John Cook’s Nebraska Huskers are heading to the Elite Eight in style! On Friday night, the third-ranked Huskers established themselves as the superior team with a 3-1 win over the 23rd-ranked Dayton Flyers in front of a raucous 8,725 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Harper Murray was on fire, delivering a career-best 22 kills and a .318 hitting percentage, as well as a season-best 16 digs, four blocks, and four service aces to match her career-high. Rebekah Allick contributed 10 kills at a hitting efficiency of .368, while Taylor Landfair and Andi Jackson contributed eight kills each.

Speaking of Jackson, she had seven blocks for Nebraska while the team recorded 11. While all this was going on, Lexi Rodriguez was all over the place on the court, putting up her season-best 22 digs as Nebraska’s backline smothered Dayton and limited them to a season-worst .087 attack percentage, their lowest in over 100 matches. Dayton’s Lexie Almodovar came out strong and fierce with 20 kills on 68 swings, but it was not enough to continue the team’s 31-3 season. The Flyers did not lack effort, even though the match went well past midnight due to the earlier game between Texas A&M and Wisconsin. And now, John Cook has finally come clean about the midnight games!

John Cook’s honest confession!

In a recent video by ‘Husker Online’, John Cook shared his thoughts on the late-night game schedules and the buzz of being on major networks like ABC. He didn’t hold back on how pumped he is about women’s volleyball finally getting its moment, saying, “It’s a great product, it’s a great show, it’s a great sport. It’s super exciting.” Cook emphasized how big of a deal it is to have regional finals airing on such a major platform, calling it a statement that women’s sports are truly being recognized.

Comparing the hype to a Netflix binge, Cook laughed, “What do you guys call it when you just do Netflix every day? Oh yeah, binge-watching!” Cook said the action-packed matches, like the Texas A&M-Wisconsin showdown, have been absolutely addictive. As for playing until midnight, Cook didn’t sugarcoat it, admitting, “I wasn’t really excited about playing until midnight last night.”

But John Cook was quick to look on the bright side, saying it’s still better than those brutal 9 a.m. games they’ve had to endure in the past. Wrapping it all up, Cook shared his pride in how far women’s sports have come, declaring, “Women’s sports is exploding, and this is a great statement for that.” For him, it’s clear that the late nights and prime-time exposure are all worth it to show the world just how incredible women’s volleyball truly is. So, what’s behind John Cook’s mixed feelings about these midnight match-ups?

Cook’s not too happy scheduling moments!

Earlier this month, Coach John Cook sat down to reflect on his team’s journey through the grueling Big Ten season. When asked about the standout win that made him feel proud, Cook immediately pointed to their victory at Wisconsin. “I think winning at Wisconsin was okay because that, you know, we’ve lost there a lot, right?” he said this while acknowledging that the team has struggled on the road against better opponents.

Cook was just as eager to draw attention to the problems of Thanksgiving weekend games as he was to talk about the benefits. “We’ve lost three of the last four Black Fridays,” he said, explaining how challenging it was to handle away games at that time of the year. The long trips, combined with the demanding schedule, have pushed the players to their limits. “We got back at 2:30 in the morning last night,” Cook said, reflecting on how challenging it has been to balance recovery after such intense travel and play. Still, despite the fatigue, Cook’s pride in his team was evident, especially when he said, “Our players did a fantastic job.”

Cook then shifted focus to their Thanksgiving preparations and had a very effective plan, celebrating Thanksgiving early. “The problem is, we’re trying to get food on a Thursday, and we get there… And nothing’s open,” he explained, showing how the team shifted gears to avoid disruption to their recovery. Instead, they opted for an early Thanksgiving feast on a day prior. It was wise to make sure rest was not sacrificed, especially during that high-tension, high-stress time of the year. Cook’s concern with health during such periods shows his commitment both to efficiency and health, not to mention the ordeal of working during the holiday season.