The Nebraska volleyball group final received a nationwide championship in 2017. The latest Huge Ten title got here that very same 12 months.
Now, within the context of the 340 NCAA Division I applications, Nebraska’s had success that almost all applications can solely dream of.
However we deliver this up as a result of for Nebraska’s subsequent two recruiting lessons, it looks like the caliber of lessons might exceed the Huskers’ latest success on the courtroom, not less than when it comes to successful championships.
Of Nebraska’s seven identified commits within the 2023 and 2024 recruiting lessons, six are top-15 nationwide recruits, in response to PrepVolleyball.com. Nebraska has a commit from the No. 2 nationwide recruit in every of the subsequent two lessons — Ann Arbor, Michigan, outdoors hitter Harper Murray in 2023 and Lenexa, Kansas, outdoors hitter Skyler Pierce in 2024.
Setter recruit Bergen Reilly just lately helped out as a fill-in participant for the USA girls’s nationwide group at one in all its second-tier tournaments.
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This summer time Nebraska selected simply 4 highschool juniors to do Zoom calls with through the first week of recruiting, and three rapidly dedicated (the fourth is believed to be uncommitted). That’s successful fee that any faculty coach would envy.
Nebraska coach John Cook dinner says recruiting is like playing. Typically you get on a sizzling streak. And with recruiting it could possibly be a number of years earlier than you actually know the way good the gamers are.
However Nebraska’s recruiting is on a roll, and Cook dinner has a number of the explanation why he thinks that’s.
“One, a number of these youngsters all know one another,” Cook dinner stated. “So our present gamers know a number of these guys as a result of they’ll come from the identical membership, or they performed on USA groups collectively. So I feel there are some connections that assist facilitate someone of their junior 12 months making a call.”
Cook dinner’s second issue for the latest success is assistant coach Jaylen Reyes. The fifth-year assistant coach took over the job of recruiting coordinator when Kayla Banwarth left to be the pinnacle coach at Mississippi.
Nebraska volleyball commits Harper Murray (left) and Skyler Pierce sit on the bench earlier than the Huskers’ sport towards Lengthy Seaside State on Sept. 10 on the Devaney Sports activities Middle. They’re every the No. 2 nationwide recruit for his or her class.
He’s identified for making one-day journeys to observe a membership follow or a junior nationwide group match, and often has the individuals who work together with him leaving with feeling.
“I feel Jaylen works as laborious as anyone in figuring out expertise and being on the market,” Cook dinner stated. “We make the most of the times after we will be recruiting. I simply suppose he’s an distinctive recruiter with an amazing eye for expertise. The fellows bought infinite power. I feel that’s part of it.”
Cook dinner additionally thinks the entire matches Nebraska has performed on TV — each through the common season on Huge Ten Community and on ESPN through the NCAA Match — has made Nebraska a program future faculty gamers are fascinated by.
“I feel that they see that, and see the Devaney (Sports activities Middle) right here and so they need to be part of it,” Cook dinner stated.
Cook dinner has the ultimate say by which gamers Nebraska will supply a roster spot, however earlier than that Reyes might have spent a number of years getting issues lined up.
“I don’t suppose assistant coaches ever get sufficient credit score,” Cook dinner stated. “However I attempt to give him a number of credit score. Once we make choices, they’re mutual choices. We focus on it rather a lot. He’ll watch (recruits), after which towards the top I’ll watch them rather a lot as we get nearer to June 15. It appears to be working fairly properly.”
However when it comes time for the coaches to have a convention name with a recruit, Cook dinner takes the lead.
“In any other case Jaylen would speak the entire time,” Cook dinner joked.
Even after a participant commits after they’re a highschool junior, it’s nonetheless typically 17 months earlier than they’ll make it official by signing a nationwide letter of intent. However solely as soon as prior to now six recruiting cycles has a participant who dedicated to Huskers not ended up with this system (Madi Endsley within the 2020 class, who now performs for Washington).
Bryon Larson, the director of KC Dynasty the place Pierce performs membership volleyball, was impressed whereas assembly Reyes via camps and recruiting prior to now 12 months.
“I’m an enormous fan,” Larson stated. “His power, ardour and data are contagious, and he’s superior.”
Pierce was being recruited by the entire prime applications, however rapidly selected Nebraska.
“She had her decide of any faculty she wished to go to,” Larson stated. “Lincoln was close to and expensive to her, and her relationship with Jaylen solidified that Lincoln was proper. She’s a Nebraska child via and thru.”
When Nebraska senior center blocker Kaitlyn Hord made the choice to switch from Penn State, she communicated with each Cook dinner and Reyes, and stated they have been combine.
“I feel (Reyes) could be very in tune with what’s happening with the youthful technology, which I feel helps,” Hord stated. “As a result of I do know a number of coaches are older, so someday you don’t actually know what to speak about the entire time. However that’s one factor I do like about Coach Cook dinner, is he’s prepared to find out about these various things.”
Reyes says he advantages from having the ability to promote an amazing product — which features a corridor of fame head coach and that Nebraska can boast of getting three of the 12 gamers on the final Olympic group.
“Recruiting is all about convincing a child and a household that your volleyball program is the most effective for them,” Reyes stated. “And the truth that Nebraska has traditionally been among the finest volleyball applications within the nation in lots of areas is among the largest causes (for recruiting success).”
Reyes additionally credit the present Husker gamers for having optimistic interactions with recruits, both at Husker volleyball camps or on recruiting visits. The gamers share their expertise being a participant at Nebraska with the recruits and get to know them.
“I feel a number of our (recruits) come right here and so they really feel super-welcome — extra welcome than they suppose they need to be,” Reyes stated. “Then it’s like, ‘Nicely I need to be part of this.’”
* Nebraska takes on No. 13 Kentucky at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Lexington, Kentucky. The match is on TV on ESPN2. Each groups are attempting to keep away from a two-loss week after Nebraska misplaced towards Stanford and Kentucky misplaced towards Louisville.
* Hord is again in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, for Sunday’s match. She really discovered that Nebraska and Kentucky could be enjoying this season throughout a recruiting go to with the Kentucky program final winter. Her dad, Derrick, performed basketball at Kentucky.