Having grown up in the football-dominated state of Alabama, a career in volleyball was nowhere in the scheme of this girl. “Volleyball wasn’t a big thing. I didn’t even know you could play volleyball at a young age. I didn’t grow up watching it,” is her straightforward confession. But At Gardendale High School, she became a first-team all-state selection in Alabama and was named a top-100 prospect in the class of 2020 by PrepVolleyball.com. Despite that entering college volleyball as a Florida Gator, she “had no idea what world I was stepping into.” But after 2 years with an All-SEC and AVCA All-Region selection as a sophomore, she fell out of love with the sport. Enter Nebraska!

The transition to the Nebraska uniform was “nerve-wracking” for her. She wasn’t sure how or if she’d be in sync with the powerhouse in Lincoln, Nebraska, which was over 900 miles from home. But the way the volleyball capital of the USA embraced her was heartwarming. “These girls took me in at a time when to be quite honest, I hated volleyball. I didn’t want to continue playing volleyball,” Nebraska’s two-year team captain Merritt Beason said. An assistant coach, Kali Miller, on the Leyton High School volleyball team in the panhandle of the state even named her baby “Merritt” after her. With those founding years, Merritt is now ready to transition to the next chapter of her career.

On November 25, the Atlanta Vibe traded their second and ninth picks in the 2024 PVF Draft to the Indianapolis Ignite for the right to select Merritt first. The opposite hitter will start her professional career in January in a sport she didn’t even know she could love. Merritt carries Nebraska into her heart. “These girls, this coaching staff and all of the support staff took me in and allowed me to flourish in who Merritt is and accepted me for who Merritt is. There’s countless memories and history that was made, but I think that alone is what I’ll forever be thankful for,” She said. Despite that, as she packs her bags for Atlanta, she can not ignore one major plus of being in Georgia.

In a recent YouTube video by Atlanta Vibe, Merritt Beason and Taya Beller sat down for a chill conversation. Beason was asked, “Speaking of comforting, what about being so much closer to home now, like Alabama only being a couple of hours away? How do you like that?” And her response? Pure heartwarming vibes.

“Yeah, it’s so nice! My parents were able to drive up and just have dinner with me last night, which would have never happened in Nebraska,” Beason shared, radiating all the feels. “Just having the freedom to, like, see them more, and a lot more of my extended family and friends will be able to come watch matches because they weren’t necessarily able to drive 14 hours to Nebraska to see. So it’ll be really fun just to have, like she [Taya Beller] said, my support system a little bit closer.” Sounds like Merritt’s making Atlanta feel like home already! However, the Husker nation has yet to be in sync with the reality that Merritt will never be seen in red and white again.

On December 28, Atlanta Vibe and the PVF uploaded a joint post of her training shots and wrote, “Oh hey 👋👋 @merbson.” Merritt was featured in the Vibe’s ice blue and black colors. That made the Nebraska fans emotional. Comments like “This makes me so happy for you, but so sad for us! Husker Nation will miss you! ❤️” had flooded the post. And why not? She was not just a player, she was a part of the heart of the team. She’s often referred to as the “mom” of the team. Head coach John Cook sums it up nicely.

“Merritt is a gift,” Cook said. “Those people are hard to find in this world anymore, people that are servants and want to give back. I just think that is the greatest example of how I can explain to people what Merritt brings to our team.” Interestingly, Merritt will carry a share of Nebraska and her collegiate days to the Atlanta Vibes.

Kayla Banwarth, the head coach of the Vibe, has served as an assistant coach with the Huskers from 2017 to 2019. Alongside, Merritt will also have Marlie Monserez, her teammate from the Florida Gators, to play beside her. “I am super excited to be going to Atlanta obviously, it’s close to home for me and so I’ll be able to see my family and friends a little bit more and then also my freshman year setter Marlie Monserez. So I am super excited to just be playing with her again and Kayla (Banwarth) obviously played here and coached here. So I am super excited to have a Husker as my coach and be able to learn from her,” Merritt said.

Although she fell short of the ultimate dream of bringing a national championship to the state, she has done enough to etch her name in the volleyball history of the Huskers. For Nebraska, she won the title of the AVCA North Region Player of the Year, the second Husker in history (shoutout to Kelly Hunter!) to get that. In the season she accumulated 455 kills, 248 digs, 106 blocks, and 33 service aces. And those 20+ kill games? She made five of them, with an impressive .342 in those outstanding games. And guess what? Despite Nebraska being far away from Merritt’s hometown, her dad deemed it fit to be present on her senior night.

Merritt’s dad makes it to Nebraska Volleyball’s senior night

Nebraska volleyball was at its best in November when more than 9,000 fans filled the Bob Devaney Sports Center for senior night. The Huskers dominated the Badgers by taking all three sets 25-21, 25-22, and 25-17, with an excellent serving spree in all the sets. Merritt Beason led the charge with a match-high 11 kills on .269 hitting, while her dad, Scott, made sure to be there and share some heartfelt thoughts. “Nebraska’s been so great; the fans are awesome, the team is awesome, and Coach Cook has been awesome. She’s so happy to be here, and we wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Reflecting on Merritt’s journey from Florida to Nebraska, Scott shared how much her embrace by the Huskers felt like family. “It’s been really, really good. Everybody’s been so warm, it’s just been great. There’s no place like Nebraska. When we played travel volleyball, the first match we ever played, we lost 25-0. This was the craziest sport ever!”

Scott’s pride for Merritt’s growth was palpable as he reminisced about her early days practicing in the backyard. “Even when she was little, she’s always been a worker. We had a net in the backyard. I’m super proud,” he said. “All the dads out there who they just need to find out about volleyball get involved with it and they’ll see what a great sport it is and it’s been amazing.” So from Nebraska Volleyball to Atlanta Vibes, Merritt Beason is set to make waves with the support of her family!