Nebraska’s memorable, record-breaking season; transfer list
Nebraska fans were out in force to greet the Huskers as they walked into the NCAA championship match/@AndyWenstrand
All season long, no volleyball attendance or TV-ratings records were safe.
An incredible 33 attendance records fell as volleyball drew big audiences in the stands and on television. Nebraska was at the front of the trends, seemingly setting a record every time it took the court.
The Huskers had a hand in seven attendance records and were part of six of the top eight most-watched matches this season and 12 of the top 20.
Nebraska started the season with the event of the year as 92,003 people filled Memorial Stadium to set a world record for a women’s sporting event. The Huskers were part of the biggest indoor crowd, with 19,727 fans at the title match. Also, they set a Devaney Center record with 9,198 watching them play then-No. 1 Wisconsin.
Boosted by the stadium match, the Huskers set a record for most fans in a season and became the first women’s program in NCAA history to exceed 250,000 fans. NU finished with a home attendance of 264,665 over 21 home matches.
The Huskers were also part of several record television broadcasts this year. The Nebraska-Texas title match was the most watched college volleyball match with an average audience of 1.69 million that peaked above 2 million.
When Nebraska and Wisconsin played on October 21, they drew a new regular-season record with 612,000 viewers. That mark was eclipsed eight days later with the combination of two Big Ten matches broadcast on FOX.
The portal opens
Nebraska lost two players into the portal the day after the national championship match. Sophomore outside hitter Hayden Kubik — who played briefly in the title match — and freshman opposite Caroline Jurevicius elected to seek the opportunity to transfer. Nebraska faced a scholarship crunch with no seniors on the roster and two high school recruits set to join the program.
After playing sparingly in her two seasons, Kubik will have two years of eligibility. She appeared in 10 sets over nine matches this season and in the national championship match for one rally. She recorded three kills on 15 swings this year.
Jurevicious will have four years to play at Penn State — she anounced that as her destination on Thursday on Instagram — after redshirting this year. She finished her prep career ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect by Prep Dig and No. 17 overall and the No. 3 opposite hitter recruit by PrepVolleyball.com.
Several other Big Ten schools lost players to the portal.
Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair, the 2022 Big Ten player of the year, has two years left. She averaged 3.19 kills per set this year on a career-low .222 hitting percentage. She added 2.03 digs per set, 54 blocks and 35 aces.
Wisconsin saw Ella Wrobel enter the portal after redshirting this year. As a freshman, Wrobel played in six matches and recorded 10 kills. She was named the best player in Illinois by MaxPreps.com and the No. 11 overall recruiting in the 2022 class by PrepVolleyball.
Chelsea Thorpe, Ohio State’s second-leading scorer, entered the portal in early December Thorpe averaged 2.25 kills on .196 hitting last season. The Chicago producty committed to North Carolina and has three years of eligibility left.
Looking forward
Nebraska’s season ended one victory short of their ultimate goal, but the Huskers, who finished 33-2, seem poised for an even better 2024.
After getting swept by Texas last Sunday in the NCAA title match in Tampa, the three Huskers in the news conference said the loss would stick with them for a while. Freshman outside Harper Murray said she planned to use the setback as fuel to come back and win the next three championships.
“I don’t really think it’s going to leave my system,” Murray said. “So it will just carry on to next year and make us win next year.”
“It was the second time I’ve lost a national championship,” junior libero Lexi Rodriguez said. “The first one is still with me. So this will stick with me throughout the next year.”
“This isn’t going away,” sophomore middle Bekka Allick said.
The Huskers won’t have time to process the loss together. While most flew back to Lincoln, some went directly home. With semester finals already over, coach John Cook said he had nothing planned for the players, and they’d have to sit with the loss on their own for a while.
While reflecting on the season, junior Merritt Beason got choked up talking about her love for her teammates. The right side who transferred from Florida a year ago said they were a team with tight bonds that ran 14 people deep. The connections she built were relationships she had not found on any other team of which she’d been a part.
Junior outside Ally Batenhorst echoed the sentiment and said she was proud of how hard they worked not just to win but for each other.
“We just play for each other, and we love each other so much,” Batenhorst said. “We’ve accomplished a lot. We’ve built such deep relationships, and we truly have unconditional love for each other.”
Other Huskers were already looking forward to next season after the match. Rodrigeuz said she didn’t have to give any pep talks in the locker room. Everyone understood they didn’t want to feel like this again.
With no seniors on this year’s roster, the Huskers can bring back the core of its lineup next season. Freshman defensive specialist Laney Choboy said they are hungry and ready to prove themselves even after such a tremendous season.
“We all hate feeling like this,” Choboy said. “We’re super ready to go back to work, get back in the gym, and come back here next year.”
Building blocks
As he finished his post-match news conference Cook took another swipe at teams — presumably directly at Texas — that rely upon transfers to build their roster.
Cook said one of the differences was the Longhorns’ roster was filled with experienced players who began their careers elsewhere. Five of the 10 players who appeared in all three sets transferred to Texas, including the tournament’s most outstanding player, Madisen Skinner.
“That’s how they’ve been building their team. That’s how they built last year’s team,” Cook said. “I like what we’re doing. I like recruiting kids and trying to make them be great.”
Cook has relied upon transfers in the past. With opposite Merritt Beason slated to return next year, the Huskers will have a transfer on their roster for 20 straight years. However, they have never had more than two at any time.
Some of the more notable transfers that finished their career at Nebraska include Kaitlyn Hord (Penn State), Kayla Caffey (Missouri), Lexi Sun (Texas), Briana Holman (LSU), Kelsey Robinson (Tennessee) and his daughter, Lauren Cook (UCLA). For that matter:
Texas Two-Step
Nebraska and Texas keep crossing paths.
The old Big 12 rivals were at it again, with Texas winning a second straight national title. They also met in the 2020 and 2021 regional finals, with Texas winning the first and Nebraska the latter.
There is also a well-worn path of people moving between the two programs.
On Tuesday, Whitney Lauenstein announced she was transferring to Texas for the final two years of eligibility. Last January, the 6-foot-2 right side wrote on Instagram that she was stepping away from the program “to focus on myself and be with my family and continue to heal due to the passing of my dad.” The Waverly, Nebraska, graduate played for two years and was the Huskers’ second-leading attacker in 2022.
She’s not the first Huskers to move to Austin. Defensive specialist Keonilei Akana and middle blocker Kayla Caffey helped the Longhorns win a title in Omaha last year. Akana earned another championship ring this season.
In November, the Longhorns flipped middle blocker Ayden Ames, the third-best 2024 prospect according to PrepDig, a week before signing day. The Prosper, Texas, product had been committed to Nebraska since June of 2022.
Nebraska has picked up a few players in the exchange as outside hitter Lexi Sun played her first year at UT before transferring to Nebraska and becoming an All-American. Also, Jordan Larson spent a few months on the Texas coaching staff in early 2022 before leaving the program and joining NU this season. Assistant coach Erik Sullivan spent three seasons with Nebraska before joining Jerritt Elliott’s staff 13 years ago.
Nebraska transfers
2024 — Merritt Beason (Florida)
2023 — Merritt Beason (Florida)
2022 — Kaitlyn Hord (Penn State)
2021 — Kayla Caffey (Missouri) & Lexi Sun (Texas)
2020 — Kayla Caffey (Missouri) & Lexi Sun (Texas)
2019 — Lexi Sun (Texas)
2018 — Lexi Sun (Texas) & Brooke Smith (Kansas State)
2017 — Briana Holman (LSU)
2016 — Briana Holman (LSU)
2015 — Briana Holman (LSU)*
2014 — Mary Pollmiller (Tennessee)
2013 — Kelsey Robinson (Tennessee) & Mary Pollmiller (Tennessee)
2012 — Lauren Cook (UCLA)
2011 — Lauren Cook (UCLA)
2010 — Sydney Anderson (Utah), Lauren Cook (UCLA)
2009 — Sydney Anderson (Utah), Jessica Yanz (Penn State)
2008 — Sydney Anderson (Utah), Jessica Yanz (Penn State)
2007 — Maggie Griffin (Michigan State)
2006 — Maggie Griffin (Michigan State)
2005 — Maggie Griffin (Michigan State)
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