Nebraska Volleyball star Harper Murray spends adorable moments with young fans in Sports Bar

Harper Murray spent adorable moments with fans at Hurrdat Sports Bar amid the volleyball offseason. The Nebraska outside hitter is one of the most popular collegiate volleyball players, and it was evident at the sports bar.

Murray had a sold-out "WIRED Axcess" show on Thursday, February 26. She answered the questions of young volleyball fans, signed autographs, even on the shirt of a small kid, and happily posed for pictures.

Murray was ranked the No. 1 overall recruit by PrepVolleyball.com and joined the Nebraska Huskers in the 2023 season. Shelped Nebraska through the undefeated run to the NCAA Finals in her freshman year, scoring an impressive 391 kills.

The 20-year-old racked up a team-high 411 kills last season, but the Huskers' run to the national championships ended in the semifinals. Now, Murray is eager to seal the deal next season for Nebraska's former coach, John Cook, and all the little girls who look up to her.

"A lot of us wanted to win a national championship with coach. But I think the way that we can reframe that in our head is now we can win one for him. And I think that's the best way to approach this year. And you know, we can win one for coach," Harper Murray said in a press conference following Cook's retirement.

"We can win one for Dani [Busboom Kelly]. We can win one for all the little girls that look up to us in Nebraska and around the country. So, I think that's how we need to reframe it for this year,” she added.

Cook retired last month after a 25-year tenure in Nebraska and led them to four national titles in addition to 12 semifinal appearances.

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Harper Murray was in shock on learning about John Cook's retirement

2023 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship - Source: Getty

Harper Murray formed a close bond with John Cook in her two years at Nebraska and was in shock when she learned about his retirement. Cook had called her up in his office, and when he broke the news, Murray said she burst into tears.

"He ended up telling me that he was retiring and I just burst out in tears and honestly, he has done a lot of things for me and honestly, I was in shock, I think, I process things pretty fast," Harper Murray said.

"I had a little bit of time to process and it was a little bit hard at first and I was really upset for the two days after and I mean I trust coach with Dani and he's going to put us in the best possible position to win even if he is not here," she added.

Cook was replaced by his former assistant and student, Dani Busboom-Kelly. She led the Huskers to the national championship in 2006 as a senior and would hope to repeat the feat as coach next season.