Why Kayla Banwarth says bringing Mississippi to Lincoln to play Nebraska is a ‘no-brainer’

Now in her third yr as a school head coach at Mississippi, Kayla Banwarth was able to convey the Rebels to Lincoln for a match towards Nebraska.

So she made the ask to John Cook dinner, her former coach and boss at Nebraska.

“He stated, ‘Yeah, completely,’” Banwarth stated.

So now Banwarth joins the rising record of Cook dinner’s former assistant coaches who’ve performed towards Nebraska.

The No. 2 Huskers will tackle Ole Miss at 7 p.m. on Saturday, with the match on TV on BTN.

It was someday final season, when Mississippi was on the bubble for getting an at-large spot for the NCAA Match, that Banwarth determined that she’d have to schedule harder in 2022 to attempt to enhance its probabilities of being chosen. Mississippi did make the NCAA Match final yr, but it surely was most likely too shut for consolation.

One solution to have a harder schedule was to play Nebraska, which is sort of all the time ranked within the prime 10.

“Taking part in Nebraska is a no brainer RPI-type matchup,” Banwarth stated. “Win or lose it’s a great RPI match for us, and win or lose it’s a great alternative for our group to should compete at a extremely excessive degree.”

Mississippi additionally scheduled top-20 groups Georgia Tech and Illinois throughout the first week of the season, dropping each in 4 units.

Banwarth additionally wished her gamers to get the expertise of enjoying in Lincoln, which boasts top-of-the-line atmospheres in school volleyball. About 8,000 followers attend every match, with followers packing in all the best way from the courtside seats close to the group benches to the standing-room solely part on the prime of the world.

“All volleyball gamers should really feel that, whether or not it’s in their very own gymnasium — which we’re attempting to construct right here at Ole Miss — or if we go to Nebraska so we are able to expertise that,” Banwarth stated.

Banwarth’s first full-time teaching job was as an assistant at Nebraska from 2017 to ’19, quickly after her enjoying profession ended along with her being the libero for america Olympic group.

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Late within the 2019 season, it regarded like Banwarth would make the soar to a head teaching job, and he or she interviewed with just a few colleges earlier than taking the Mississippi place. She appreciated that Oxford, Mississippi, was a school city like Lincoln, and he or she felt just like the athletic division would assist the volleyball program.

In her second season, Banwarth led one of many largest turnarounds in school volleyball historical past, from 1-19 throughout the 2020-21 COVID season to 21-9 final season. It was the primary time the Rebels made the NCAA Match in 11 years.

“She’s performed it actually shortly,” Cook dinner stated. “It’s quite a bit simpler these days to do it quick now than it was 5 years in the past due to the (delayed) recruiting guidelines and the (NCAA switch) portal.”

Banwarth stated a key a part of the advance in her second season was getting switch setter Kylee McLaughlin from Oklahoma. The Rebels modified their offense dramatically, going at a a lot quicker tempo that was capable of problem defenses, particularly throughout the first a part of the season.

Banwarth helps coach the offense, whereas assistant coach Bre (Mackie) Henry runs the protection. Banwarth met Henry when she was a graduate assistant coach at Nebraska.

Banwarth stated there have already been some massive wins on the recruiting path which have helped the group enhance.

“I feel all people goes to be impressed with my freshman libero (Cammy Niesen),” she stated.

Banwarth has one participant from Nebraska in Shayla Meyer, a freshman exterior hitter from Superior and the youthful sister of former Husker Kalynn Meyer. Shayla Meyer has a minor damage and didn’t play within the first two matches.

Banwarth might not be capable of steal in-state recruits away from the Huskers, however ought to nonetheless now and again be capable of get some good gamers from Nebraska along with her title recognition and contacts with membership volleyball coaches within the state.

“(Shayla) proved that we are able to recruit Nebraska, and I feel she’s going to be a stud,” Banwarth stated. “Our complete freshmen class I’m actually enthusiastic about.”

Banwarth has her personal type as a coach, however she’s been influenced by two of essentially the most profitable coaches within the U.S. in Cook dinner and U.S. nationwide group coach Karch Kiraly.

“The factor I feel I take from John is he has the best sense of urgency day-after-day in follow,” Banwarth stated. “He says we now have to get higher and we now have to get a ton of reps and we now have to make use of today and we now have to make use of these reps. And anyone who has been within the gymnasium with John for 2 seconds can see how pressing he’s in follow, and the way necessary follow is.”

Banwarth was impacted by a few of Kiraly’s offensive programs, however what stands out essentially the most, she says, is how he interacts with gamers.

“Should you’ve heard Karch converse you already know all the things he says is with a goal and may be very calculated,” Banwarth stated. “I’m not good at it but, however these are a few of the nuggets I take from Karch. His gamers respect him and love enjoying for him simply because he emulates kindness and selflessness.”