“All love to John, but I think maybe we did need a little bit of a change… Dani’s been able to bring that out of all of us. It’s been super fun. She’s open to more ideas,” Harper Murray told HuskerOnline during the Big Ten Volleyball Media Days. A lot of that fun came from the fact that Dani Busboom Kelly is open to experimenting with new approaches on the court.

As open as John Cook was to implementing new elements in his process, he had a process that had evolved over 25 years. Naturally, Coach Cook wasn’t keen on making too many changes to that foundation. He knew that his former pupil would bring the much needed fresh perspective to Nebraska, and so he endorsed DBK. Now, six months later, fans only seem to have seen the teaser of what’s in store.

Fans were pleasantly surprised to see middle blocker Andi Jackson switch to an offensive role during their spring game with Kansas. The result? The Huskers are sweeping Kansas. Then came Harper Murray’s admission. The outside hitter said fans will “potentially” see her pull out a new serve. And if all this wasn’t enough, Bergen Reilly just dropped another hint of a faster offense.

“Yeah, it’s been a fun process. Getting it down was a little challenging at the beginning because I hadn’t set like that in a while,” the setter said during Nebraska’s latest presser. “It’s really fun when you do see those connections start to form with the hitters. And it is really fast. Even if our block knows it’s coming, it’s hard to stop,” Reilley said about the pace of the new offense.

What’s more? The 20-year-old hinted that the changes will be comprehensive. The Nebraska Huskers worked on multiple different connections and plays throughout the summer, which they’ll showcase when the time is right. “I’m excited for everyone to get to see,” Harper Murray’s teammate explained. And there’s good reason to believe they’ll continue to evolve.

Dani Busboom Kelly isn’t afraid to take risks

The first hint that the former Louisville Cardinal’s head coach isn’t afraid to experiment came through the spring game against Kansas. The fact that Andi Jackson joined Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly as the three best players on that night wasn’t the most impressive part. What was even more impressive was that Jackson’s playing D-ball offense was spontaneous.

“The funny thing is that was our first time running it live. And it worked. We did a little back row versus back row drill a week ago. And I don’t know, something about it, Bergen and I were just really connecting. And so we decided to throw it into the offense, obviously with Dani accepting it,” Andi Jackson said of her synergy with Reilly while playing the D-ball.

DBK also admitted she didn’t really plan to pull the D-ball trick against Kansas. All it took was an “in-game situation” for Coach Kelly to give the green light. “That was really fun to see it work,” added the volleyball coach. The other clue that DBK is open to experimenting comes from the head coach herself, as Harper Murray and Co. prepare for the AVCA First Serve Showcase.

“Oh, we’re going to learn a ton. And that’s the beauty of that First Serve. You’re playing early, but you’re playing great competition,” DBK said about facing last year’s semifinalists, Pittsburgh, in their season kickoff game. So not only will the fans see the Nebraska Huskers do something they’ve never done before, but they’ll also continue to strengthen those tactics as the season progresses.