A new season inches closer, and Nebraska volleyball fans can hardly wait. This will be the first year that the program will have a new boss at the helm, after John Cook stepped down from the position in January. But Dani Busboom Kelly, the new head coach of the Huskers’ program, knows she has to get her house in order to win on the national stage.

“I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home,” Kelly said after her $700,000 appointment following Cooks’ exit. But to do that, she will need a squad that can execute her tactics on the court, and the key to achieving that would be to find the right leader who can act as the bridge between the players and the coach’s plans. But, thankfully, it seems like Kelly and the Nebraska volleyball camp have that part covered.

On July 24, Dani talked at length about her journey so far at Lincoln as the head coach, with former Nebraska volleyball coach Terry Pettit. In the YouTube upload by Pettit’s official channel, DBK also revealed that the right captain for the 2025-26 season has been in discussion extensively. The 1995 NCAA Championship-winning coach claimed that the setter is the ideal position for the team captain to play at, given how crucial its functions are, and his successor admitted that she and her team felt the same.

“We had an open vote for captain this spring, and you know, I told them we’re voting for captains tomorrow and we’re going to do it in a group and we’re going to kind of do a live vote and Bergen won by a landslide,” Kelly revealed with a smile on her face, that made it clear how Pettit was bang-on with his assumption that the setter should be the captain. “ I think the team has a lot of respect for Bergen,” Kelly went on, noting that she thought the Nebraska volleyball junior was the right person for the job, considering how Reilly was the only person who got more than four votes from her teammates.

Pettit, on the other hand, noted that he felt like middle blocker Rebekah Allick displayed leadership qualities. Allick is in her final year with the Nebraska volleyball team, and fans wouldn’t mind seeing their hometown celebrity ending her collegiate career as the captain. Moreover, DBK and Rebekah have known each other since even before Kelly was appointed as the Huskers’ coach. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the new coach did, in fact, hand the captain’s armband to the senior. But she seemed to have different thoughts on the matter.

“I think Campbell Flynn has some natural leadership qualities that you want in big moments. She’s a risk-taker,” the Nebraska volleyball boss said on how the member of John Cook’s final signing batch could potentially shoulder more responsibilities in the future. However, it seems like for now, Bergen Reilly will be handling the captain’s duties.

The whole discussion over the captaincy wouldn’t even arise, to be honest. But last season, along with Coach Cook, Nebraska volleyball also bid goodbye to two of its biggest stars: celebrity libero Lexi Rodriguez and opposite hitter Merritt Beason. Both Beason and Rodriguez divided the captain’s responsibilities between them, and under their leadership, the Huskers continued to be one of the best-performing programs in the country. Even in their senior year, these two athletes led the school to the Big Ten title, which they shared with Penn State.

But deciding upon the team captain isn’t the only thing on Kelly’s mind right now.

The Nebraska volleyball program is in safe hands

During her former stint as the head coach of Louisville, Kelly achieved quite a remarkable feat. Under her guidance, the Cardinals reached the NCAA championship match twice in the last three seasons. Naturally, her being a former Nebraska volleyball alum, when Dani was called upon to take up Cook’s mantle, the fans weren’t all that surprised. And she immediately got to work. Among other things, the coach had to find the perfect match who could complement outside hitter Harper Murray’s strength on the court.

Talking to Pettit, Kelly mentioned Taylor Ladfair, Teraya Siegler, and Skyler Pierce were her top three options to pair with Murray. But she’s not limiting herself to the existing athletes. Instead, Kelly is putting in the work to rope in more players to secure Nebraska volleyball’s future. In February, Kenna Cogil, who had previously committed to Oregon, announced that she would instead play for the Huskers for the 2025-26 season.

More commitments from future NCAA stars kept coming. Just last month, libero Maisie Boesiger’s sister Malorie Boesiger committed to the Huskers’ volleyball program as a member of the Class of 2027. When all of these new stars arrive, and some of the current players take their exit, how do you think Kelly will reevaluate her strategic mind to continue John Cook’s incredible legacy? Who do you think could be the next captain of the squad? Share your predictions below.