For the casual volleyball fan, Harper Murray is just another collegiate athlete. To the more hardcore Nebraska loyalist, she’s the light that helps the Huskers find their home. An AVCA honoree in her freshman year, the junior outside hitter flourished under the tenure of ex-head coach John Cook and is continuing to shoulder great responsibilities under the new management as well. But there’s a storm raging inside of Murray that not many are aware of.

After Nebraska lost the national championship in 2023, Murray made a bold statement that the Huskers would win the next three NCAA titles straight. The comment opened a floodgate of sneers and jibes from all over the community, which posited she was biting more than she could chew. “I basically cried myself to sleep every other night,” Murray said last year about how hard it was to face the unnecessary criticism. Her battle wasn’t easy, and on World Mental Health Day, she unveiled her tribute to the road she’s been walking on.

In an Instagram story from October 10, Murray showed off the new ink she had added to her skin. Nebraska took on Washington on Friday, and the Huskers’ star shared an image of herself in the locker room, donning a semicolon tattoo on the back of her left ear, with the caption “#mentalhealthmatters“. Anyone who has had a tryst with mental health knows, the semicolon is the universal symbol of the fight against the invisible demons that rage on within the confines of our brains.

“for the battles that no one sees and for every version of me that kept fighting, even when i almost didn’t. proud of how far i’ve come and grateful to keep growing,” Murray added to her Insta story. Quite a powerful message to share! But then again, Harper Murray has been battling mental health issues all her life.

The volleyball star was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. Murray’s elementary school teacher, Neil Duggins, shared how the school authorities gave the former “brain breaks” with various tasks like sweeping the floor and trips to the office to help her out. “The best way to describe it was that there were times when her body and her mouth got ahead of her brain a little bit. She needed to rewind, calm down and think for a second,” Duggins said.

As if the ADHD wasn’t enough. Harper lost her father at an early age, adding more trouble to her personal life. With all those memories clogging her mind, the pressure that came with being one of the most popular NCAA stars took a toll on Murray. And she couldn’t help but cave in.

Harper Murray fought her battles and came out with flying colors

After the Huskers’ 2023 NCAA campaign came to an abrupt end, Murray didn’t get any respite. Instead, she had to take on online trolls on social media who came after her for her comments on winning the next three national championships. “I truly don’t understand how some of you guys can wake up in the morning, open your phone, type something so nasty and rude about somebody, and post it and think that it’s a good idea,” she wailed. The negative comments got under her skin, and Murray fell prey to depression.

In its aftermath, the volleyball star was charged with DUI in Lincoln. She was also caught shoplifting at a sports goods store, further raising concerns. As a desperate measure to come out of her ordeal, Murray took part in a therapy workshop, which she called the “best five days” of her life. Thankfully, she wasn’t left alone in her struggles.

The Huskers’ former coach, John Cook, kept by Harper’s side every step of the way. So much so that she even went on to admit that Coach Cook was like a father figure in her life. The two could be seen regularly sharing space on TikTok, underscoring how their relationship went beyond the volleyball court. Naturally, when John announced his plans to retire in January this year, Murray was left heartbroken. “I have the utmost love and respect for this man, and it’s truly almost impossible to put into words how much he means to me,” she wrote in an emotional note, waving goodbye to her mentor.

But as we watch the 2025 NCAA season unfold, it looks like Harper Murray is firmly in control of things. The OH has been a driving force behind the Huskers’ thunderous season so far (the team sits on a comfortable 15-0 overall record), and we believe the streak is most likely to continue!