When the Nebraska women’s volleyball team steps onto the court, inspiration is always within reach for Harper Murray. All the outside hitter has to do is look down at her fingers, which she carefully tapes before every match.
She inscribes ’27’ on the tape binding her left ring finger in honor of her late father Vada Murray, who died when she was 5 years old. He wore No. 27 while playing football at Michigan. Murray then writes former coach John Cook’s initials on her left pointer finger, ‘a father figure’ that helped her grow as a player. She also adds Huskers head coach Dani Busboom Kelly’s initials on her middle finger as a reminder to lay it all on the line.
The initials on her right hand changes every year.
‘Every year for the past three years, I have written the location of the Final Four,’ Murray told USA TODAY Sports. ‘On my pointer finger and my middle finger, I have the letters ‘KC,’ which is Kansas City, which is where the NCAA Tournament is held this year.’
Nebraska was named the top overall seed during the NCAA Tournament selection show on Sunday and will begin its journey to Kansas City against Long Island University at 8 p.m. ET Friday. The Cornhuskers, who have won five national titles, fell short of their first since 2017 losing to Penn State in the semifinals last season.
Nebraska (30-0) has since kicked off the Busboom Kelly era with its first undefeated season since 2000. The Huskers will make their 44th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Big Ten title while dropping six sets the entire season. Although Busboom Kelly said ‘whoever is (coaching Nebraska) would be doing well,’ her players argue otherwise.
‘When (Busboom Kelly) came in here, that Nebraska standard wasn’t lost at all. She knew what she wanted and she really pushes us to reach that level,’ Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson told USA TODAY Sports. ‘She’s been in our shoes before and … she can really relate to us and she knows what we’re feeling and she knows what it takes to win.’
Long before succeeding longtime coach and mentor John Cook in January, Busboom had already done a lot of winning at Nebraska. The Cortland, Nebraska, native won national titles as a player in 2006 and as an assistant coach in 2015.
But even the best coaches have their limitations. During an appearance on the Welcome To The Party podcast earlier this month, Busboom Kelly described her coaching style compared to Cook, who ‘was so good for so long, but he had his way. He had his plan and there wasn’t a lot of deviating from that.’
‘We’re really a collaborative group. I’m huge on that as a head coach,’ Busboom Kelly said. ‘I really trust my players to give me honest feedback. … It never has to be my way or the highway. Our team has grasped that. They love the collaboration and they love the ownership.’
Busboom Kelly’s credentials and reputation earned instant buy-in from the team, but it was her commitment to empowering her players that took the elite program to another level this season.
‘Anyone off of our bench, any of our game-changers, they can go in and the level stays the exact same,’ Jackson said. ‘It’s rare. I don’t think at a lot of programs can say your bench can be the second best team in the country. We have the privilege of getting to say that and (Busboom Kelly) has just been such a huge part of that.
‘She just gives us so much confidence and we know that with her as our coach, we just can play fearless.’
Nebraska’s three Player of the Year semifinalists
When the AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists were announced earlier this month, Nebraska had three of the 14 players on the list — Jackson, Murray and junior setter Bergen Reilly. It’s another example of the Huskers’ depth.
‘We have arguably the best in each position for the country,’ Jackson said. ‘We have the best setter in the country, we have the best outside in the country. And I think it just shows how strong our team is, especially at that front row that we have. When Harper (Murray), Bergen (Reilly) and I are up, we always give each other a smile because we know what we have to offer.’
The trio has led Nebraska to the nation’s top hitting percentage (.352) and the fourth-highest kill per set mark (14.70). Murray leads the Huskers with 3.55 kills per set and is averaging 2.15 digs per set. Jackson is averaging 2.75 kills per set on .471 hitting with 1.13 blocks per set, while Reilly is averaging a team-high 10.31 assists per set and 2.73 digs per set.
‘We’ve been side by side for three years and it’s such a special row, because we just know that all of us have been through thick and thin together and our bond is so strong,’ Jackson added.
Huskers blocking out ‘outside noise’
Busboom Kelly knew Nebraska would be a title contender this season. ‘I was expecting us to be great, but certainly not undefeated. … They continue to exceed our expectations.’
Nebraska has asserted its dominance, winning 48 straight sets between Sept. 20 and Nov. 14, a streak that came to an end in the Huskers’ 3-1 win over UCLA. Players said dropping the set was ‘relieving’ and ‘freeing.’
‘It was just getting shoved down our throats how much Nebraska was winning … every time you opened any platform it was there,’ Jackson said. ‘After we lost that set, I looked at (my teammates) and I was like, ‘That is the best thing that could have happened to us.’ It’s over now. The weight is off of our shoulders. We don’t have to hold it up anymore, because I do think as much as we like to say play free, when that outside noise does creep in, it can just feel like there’s kind of a weight on the court while we’re playing.’
Murray added, ‘At some point we’re going to drop a set and we don’t want that to come in the NCAA Tournament and not be prepared and not know how to come back from it.’
Playing volleyball at Nebraska comes with a national spotlight and relentless attention. As Busboom Kelly put it, Nebraska ‘volleyball is so serious’ and ‘that is of course is why people come here,’ but with, as with any storied program, there’s pressure to execute.
‘There is a standard and we are expected to win … but we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves,’ Jackson said. ‘One thing that makes being at Nebraska so special is the team culture that we have. … We do such a good job of just caring for each other … especially when that noise starts to get really big towards the end of the season.
‘We just remember where our value actually comes from, because there can be so much outside noise and so many things being said with our team clustered all over the media. There can be lots of negativity.’
Murray said she and her teammates set social media limits to ensure the group maintains focus and aren’t ‘consumed’ by the onslaught of attention: ‘Not everyone’s going to be perfect and know how to handle criticism online or have a boundary for themselves, but that’s something that just comes with experience. And I think a lot of the older girls have done a good job guiding the newcomers.’
When the Huskers step on the court ahead of first serve, their attention will be on the team.
‘Before every game, we always say what matters are the six on the court and the 10 girls on the bench, not anyone else,’ Murray said. ‘The biggest thing for us is focusing on what we have going on on the court.’
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