“I just—I’m not thinking about it. We’re thinking about playing a great match and winning the next nine matches.” The battle-hardened coach looked clueless in front of a quick question. John Cook had been asked about his plans to celebrate the seniors of his Nebraska Huskers squad on November 23.

Naturally, the Saturday night at Bob Devaney Sports Centre was slated to be Seniors Day, where the Huskers’ five seniors would play their last home game. On November 21, John Cook seemed pressed down by the emotions. He had no answer, or rather, he did not want to break the surprise. After all, he had to bid goodbye to some of the best names on an auspicious night. But he did have a plan to make the night special for them. 

On November 23, John Cook followed the custom. Each senior received commendations from him prior to the game against Wisconsin. In the meantime, he handed them a rose. The scene perfectly embodied the line, “Life is Strange: Before the Storm.” The scene shows the 68-year-old coach walking to each senior with a smile and a red rose. He gave them the roses with a gentle pat on their back, basically to acknowledge them for their time in the camp. And how did the seniors respond? 

Before the rematch against the Badgers, the entire lineup of Huskers volleyball stood along the outer line in the court. The crowd had warmed up the atmosphere in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nonetheless, the seniors carried out in the same mood. The phenomenal libero Lexi Rodriguez, outside hitter Lindsay Krause, setter Kennedi Orr, opposite hitter Merritt Beason, and middle blocker Leyla Blackwell were set to extend the victory streak for the Huskers. They have been doing this for years. On Saturday, they had the same responsibility. But the tag of the last match may have left a few impressions on them.

Before their last home game in their collegiate career, the seniors clapped and gestured toward the fans, filling up the stands. In the meantime, after receiving the flowers from the coach, they felt humbled. 

On the sold-out home turf, they could feel the weight of the emotions. However, it wasn’t the first time they felt the pressure of responsibility. They have already made amends with it. How? They have been in the Huskers for years. Coach John Cook narrated it: “Some of some of these seniors, Lindsay especially, Lexi, Kennedy, have been here forever because they committed so early, so they feel like they’ve been a part of the program. So what’s going to be weird is, feels like they’ve been here for seven years and um all great students, great people, and great players and so I don’t know it’s like I said, I’m trying not to think about it.” 

But the California native coach had to think, eventually. He had to give the seniors their flowers. Moreover, he had to think about the replacements. Fear not; Cook has already added arrows in his quiver. 

John Cook handpicks five talents to fill up the vacancy 

On Saturday, the Nebraska Huskers faced the Badgers in the rematch. In their last faceoff on November 1, the Big Red handed them a thrashing defeat (3-0). Expectedly, the seniors came forward and played a major role in sweeping the game. Merritt Beason had 11 kills and 23 total attempts, whereas Lexi Rodriguez inflicted 12 digs. So filling up such players’ vacancies stood to be a challenge itself. But John Cook had no other options left. He had to comb through the talent pool and pick suitable ones. 

Ultimately, the judgmental coach did. On November 13th, the Nebraska Huskers unveiled five potential candidates to fill the open positions. The names are Campbell Flynn (Rochester Hills, Mich.), Ryan Hunter (Charlotte, N.C.), Keri Leimbach (Lincoln, Neb.), Manaia Ogbechie (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.), and Teraya Sigler (Scottsdale, Ariz.).

The players have a list of achievements to support their inclusion in the squad for the 2025 season. But above all, Cook’s eyes for spotting talents made him chase those five names. He even showed his trust in them by spilling, “I’m really excited about that group and they’re those guys who are gonna come in and compete; I can tell you that right now.”

Now, the fans will look forward to seeing the fairy tale continue in the volleyball arena.