"He passed away when I was six" - Nebraska Vollyeball's Harper Murray opens up on challenging time dealing with her father's death to cancer

Harper Murray recently reflected on her tough journey of dealing with her father's death from cancer. Harper was born to Sarah Murray and Vada Murray, the latter a defensive back who played for the University of Michigan football team from 1986 to 1990 under coach Bo Schembechler.

Named after Cincinnati Reds great Vada Pinson, he was a prominent football player at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, where he wore No. 27 and requested the same number when he joined Michigan. He gained fame at the University of Michigan having participated in three Rose Bowls, in 1987, 1989, and 1990.

He died in 2011 at the age of 44, after navigating a three-year hard-fought battle with lung cancer.

The Nebraska Volleyball team's outside hitter, who wears the No. 27 jersey as a tribute to her father opened up about the impact his death had on her. In an interview with ESPN, she said:

"I was three when he was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away when I was six. I'm a very anxious person in general. I do tend to think of the worst situation possible, because that's just kind of how I've seen the whole situation with my dad go. I think it's just changed how I view life and view certain situations" [0:53].

Harper Murray further said that at Nebraska, athletes have access to sports psychologists and therapists to help them with personal challenges.

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Harper Murray reflects on the hate she received for her comments following the 2023 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament

At the 2023 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament, the Nebraska Cornhuskers made a good run to reach the final by defeating Pittsburgh 3-0 in the semifinals.

However, the Huskers fell short of clinching the title after a loss against Texas. In the press conference following the clash, Harper Murray exuded confidence in winning the National Championships for the next three years, for which she received a huge backlash.

In the same interview, she opened up on the criticism she received.

“After the game making that comment just opened up like a whole new world of hate that I never thought I was going to get,” Harper Murray said. “I just got a bunch of hate comments a lot of Dms. Some people would tell me that I ruined the sport of volleyball. Some people told me to kill myself. When you see things like that you start to believe it and you lose yourself in it and I never thought that I would be at such a low point.”

While the upcoming NCAA women's volleyball tournament will kickoff on December 5, 2024, with the ultimate clash for the national title on December 22, 2024, Nebraska will start its quest as No.1 seed on December 6, 2024.