The year 2025 has been one of change for the Nebraskan Huskers volleyball team. We’re not talking minor ones like schedule changes or roster shuffles. We’re talking about the big leaps. Earlier this year, the then-Huskers’ head coach John Cook announced his retirement after spending a quarter of a century at the helm of the most sought-after volleyball programs in the country. Alongside his exit, he also announced his successor, who has since then taken to the Nebraskan way of volleyball and life, Dani Busboom Kelly.

Cook’s retirement announcement invoked an array of reactions and emotions from those who revered him and some of the famous names in volleyball; the likes of Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly were no exception. In a recent appearance on Wired Axcess, a live show by Hurrdat Sports, Murray opened up regarding the same. When asked how she could cope with the sudden paradigm shift in coaching, she mentioned she turned to one fellow teammate, her roommate, Bergen Reilly, for a shoulder to lean on.

“So I live with Bergen, and we hung out that night and just talked about it.” Harper went on to express that while the entire Huskers’ volleyball sisterhood felt bittersweet about Cook’s decision to move on, they all had different ways of dealing with it.

Murray and Reilly could seek solace from a heartfelt conversation. “I think the best thing you can do is talk to somebody when you need to. So that was really good for me, me and Bergen being able to just get off our chest, like how we feel, even if happy, sad, mad, whatever it is like that was something that we just needed to do together. And, you know, it was emotional when Coach told us everyone was upset in their own way.”

Murray and Cook had all sorts of dynamics; less of a coach-student and more of a father-daughter duo sums up their relationship. Social media users are no strangers to the bond between John Cook and Harper Murray. In fact, Murray is a TikTok sensation, and, at one point, took over managing Cook’s TikTok handle and turned it into a gold mine of off-court entertainment for the Huskers’ fan base. So, given the Tom and Jerry history between these two, Murray revealed the separation stung a lot.

Among all the chatter in the live show between the host, Murray, and former-Husker-turned-coach, Renee Saunders, the trio also broached Busboom Kelly’s leadership and the changes that have happened ever since she took over. While Saunders gushed on about Kelly’s homecoming as a ‘Nebraskan-bred-kid’, Murray stayed candid that transitioning to train under a new coach can be challenging initially and kept up on her word to Cook, “that we have to respect his decision and respect Dani.” 

Cook had been contemplating retirement for quite some time, though his announcement was abrupt and sneaky. He could have pedaled on, but by doing so, he wouldn’t have been able to usher in the new era of the Huskers volleyball program, which he thought required transformation and change beyond his scope.

Harper Murray in glee over the Huskers led by a woman

Dani Busboom Kelly’s takeover of the Huskers’ volleyball program marks the dawn of a new era. It’s a new era where a woman is completely in control of one of the most successful volleyball programs in collegiate level. More power to Kelly, and no one’s complaining. In Murray’s words, though the transition involves an initial bunch of changes in rules and schedules, which might be hard to adapt to at first, Murray has ‘embraced’ it. After Kelly’s phenomenal success at Louisville, no one questions her capability to sustain the Huskers’ glory days.

The first major switch on Kelly’s plate is the change of the Huskers’ home ground from the Bob Devaney Sports Center to the Pinnacle Bank Arena, a move that Cook was never in favor of. Cook had sentiments tied to the Devaney Sports Center but became aware that emotions alone cannot power the bandwagon to great heights. The Pinnacle Bank Arena will now witness the Huskers host the AVCA First Serve Showcase in the upcoming 2025 NCAA Season. Cook has carefully chosen to place his faith in Kelly. No one, including Murray, has any qualms about the same.

Kelly lived up to the expectations when the Huskers received a verbal commitment from a top draft pick for 2026, Kenna Cogill. Cogill had initially committed to Oregon. But, all thanks to Kelly, she had a change of heart to settle and play for the Huskers. Head coach Kelly has also been very thorough in making things as easy as possible for the players in the program, including but not limited to transitioning alone. Kelly kept Cook’s original coaching staff to help the girls adjust to her style.

Here is one thing that Harper Murray and Dani Busboom Kelly have in common: Being a proud Husker, a legacy that drives these women above and beyond for glory. Are you also on the lookout for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the upcoming 2025 NCAA volleyball season? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.