When the legendary John Cook announced his retirement in January, Huskers fans and athletes were shocked by the unprecedented nature of it. However, for Dani Busboom Kelly, Cook’s departure brought the chance to take over her alma mater as the next head coach. Obviously, Kelly was over the moon. “The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true,” said the new head coach after her arrival in Lincoln. But it seems like the 2006 NCAA champ wants to do more than just scream off instructions from the sidelines.

The current Huskers volleyball stars just trampled over the likes of Jordan Larson, Ally Batenhorst, Kelly Natter, and others in the inaugural Alumni Match in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,371. For someone like Kelly, who has had her fair share of on-court action, it was understandably emotional to see the ex-Nebraska stars return to the Devaney Center. And now, she wants a piece of the action.

In the post-match presser, Busboom Kelly talked about how she felt looking at the alums revel in the fans’ admiration once again at the Huskers’ home venue. In a YouTube upload by HuskerOnline from August 16, the Nebraska volleyball boss could be heard being upfront about the thoughts sweeping through her head during the Alumni Match. “It was great. I got a little bit teary-eyed just seeing all those alums come back, and I know they were excited to get the standing ovations and get that feeling back,” Kelly said, underscoring how it was great to interact with the alums, some of whom she helped recruit during her stint as John Cook’s assistant.

And with that, she also hinted that if the Alumni Match returns again next year, she just might be there to take on her own players. On being asked if the alums would want to return for another go at the current roster next year, a grinning coach dropped a truth bomb of her own: “I sure hope so. I said, I’m going to train so I could play next year,” a beaming Dani Busboom Kelly told reporters.

Maybe Kelly also wants to see the fans standing on their feet to applaud her like they did today for Larson & Co. Or maybe she just wants to make sure that the alums don’t get decimated the next time. On Saturday, the current Huskers won 25-21, 25-14, 17-25, 25-22, with Harper Murray leading the team with 12 kills with a .476 hitting percentage, while Ally Batenhorst posted 13 kills for the alums. Renee Saunders, a member of the Terry Pettit-coached national championship-winning team, could only do so much. Dani was justifiably elated to see her squad outperforming the veterans with such poise.

“Pretty much everything we had hoped for. The alums played great, we got tested and felt some pressure, and a lot of different players stepped up,” a delighted Busboom Kelly said after the match. However, for John Cook’s successor, the challenge will only get tougher in the coming days.

A big W for Dani Busboom Kelly before the real task begins

The Huskers will kick off their 2025 season by taking on No. 3 Pittsburgh at the “Bob” on Friday, followed by another clash at home against No. 6 Stanford. Nebraska went 22-0 at home last season, which would be enough to provide the stars the confidence they need to welcome the Panthers. The AVCA Kickoff Classic will also give Dani Busoom Kelly the opportunity to test her strategies involving opposite hitter Harper Murray.

Not only did the Huskers not lose a single player to the transfer portal this season, but they added players from elsewhere to add more depth to the roster. And that might be the very reason that’s making it difficult for Kelly to finalize her starting eleven. During a talk with Pettit last month, the Hukers’ coach admitted that she has a LOT of options when it comes to whom to pair with Murray. But seeing how the opposite hitter blocked Olympic champ Jordan Larson in Game 4 today, Kelly might be feeling confident that Murray might be able to take on more responsibilities for the team this season.

Middle blocker Andi Jackson was also emphatic and matched Lauren Stivrins swing-for-swing. Jackson’s back-to-back aces in game 4, setter Bergen Reilley’s incredible setter job, and freshman Campbell Flynn’s attacking display in game 3 would only add to Kelly’s confidence before the match against Pitt.