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Kurt Johnson
Nebraska volleyball took Husker Nation on a magic carpet ride this season, though it ended one game too soon.
Ever since Volleyball Day in Nebraska grabbed the national spotlight back in August, this special group of young ladies has been smiling and playing its way into our heads and hearts as a team that was easy to root for and incredibly fun to watch. There is just such an electric energy in the air when these Huskers take the court that you feel like they have a chance to win, even when things aren’t going their way. Outside of the hiccup at Wisconsin, things did go Big Red’s way in 2023 … until Sunday.
The national championship match against those pesky Longhorns had all the makings for a classic showdown. Two great teams peaking at season’s end with the two respected program’s meeting in the title game for the third time. But in the end, this one was almost all Texas. I’ll leave the X’s and O’s spin to those who better understand the game, but to my novice eye the Longhorn’s serving ability was so good, scary good, that our beloved Huskers were out of sync. It’s hard to tip the hat to any squad wearing burnt orange, but on this day Texas deserved to hoist the trophy. Ugh!
Though the ending to this season didn’t follow the fairy-tale script all of Nebraska had envisioned, there is nothing but optimism oozing from this program. Coach John Cook deserved his national coach of the year accolades and without a single senior on the roster this will be the team to watch, again, in 2024 and beyond.
NIL is not likely a threat to lose some of that young talent when you have THE program so many volleyball players across the state and nation want to be part of. Seriously, what is not to like about the head coach, culture, home court environment and frenzied statewide fan base Husker volleyball now has in its court?
On top of all that, Harper Murray, Lexi Rodriguez, Bergen Reilly, Bekka Allick, Merritt Beason, Laney Choboy, Andi Jackson and Co. have become household names in the Nebraska sports world, and all are terrific role models. These Lady Huskers will be back, and Husker Nation is already counting the days.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net
