When you think “Nebraska Huskers volleyball” you automatically picture a squad that seldom knows how to lose a match. Led by veteran coach John Cook since 2000, the Cornhuskers have flourished into one of the most dominant women’s volleyball programs in the country. In the 2024 season too, the team shared the Big Ten title with Penn State and came achingly close to winning the NCAA D1 Championship as well. With several seniors exiting the campus at the end of last year, Coach Cook had to make sure he found the right talent to keep the momentum going.

The Huskers have signed five new recruits with hopes of continuing its superiority in the collegiate volleyball season ahead of the 2025 season. While their talent is undoubtedly beyond reproach, Cook believes getting to know his athletes better helps the team’s overall performance. And he seems to be already getting insights about the new signees’ personalities.

John Cook is already feeling the vibe of the dorm, albeit confusing

In a recent upload by the Nebraska Cornhuskers on YouTube from January 21, John talked about how things have been recently at the camp and how the upcoming season is looking to shape up. During the conversation, the coach also shared some funny anecdotes about the new players joining his squad this season. Revealing that training for the season will commence on Tuesday, Cook stated that the new athletes’ “worlds are going to change,” from that day. With that, he also shared insights about how the stars are settling into their new homes.

“It’s interesting to see who has a lot of stuff. And who’s the minimalist,” said the Nebraska coach and got the host of the talk show curious. Referring to the new joiners Campbell Flynn and Ryan Hunter, John Cook quipped, “Campbell’s the minimalist, and Ryan, I think, had a moving van show up.” He also admitted to his astonishment at seeing how polar opposite Hunter and Flynn’s rooms at the Huskers dormitory are for the first time.

“I‘m talking to Campbell, and I’m like, ‘Have you moved in yet?’ She goes, ‘Yeah.’ There’s nothing there. I mean, there’s a blanket, a pillow, and like a picture on the wall. That was it. Ryan Hunter was, had a, like a 50-some piece desk she was putting together. She should be doing HGTV. She’d be in there filming right now,” he joked. His candid words found their way through to Hunter as well, who soon shared snippets of her dorm with the response, “No moving van but I’m def a maximalist.” But while the volleyball stars get accustomed to the new environment around them, they would need to do so quickly. Because John Cook will be demanding nothing but the best when they begin their career with the Nebraska Huskers.

A stacked roster for 2025

A multiple-time NCAA, AVCA, and Big Ten honoree, Coach Cook has worked with some of the top volleyball players. From the iconic Sarah Pavan to more recent Nebraska celebrities like Harper Murray and Lexi Rodriguez, there has been no dearth of scintillating skills that have passed under his watchful gaze. Naturally, with that, John’s expectations for the team have only grown every year. And his newest recruits have been roped with that central focus on getting better.

Mercy High School’s setter Flynn was named the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year and was also on the AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List along with 23 other athletes. She was also a member of the U.S. Girls U19 squad with which she won the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championships. Opposite hitter Hunter, on the other hand, is a graduate of Cox Mill High School and has experience training at the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program. Libero Keri Leimbach arrives from Lincoln Lutheran High School with a total of four C1 and C2 championships to her name.

Middle blocker Manaia Ogbechie and outside hitter Teraya Sigler are also projected to be game-changing new signings, and Sigler couldn’t be happier to see her lifelong dream becoming a reality. No. 1 national recruit Teraya said in an interview with Hail Varsity on January 13, “Little me would be screaming……Little T would not expect to be where she is now.” So who among these Nebraska freshmen are you most excited to see grow into national sensations under John Cook this time? Tell us with a comment!