 2015 title games.

This is the 11th appearance in the NCAA final for Nebraska, which is good for second most in the sports history behind Stanford with 17 title game appearances. Texas has won 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament matches, with their last loss coming in 2021 against Nebraska.

Nebraska head coach John Cook will be looking for his fifth national championship, having previously won in 2000, 2006, 2015, and 2017. Sunday will be his eighth title game since becoming Nebraska’s coach in 2000.

Nebraska and Texas can be seen on ABC at 2:00 p.m. CT. Find social media reactions to the upcoming title game below.

No.2 Nebraska volleyball ready to host No. 1 Wisconsin on Saturday

The No. 2 Nebraska Volleyball team is preparing to host No. 1 Wisconsin this weekend.

The No. 2 Nebraska Volleyball team is preparing to host No. 1 Wisconsin this weekend. The Saturday night match is one of the biggest volleyball events during the 2023 season.

When asked about the importance of the game, head coach John Cook told the press they’ve already played in the biggest match, not just this year but in the long and storied history of the sports.

“Everyone is talking about how big of a match this is. I said ‘You guys have already played the biggest match in the history of volleyball.”

Cook is of course speaking about Nebraska’s record setting match that took place at Memorial Stadium earlier this year. The Huskers defeated Omaha back in August 31 in straight sets in front of a crowd of 92,003.

That crowd surpassed the world-record for attendance for any women’s sporting event. The Huskers will enter the match with a record of 18-0  overall and 9-0 in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin also holds an 18-0 overall mark with a 9-0 record in the conference. The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country will play this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Lincoln and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s match below.

Social Media reacts to insane rally between Nebraska and Kentucky

Social Media reacts to insane rally between Nebraska and Kentucky

The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team defeated No. 21 Kentucky on Sunday night three sets to one (25-14, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21). The Cornhuskers finished non-conference undefeated for the first time since 2016 and only the second time since 2008.

The Huskers hit .338, while the Wildcats only hit .243. Nebraska also held the edge in kills (62-53), blocks (9-7) and digs (61-48).

In the fourth set, the Huskers and Wildcats were involved in a 72-second rally that featured 19 different attacks. Husker Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal reports head coach John Cook said that the crowd played a factor in the long rally.

“Both teams were fighting super hard on that point. They have several chances to win it. We had several chances to win it, and people were just making freak plays. It’s just trying to impose your will and it also got our crowd fired up. Our crowd was great for Sunday night.”

Freshman Harper Murray said the team was exhausted at the end of the rally.

“We were dead. We were out of breath. When I went up for that last one, I was just telling myself to use my legs and give it my all.”

Nebraska now prepares for the start of Big Ten play on Friday night when they host Ohio State. Scroll below to see social media reactions to the now-famous rally.

What John Cook and players said following Volleyball Day in Nebraska

Nebraska head volleyball coach John Cook met with the media following his team’s straight-sets victory in front of a record-setting crowd at Memorial Stadium. 

Nebraska head volleyball coach John Cook met with the media following his team’s straight-sets victory in front of a record-setting crowd at Memorial Stadium.

Here’s what he and several of his players had to say to the media after the celebration.

On the emotions and power of today: 

“I’ve probably cried five times today and I’m not kidding. Several times I’ve had to bite my lip to hold it together. It’s been a very emotional day. I lost it when I saw the alumni. I lost it when I hugged Briana Holman. I haven’t seen her since she left here. She’s been playing in Israel. It means so much to me. I lost it during the pep rally when Kennedi Orr wrote me a note. I was too emotional to read the whole thing so I read the last line and it said ‘Coach, today we are going to make the impossible possible.’ After this beautiful note she wrote to all her teammates.”

Social Media reacts to Volleyball Day in Nebraska

Nebraska Volleyball had a record-setting night on Thursday. The Huskers defeated Omaha in straight sets in front of a crowd of 92,003. That crowd surpassed the world-record for attendance for any women’s sporting event. Head volleyball coach John …

Nebraska Volleyball had a record-setting night on Thursday. The Huskers defeated Omaha in straight sets in front of a crowd of 92,003.

That crowd surpassed the world-record for attendance for any women’s sporting event. Head volleyball coach John Cook described his feelings about the record following the win.

“There is a lot of satisfaction to know that it’s not me. It’s a celebration of Nebraska volleyball at all levels. We took a chance playing a game in Memorial Stadium and to go for the record and break it. Not only did we make a statement on how important volleyball is here, we want that record to be known around the world now. I don’t think anyone could have envisioned all this when this started. It feels like a great accomplishment for this sport called ‘volleyball’ played by the women in Nebraska. It’s a state treasure and we just proved it.”

Here is the actual moment the record was announced to the crowd.

Find more social media reactions to the match below.