When John Cook dropped his sudden retirement announcement, the whole volleyball community was rocked to the core. Thankfully, all that wailing was soon subdued when the Huskers got to know the program would be taken over by Dani Busboom Kelly, a Nebraska alum and a national champ herself. With that, optimism for the new season started building up, and Kelly thinks her squad is coming up pretty nicely.

When Coach Cook left, Harper Murray was shattered. Recalling how the veteran coach helped her despite others’ cynicism of her mettle as a volleyball athlete, the Huskers’ outside hitter couldn’t stop being emotional. But the Nebraska junior also noted her enthusiasm about entering the next phase of her NCAA career under the new management. And it looks like Harper can breath a sigh of relief knowing that Kelly has a lot of options in her hands as she looks to make sure that Murray has enough support by her side on the volleyball court.

Dani Busboom Kelly recently talked to her predecessor about her journey so far as the Nebraska Huskers’ women’s volleyball program head coach. In the YouTube upload by national championship-winning Terry Pettit from July 24, the former Louisville boss also sort of acknowledged how she’s being spoiled for choices building her squad. On being asked who is the most likely to play opposite of Murray, Kelly admitted that the spot has a lot of competition.

“Well, you know, Taylor Landfair is back. And Skylar Pierce is back. She redshirted last year. And then we have Teraya Siegler, who’s a freshman, who was here in the spring. So I’ve gotten to work with all three of them quite a bit,” Kelly told Pettit. “… they’re very different in their skill set. But they’re all very talented. And, again, I think it’s going to be a difficult decision,” the coach went on, while admitting that Skylar and Teraya have been putting in a lot of work over the summer.

“So they are both, in my opinion, on another level from what they were in May when, you know, we finished our spring season. So they’ve been really impressive, just, again, the camp demos I’ve seen. And they are two players that seem like they’re on a mission and they understand that there’s going to be some serious competition,” Kelly said on how the two youngsters are doing everything in their power to uphold the high standards that the Huskers are known for.

But she also noted that neither Pierce nor Siegler has the kind of experience that Taylor brings to the table, despite her constant trysts with injuries. On the other hand, Teraya’s physical presence on the court is also something she admires a lot. Undoubtedly, it will be something that brings a smile to Siegler’s face.

After the 2024 Gatorade Arizona Volleyball Player of the Year was signed by John Cook, she admitted that playing for the Huskers has long been a dream for her. “Little me would be screaming……Little T would not expect to be where she is now,” Siegler said in an interview with Hail Varsity. Naturally, knowing that Kelly has noticed her hard at work in the gym would make all that effort seem worth it.

However, for Kelly, this is only the beginning. The real climb still awaits on the horizon.

Nebraska pledges its confidence in Dani Busboom Kelly

Talking to Dani, Pettit joked that the former has had to undergo a lot of stress in the last six months. “We read about the major stresses in life, and three of them are moving, having a baby, and getting a new job. Okay. You’ve had all three in the last six months,” the 79-year-old ex-Nebraska coach said, and Kelly couldn’t help but smile. She also admitted that being a new mom has helped her be more empathetic to others. Truth be told, she will need all the help she can get, considering she has set the standards pretty high for herself already.

As the head coach of Louisville, Kelly achieved quite a lot. Over eight seasons with the Cardinals, Kelly amassed a 203-44 (.822) record, while taking the team to the National Championship game twice during the span. For understandable reasons, Coach Cook was relieved to know that his spot would be taken over by one of his former student-athletes. That confidence was also reflected in the offer that Nebraska whipped up for Kelly.

DBK was offered a jaw-dropping six-figure contract in January when her appointment was made public. Goes without saying, Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen seemed sure that Kelly would be the perfect fit to carry forward John Cook’s legacy. With so many scintillating players to aid her in the journey, how do you think Kelly and the Huskers will fare when the volleyball season arrives? Nebraska shared the Big Ten title with Penn State in 2024. Do you think a similar, or better, debut season awaits Dani? Share your thoughts in a comment!