Nebraska’s season ended with a quarterfinal loss to eventual national champion Texas A&M at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships, but it hasn’t shaken the program. The Huskers went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country, and there’s been little sense of fallout since. That shows up in the offseason. With the transfer portal deadline approaching, not a single Nebraska player has entered their name, a rare sight in today’s college volleyball world and a clear sign of the confidence inside the program.
No Nebraska Volleyball Player Applies For Transfer
According to multiple media reports, for a rare moment, not even a single player from the Nebraska Cornhuskers has applied for a transfer in the upcoming season. The last date for applying through the portal is Jan. 5, following which applications won’t be entertained until the beginning of May next year.
A probable reason for this might be the presence of Dani Busboom Kelly, a former Nebraska volleyball player who is currently the head coach of the Big Red. Kelly had led the Huskers to a historic NCAA Championships title in the 2006 season and had replaced her mentor, John Cook, as the head coach following his retirement after the 2024 season. Kelly previously led the Louisville Cardinals as the head coach and had led the team to the finals of the NCAA Championships in the 2022 and 2024 editions, respectively.
Nebraska Volleyball’s Performance at the NCAA Championships
The team won its first-ever NCAA title in 1995. Following this victory, they advanced to the final four twice, in 1996 and 1998. However, everything changed in 2000, when John Cook became the head coach of the Huskers.
In his very first season, Cook led the Cornhuskers to an invincible streak that ultimately ended in their second NCAA title. To date, Nebraska is one of the four institutions to have maintained a clean slate while doing so.
Cook then transformed the Huskers from an emerging sensation to a team well known for its consistency. Out of 25 appearances between 2000 and 2024, the Huskers reached the Final Four 12 times under coach Cook, and won four more NCAA titles under his watch. They also entered the final round an equal number of times.
When the Big Red got eliminated in the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Championships, coach Cook announced his retirement, following which his former student, Dani Busboom Kelly, took over. For a moment, it looked like the student was paying tribute to her mentor with Nebraska’s invincible record until the quarterfinals, but the Texas A&M Aggies had other plans. However, with the new head coach who understands that culture from the inside, the Huskers enter the next season positioned for continuity and another legitimate title push.
