Dani Busboom Kelly’s Motherly Duties Restricts New Nebraska Coach From Carrying John Cook-Like Training

In just three days, Husker Nation’s gonna see Dani Busboom Kelly—clipboard in hand, nerves of steel, and heart full of fire—stepping onto the sidelines as the brand-new captain of the Nebraska volleyball ship. The Dani era is officially about to pop off. She’s the fourth head coach in program history, and yep, she just had her first big media moment ahead of the Husker Games exhibition against Kansas. While she’s already been holding the reins for nearly three months post-John Cook‘s legendary farewell tour, this weekend is when things get real.

“I feel like it’s been a great transition and pretty smooth,” she said, all cool and calm. “Everybody’s been excited and open. It wasn’t reinventing the wheel here…” She’s keeping it rooted in the Cook blueprint but adding her own flavor. And she’s hyped for her coaching debut inside the Devaney, even though it was kind of a last-minute add. “It was really important for me to get one under my belt with this team and with this staff,” she shared. And while she’s got that coaching fire, DBK’s also balancing that mom-life magic, which, lowkey, means she won’t be going full Cook-mode in training just yet.

Hail Varsity tossed a thoughtful question at Bergen Reilly—“Berg, I mean, one of the things that Dani talked about during her press conference was getting to know you..” And Bergen leaned into the real stuff, saying, “Yeah, I mean, like I said, she’s my main setter coach, so we’ve had a lot of conversations.” She went on to say it’s been “cool to get to know her off the court a little more,” and you could feel that appreciation in her voice. It’s not just volleyball drills and court talk—it’s real convos, lots of laughs, and little moments that show Dani’s not just about wins; she’s about people.

Bergen added, “She’s just a very down-to-earth person,” and honestly, that sums it up. Then came the part that hit differently—Dani’s whole mom energy. Bergen shared with a smile, “She’s always, like, one of the first people out of practices because she wants to get home to her kid.” That shift from Cook’s late-night gym sessions—“Coach was, I’ll be here until midnight if you guys want to practice until midnight”—to Dani’s ‘snack-in-hand, mom-on-a-mission’ vibe shows a whole new rhythm for the Huskers.

But that love? Still loud and clear. Bergen said it best: “She really loves us. She cares about us,” and even drew this sweet parallel—“It was the same way that Coach was a grandpa… we were like his grandchildren.” Now, with Dani in charge, they’ve got a mom in the house—and it’s been “super cool to see and just learn more about her.”

And yep, flash it back to January—when Huskers Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal dropped a baby bomb on X: “Dani Busboom Kelly is expecting her second child later this spring.” Fans were already riding the emotional rollercoaster post-Cook era, and boom—another twist. But honestly? DBK’s no stranger to juggling mom life and volleyball chaos. She already rocked the role of head coach and first-time mama back in April 2022, when she and her hubby Lane Kelly welcomed their little guy, Gregory “Boone” Kelly. And here’s the kicker—this isn’t even Bergen Reilly’s first time giving Dani her flowers.

Bergen opens up about Dani Busboom Kelly and her coaching!

When a legendary coach like John Cook steps down, you kinda expect the coaching dominoes to fall, right? Assistants usually pack up and move on, but not in Nebraska. Jaylen Reyes and Kelly (Hunter) Natter stayed planted like roots in the Husker soil. Even though Cook’s sudden retirement had everyone wide-eyed, the crew rolled with it. Why? ‘Cause when a four-time national champ hand-picks a successor, you trust the vision. Now with Dani Busboom Kelly reshuffling the whole training vibe, it’s giving “new era energy”—and everyone’s kinda figuring out how to groove with it.

DBK made it clear, “That’s really important to me that every player is interacting with every coach somewhat.” Translation? No more sticking to your one coach bubble. Dani’s taken the setter squad under her full-time wing (yep, Bergen Reilly’s in good hands), while Reyes is now rolling with the liberos and Natter’s calling shots with the pin hitters. Bergen even admitted, “Dani’s the full-time setter coach, so Kelly (Natter) will still work with us… but Dani’s like the main coach, and so that’s been fun. Kelly’s still there, and she knows how Dani wants it done. But again, just kind of change. And change can be scary, but it’s been pretty exciting so far.” Sounds like the shake-up’s more sparkly than spooky—for her, at least.

Harper Murray, on the other hand? She’s feeling the growing pains just a little. “Sometimes, like, it’s a little weird hearing Kelly, like, in my ear, like, telling me to change things, because she’s never been with me as much,” she laughed, because yeah—it’s new. They hadn’t really worked that closely before. But she’s adapting fast, and she gets it—it’s not just the athletes adjusting. “Jaylen (Reyes) isn’t with the middles as much anymore. He was with them all the time last year,” she pointed out, showing love to the coaching crew going through the same switch-up shuffle. It’s a whole team effort, top to bottom, figuring it out together under the Devaney lights.

The post Dani Busboom Kelly’s Motherly Duties Restricts New Nebraska Coach From Carrying John Cook-Like Training appeared first on EssentiallySports.