Harper Murray is on a mission. Isn’t it? Last year, she came under the hammer despite giving an enviable performance. She took the Nebraska Huskers to the final and helped to clinch the runner-up title in the NCAA Volleyball Championship. For her clutch performances, she bagged the honor of gaining a position on the All-American team. Yet she was ridiculed for her high hopes for the team’s future performance. Her personal life also came under scrutiny. Fortunately, the 19-year-old had coach John Cook alongside her as her rock. Now, the duo is paying nicely. 

On December 15, the Nebraska volleyball team registered for another NCAA semifinal. The Big Red thwarted the Wisconsin Badgers’ challenge in the Elite Eight. And yet another clean sweep from the Huskers for the Badgers! Guess who took the responsibility to put a death knell on the Badgers’ hope to make it to the final four? Harper Murray again. She finished the game with 10 kills, 12 digs, and 4 blocks. Meanwhile, the victory put an emotional weight on the sophomore. At the end of the match, she was seen weeping and finding a place in John Cook’s arms. That was supposed to be a poetic moment for her after all these episodes in the last two seasons! 

In both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Harper Murray’s performance never attracted any criticism. Rather, being a part of the elite group, she scored at her will! In the regular season this year, the outside hitter appeared in all games for the Huskers. And boy! Her inclusion in the lineup opened a gold box for coach John Cook. How? In the season, she had the most number of kills among the Huskers, an impressive 391! Furthermore, her kills per set were 3.37. Another top rank in the table! Yet she had to come out to raise her voice against the haters. 

In November this year, Harper Murray put a strong message on her TikTok handle. Taking the trolls and critics in her hands, the Ann Arbor native wrote, “We should continue to empower women for their fire and competitiveness not tear them down and say they are a “brat”, “classless”, and have “attitude”… women can be just as competitive as men.” That ‘competitiveness’ is the most vocal part throughout her performances. Talking about her performances in the NCAA contest this season, Murray has been reigning as well as tormenting her opponents in the Big Ten Conference. 

From the initial match against Florida A&M in the NCAA Championship this season, Murray has demonstrated relentless determination. She kicked off her performance with 12 kills from 25 attempts. Advancing to the Sweet 16, she elevated her game even further. Against the Dayton Flyers, Murray had 22 kills, ahead of Dayton’s bet, Lexie Almodovar’s 20. On Sunday again, she led the charge with her big kills and ace serve. Isn’t she on her mission to fulfill what she said last year? 

The loss to the Texas Longhorns took an emotional toll on Harper Murray. She struggled to come to terms with the outcome, even though she had a convincing performance throughout the season. That heavy emotion made her predict something on her beloved team, the Big Red. In the post-final press conference, the 6’2” outside hitter claimed, “I think we’re going to win three national championships (in) the next three years.” Those words did not sit well with a chunk of volleyball lovers. Some took it as a pure form of boasting, while others found it distasteful. Soon, the critics hurled at her, and the trolls found a perfect target. But now on December 15, the Huskers are steadily advancing to grab their first national championship from Murray’s list. Surprisingly, she is playing a major role in it. Isn’t it magical? But everything may not have been possible without John Cook’s support. 

Harper Murray is paying back her coach for his contributions 

The criticisms, issues in personal life, and uncontrolled emotions are enough to bend an athlete. Unfortunately, Harper Murray also had to face the sting of it since the NCAA final last year. But she had her coach stop her from going to the pit. John Cook decided not to pay heed to outside noise and to keep his trust in his mentee. Eventually, he didn’t remove Murray from any probable list of the Huskers, despite the player facing legal charges against her this year. Meanwhile, the sophomore noticed every bit of Cook’s contribution to her. She realized the bitter part. Nonetheless, the emotional touch mesmerized her soul. 

In an interaction, Murray accepted the reality of it. This acceptance led her to say, “He wasn’t happy with me. But at the same time, he promised my mom that he would be there for me. And that’s exactly what he did. He held me accountable. But he gave me grace.” That has been Cook’s specialty—not to give up on his mentees, isn’t it? But did he ever think that someone would take it as the motivation in the volleyball arena? That motivated person would do everything to bring the opponents to their knees to win the world for her coach. Well, Harper promised, “I have a lot of love and respect for him [John Cook]. I wouldn’t be the person or the player I am without him. And I know that I owe a lot to him. One of my biggest goals in life is to make him proud, especially because I put our program through a lot. I put us in the gutter at some points.” Now, look at what she is doing!