"That was really a shock for us" - Harper Murray opens up about first training session under coach Dani Busboom Kelly

Harper Murray made her feelings known after her first practice session with Nebraska’s new volleyball coach, Dani Busboom Kelly. After 25 seasons with the Huskers, Nebraska’s former coach, John Cook, announced his retirement in January 2025, and former Husker player Dani Busboom Kelly took the position. Kelly is the fourth coach in the Nebraska Volleyball Program.

Harper Murray is one of the best players in the Nebraska Huskers team and made her way into the AVCA All-American Second Team in 2024 and was also part of the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team in the same year. Murray talked about the first practice session with Busboom Kelly (via Hail Varsity):

"I would probably say, like, the first practice, it was like really weird. We didn’t know what to expect with Coach like we knew. He liked to take things slow in the first week or two, that we were in spring season and with Dani, and we went straight to, we were doing 6 on 6 in the first week, we were taping, we were doing all that stuff, and with the coach, we knew he liked to kind of work into it."

"So, I think that was really a shock for us just because we weren’t used to that and that was kind of when it set in. Things are going to be very different now, but it's going to be fun," she added.

Harper Murray will start her 2025 season soon, with the Nebraska Volleyball team set to face Kansas State at the John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Center on Saturday, April 26.

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When Harper Murray reflected on her bond with former Nebraska Volleyball coach John Cook

Head coach John Cook of the Nebraska Cornhuskers huddles with the team prior to the 2023 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship - Source: Getty

Nebraska fans had noticed the special bond between Harper Murray and former head coach John Cook. They were known for their engaging presence on TikTok, with Murray often managing Cook’s account; the two had become familiar faces to Husker supporters online. Murray saw Cook as her role model, and she remarked how he strengthened and helped her restore her standing with the Huskers.

In an interview with The New York Times in November 2024, Harper Murray shared:

“He wasn’t happy with me. But at the same time, he promised my mom that he would be there for me. And that’s exactly what he did. He held me accountable. But he gave me grace. I have a lot of love and respect for him. I wouldn’t be the person or the player I am without him. And I know that I owe a lot to him. One of my biggest goals in life is to make him proud, especially because I put our program through a lot. I put us in the gutter at some points.”

In 2000, Cook took over as head coach of the Huskers, leading them to an NCAA title in his debut season. He won three more national championships with Nebraska in 2006, 2015, and 2017.