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Cook retires after 722 volleyball wins at Nebraska

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Cook retires after 722 volleyball wins at Nebraska


Nebraska women’s volleyball coach John Cook, who won four NCAA titles in 25 seasons with the Cornhuskers, announced his retirement Wednesday.

Former Nebraska player and assistant Dani Busboom Kelly will take over the Huskers program after eight seasons leading Louisville.

“It’s been a great run,” Cook, 68, said in a statement released by Nebraska. “I want to thank my family for their support … I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great coaches and staff over the years, and I’m forever grateful for how hard they worked and for how much they gave to Nebraska volleyball.”

Busboom Kelly, 39, was a key player for the 2006 Huskers team that won the national championship in Omaha, Nebraska. She was a setter and a libero during her college playing career.

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She was Cook’s assistant in 2015, when Nebraska also won the NCAA title in Omaha. A Nebraska native, Busboom Kelly took over at Louisville in 2017 and went 203-43 with the Cardinals, leading them to the Final Four three times. That included national championship match appearances in 2022, when the Cardinals lost to Texas, and in 2024, when they fell to Penn State.

Busboom Kelly’s Cardinals won or shared the ACC title four times, and she was AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2021, when Louisville made the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Busboom Kelly agreed to a six-year contract with Nebraska, the school announced.

“The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true,” she said in a statement. “A huge thank you to John Cook. I would not be here without his mentorship and support.

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“I’ve gotten chills listening to the roars (for Nebraska volleyball) since I was 9 years old. Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to play volleyball and I am honored to be a part of it once again! My family and I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home.”

Cook, a San Diego native, began his coaching career at the high school level in California and then was a college assistant at UC San Diego and Nebraska before becoming head coach at Wisconsin in 1992. After seven seasons with the Badgers, he returned to Nebraska as associate head coach in 1999 and then took over the Huskers in 2000, when he won his first NCAA title. The Huskers’ other national championships were in 2006, 2015 and 2017.

Cook has led the Huskers to 12 appearances in the Final Four, including this past season when they lost to Penn State in the semifinals.

Cook won nine regular-season titles when Nebraska was in the Big 12 and five when the school moved to the Big Ten. His career head coaching record is 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all time for a Division I volleyball coach.

Cook was 722-103 at Nebraska, which is the best winning percentage (.875) for any Division I program over the past 25 years. He was a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year. Under Cook, Nebraska produced five Olympians, three AVCA Division I National Player of the Year award winners and 72 AVCA All-Americans.

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Nebraska also set the standard for volleyball attendance, consistently selling out its former home, the NU Coliseum (which held 4,125), during the first half of Cook’s career and then doing the same in the larger Devaney Center (8,300) when the team relocated there in 2013. Nebraska has sold out 337 consecutive regular-season home matches since 2001 and has led the nation in attendance every season since moving to the Devaney Center.

Under Cook, the Huskers also set a world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event on Aug. 30, 2023, when Nebraska faced Omaha at Memorial Stadium before a crowd of 92,003.

“For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players go into coaching or other careers and taking the lessons they’ve learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives,” Cook said.

“Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank the fans for always supporting Nebraska volleyball. I’ve always said to ‘Dream Big,’ and we’ve dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world.”



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Nebraska dad’s unusually difficult journey to change his 2-year-old daughter’s name from ‘Unakite Thirteen Hotel’

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Nebraska dad’s unusually difficult journey to change his 2-year-old daughter’s name from ‘Unakite Thirteen Hotel’


A two-year-old girl from Nebraska was legally named Unakite Thirteen Hotel by a random word generator while in foster care and her baffled father is begging for the state’s help to change the unwieldy moniker. 

The perplexing backstory behind the one-of-a-kind name began when baby girl was born inside a home in Council Bluffs, Iowa and was somehow transferred to state custody without a birth certificate or Social Security number (SSN).

When Unakite – who now goes by Caroline – was born, her mother and her father, Jason Kilburn of Omaha, had been broken up. 

In fact, Kilburn told WGAL there was even a chance that Caroline was not his child. 

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Caroline’s birth mother soon lost custody of her because the Douglas County Attorney’s Office accused her of doing drugs while pregnant and neglecting her daughter, KBTX reported.

‘It kills me that I wasn’t able to be there when she was born because it wouldn’t have happened like it did,’ Kilburn solemnly said to WOWT.  

The child was taken into foster care and brought to a Nebraska hospital near her foster mother’s residence. 

Kilburn told WGAL that when his daughter was technically issued a birth certificate during this hospital visit. However, it just has her mother’s last name and says ‘for government use only’ on it. 

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Two-year-old Unakite Thirteen Hotel, who goes by Caroline, was given her computer-generated name by Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Jason Kilburn of Omaha had to prove he was Caroline's father before being able to have custody of her

Jason Kilburn of Omaha had to prove he was Caroline’s father before being able to have custody of her 

Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) then gave the toddler her unorthodox computer-generated name, Kilburn and his attorney Josh Livingston said. 

Livingston explained to WGAL: ‘When she was brought to Nebraska, she was in the juvenile court in Nebraska in the foster care system. 

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‘They petitioned the court while she was in their custody for an order so that they could obtain a SSN. They gave her a legal name. That legal name was Unakite Thirteen Hotel.’

Kilburn was able to prove his paternity and after spending about a year in foster care, Caroline was finally able to go home with her dad. 

But his grueling legal battle on behalf of Caroline- who is still Unakite in the eyes of the state – is far from over. 

‘I’m worried that this child fell between the cracks,’ Livingston told WOWT.

‘And I’m worried that when it became apparent that this child fell through the cracks, nobody…with any authority did anything to fix it.’

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When the state agreed to give him custody, they failed to present Caroline’s birth certificate or SSN, posing far greater issues than not being able to change her name. 

Attorney Josh Livingston believes the state of Nebraska requested a SSN for Caroline, but Kilburn never received it

Attorney Josh Livingston believes the state of Nebraska requested a SSN for Caroline, but Kilburn never received it 

Kilburn worries not having a birth certificate or SNN can pose greater issues than not being able to change Caroline's name

Kilburn worries not having a birth certificate or SNN can pose greater issues than not being able to change Caroline’s name

‘I can’t get medical insurance on her. I can’t claim her on my taxes I can’t even sign her up for daycare because they want a Social Security number too for insurance purposes,’ Kilburn said to 3NewsNow. 

The only way to get to the bottom of Caroline’s mysterious circumstances is to reopen her DHHS case – but the state cannot do that without any identification.

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Livingston does believe that DHHS asked the federal court for a SSN, but Kilburn never received it. 

‘So obviously, Social Security number is a federal issue. But when DHHS filed that motion with the court to obtain the Social Security number, they certainly put a duty on themselves to follow through with that,’ the attorney told WGAL. 

DHHS officials told Livingston they reached out to an Iowa agency that provided insight on how Kilburn could get Caroline a birth certificate. 

‘Under the Child Protection and Family Safety Act, specific information related to children in the custody of DHHS or who were in the past is confidential. DHHS is working with Mr. Livingston to resolve this issue,’ DHHS wrote to WGAL.

‘Each state is responsible for all vital events that happen within the state including births and deaths as well as the registration of the event, the certificate, and any amendments or corrections needed.’

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Livingston and Kilburn believe the answer to their Unakite-Caroline dilemma lies in legislation proposed by Senator Megan Hunt. 

The toddler was born in an Iowa home before she was taken into foster care in Nebraska

The toddler was born in an Iowa home before she was taken into foster care in Nebraska 

Senator Megan Hunt has proposed a legislation to pass a Nebraska Youth in Care Bill of Rights, whihc Kilburn and Livingston believe will help rectify Caroline's situation

Senator Megan Hunt has proposed a legislation to pass a Nebraska Youth in Care Bill of Rights, whihc Kilburn and Livingston believe will help rectify Caroline’s situation 

LB368 aims to establish the Nebraska Youth in Care Bill of Rights, which essentially outlines the protections the state’s children should be entitled to. 

Hunt reacted to Caroline’s situation, telling WOWT: ‘This situation is absolutely unacceptable and highlights a critical failure in our system. 

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‘No child should be left without a legal identity, especially after being in state custody. 

‘This is exactly the kind of bureaucratic negligence that LB368 aims to prevent by ensuring foster youth have access to essential documents like birth certificates and Social Security numbers before they transition out of state care – among many other rights.’



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No. 1 Nebraska rolls to a perfect day two at the Big Red Invitational

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No. 1 Nebraska rolls to a perfect day two at the Big Red Invitational


LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Some of the best teams in the country all squaring off in the Big Red Invitational Saturday.

Eight teams in total were in action, including No. 1 Nebraska, No. 5 Arkansas State, No. 6 Wichita State, and No. 13 Mckendree.

 

This is the first time the Huskers have hosted an invitational at the Hollywood Bowl in a couple years, and the team says the huge support is a big help.

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“Obviously we only have one home event a year, and having the crowd and all the support of the Husker fans behind us, it’s just been awesome,” said Jillian Martin.

Nebraska went 4-0 in traditional matches Saturday, with four players making the top 15.

Through two days, the team has a total of 9,731 pinfalls and are scoring an average of 216.2 per game.

Senior Husker star Kayla Verstraete will end her career in Lincoln tomorrow, and adds it’s a special way to wrap up her regular season.

“A lot of people don’t get this to end their careers at home,” said Verstraete. “I think it’s just a bitter sweet moment, but we’re not done yet.”

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Nebraska will return to the lanes Sunday morning at 8:55 am CT in a best 4-0f-7 baker match vs. No. 13 Mckendree.





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Tad Stryker: Unproven Punching Power

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Tad Stryker: Unproven Punching Power


It’s the million-dollar question for Nebraska football entering Matt Rhule’s third season: Will the Cornhuskers be able to consistently punch teams in the mouth in 2025? As in, mid- to upper-tier Big Ten teams? If so, the payoff could be huge. They would certainly rise higher than last year’s 12th-place tie in the 18-member Big Ten. Substantially higher.

The Huskers showed very little ability to deal out punishment in 2024, except for their two best victories, over Colorado and Wisconsin.

NU’s final 2024 season totals show an embarrassing 3.8 yards per rush and 130.3 yards rushing per game. Both are the Huskers’ second-lowest totals since 2017, Mike Riley’s final year. Even with an excellent passing game, your ceiling is 5-4, and more likely 4-5, in the defensively stacked Big Ten if that’s all you can bring to the ground attack.

With second-half leads, Nebraska rarely could lean on its run game last year to wear down opponents and eat clock. The exceptions were CU and the shakier-than-necessary 20-15 bowl win over Boston College. NU has not come close to doing what Rhule specified upon his arrival, namely, running for 75 yards in the fourth quarter to close games out, which is often vital in a conference where it’s hard to get a secure halftime advantage.

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There’s a reason the Colorado and Wisconsin games were so resoundingly successful, aside from the big early leads. On those two occasions, the Huskers temporarily walked Rhule’s talk and played physical offense, at least often enough to keep the opponent on edge. Against the Buffs, NU ran the ball 35 times for 149 yards and held the ball for 35 minutes; Dante Dowdell crunched for 74 yards with two touchdowns and broke trash-talking Shilo Sanders’s arm along the way. Against Wisconsin, the Huskers ran for 180 yards and had 33 minutes of possession as Emmett Johnson rushed for 113 yards and caught six passes for 85 yards. Those numbers aren’t even within shouting distance of Osborne/Solich-era rushing production, but with freshman Dylan Raiola at quarterback, they were more than adequate to control the game, and will be again.

In 2025, with sophomore Raiola calling the signals, at least 175 yards rushing a game would go a long way toward lifting the Big Red. Raiola will certainly improve, as will Jacory Barney, Carter Nelson, Luke Lindenmeyer and Heinrich Haarberg, and there’s significant incoming talent at the wideouts. I have much more confidence in Nebraska’s pass game next season than its ability to punch teams in the mouth. The run game is the X-factor that will decide whether Nebraska hovers at .500 or puts together a nine-win season.

Nebraska tight end Luke Lindenmeyer carries the ball during the 2024 Pinstripe Bowl.

Nebraska tight end Luke Lindenmeyer carries the ball during the 2024 Pinstripe Bowl. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

I understand the excitement over transfer wide receiver Dane Key, but with the exception of Raiola, arguably the most valuable offensive skill player on the Nebraska football roster in 2025 will be Emmett Johnson — that is, if he shows as much improvement this season as he did in 2024. The loss of Dowdell will hurt. To be fair, the strength of NU’s run game last year was finishing drives. NU had 22 rushing touchdowns last year compared to 16 in 2023 and 17 in 2022, and Dowdell was the main reason with 12 rushing TDs.

Will EJ pick up the slack by himself in his junior year? He had only one rushing TD last year and two as a redshirt freshman. Kwinten Ives scored a touchdown against Boston College but remains a question mark. New blood could help; look to incoming St. Louis recruit Jamarion Parker and Conor Booth of Wahoo Bishop Neumann. The best possible news during fall camp would be Parker — who has a reputation as a home run hitter — getting lots of shout-outs from upperclassmen and pushing for playing time. Newly extended running backs coach E.J. Barthel has a lot of work to do heading into spring drills.

Whoever lines up at running back should have good blocking from a retooled offensive line. Having landed a pair of experienced starting linemen who transferred from Alabama (Elijah Pritchett) and Notre Dame (Rocco Spindler), and with homegrown experience returning in guard/center Justin Evans, tackle Gunnar Gottula and guard Henry Lutovsky, there’s no reason in the world (barring a couple of serious injuries) that the Husker o-line shouldn’t be significantly better than last year. There will be run-blocking help from Lindenmeyer. And that’s if Turner Corcoran and Teddy Prochazka don’t play a snap. That’s an above-average mix of proven talent and good potential for fourth-year offensive line coach Donovan Raiola to utilize. The keys, as always, will be how well the tackle positions hold up.

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How high is Coach Raiola’s ceiling? We’ll find out soon enough. Nebraska used to be Offensive Line U. Those days seem to be long gone, but it would be nice to have an o-line that’s in the top 20 once again, and Raiola may be able to get them that far.

In fact, for the first time since Rhule came to Lincoln, there’s a real chance this fall the Husker o-line will be better than the defensive line, as new d-line coach Terry Bradden deals with the loss of Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher. The Husker offensive line made decent progress in pass blocking last fall. But it has made small, frustratingly incremental gains in run blocking over Raiola’s tenure as o-line coach. It’s overdue to show significant improvement this fall.

Nebraska will have a potent passing game in 2025, but a passing game is not something you can lean on. It’s time for the Huskers to finally reward years of steady support by a blue-collar fan base with a ground game that can score a knockout when it needs one.

MORE: How to Watch Nebraska Women’s Basketball vs. Washington: Preview, Breakdown, Streaming

MORE: Nebraska Baseball Opens Weekend Series with Win over Louisiana

MORE: Jordy Bahl Takes No-Hitter Into 8th, but Nebraska Softball Falls to No. 11 Duke

MORE: Nebraska’s Cancellation of Tennessee Series is a Major Disappointment for CFB Fans

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.



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