"I couldn't really fathom"- Rebekah Allick reflects on moment she learned former Nebraska Volleyball coach John Cook was stepping away

Modified Apr 20, 2025 22:05 GMT

Nebraska volleyball's Rebekah Allick, recently shared her thoughts on when she heard legendary coach John Cook's retirement announcement. The middle blocker recalled her experience in her latest interview with Hurrdat Sports.

Former head coach John Cook, a four-time NCAA champion, announced his retirement on January 29, 2025. The AVCA Hall of Famer spearheaded the Nebraska Volleyball team for twenty-five years and etched history in Nebraska Athletics. In the history of the NCAA, he is the fifth-winningest head coach.

The 2024 AVCA First Serve Showcase MVP, Rebekah Allick, recently appeared for a panel discussion with sophomore libero Olivia Mauch and discussed her thoughts on John Cook's departure, among other significant things. She mentioned:

"I just remember a lot of tears. I couldn't really fathom. It was very out of body experience. Just kind of felt like the ground beneath you just dropped and then 40 seconds later, you find out Dani Busboom [Kelly] going to be your head coach like "Oh, okay, That's cool." So those are the two big things I remember from the initial announcement." [3:35 onwards]

She continued:

"We had time well spent with coach, and yeah, you want to win one with John Cook, but it's not, that's not the whole point of why he does what he does. So that kind of helped ease the blow."

On January 29, 2025, Dani Busboom Kelly was named the head coach of the Nebraska Volleyball team. She is the fourth head coach in the history of the program and is a four-time AVCA East Region Coach of the Year and three-time ACC Coach of the Year.

Nebraska Volleyball head coach Dani Busboom Kelly on John Cook’s support

Dani Busboom Kelly at the 2022 Division I Women's Volleyball Championship - Source: Getty

During her time as a player, Dani Busboom Kelly played as a libero for the Nebraska Volleyball team, captaining them to the 2006 NCAA Championship. Later, she became the assistant head coach of three teams, including Nebraska, and was the distinguished head coach of Louisville. During her recent interview with the Nebraska Huskers, Busboom Kelly reflected on the support she received from John Cook while transitioning into her new role. She added:

"I mean, it means everything. Again having somebody in your corner, and somebody you trust and somebody that's going to be there, it makes it feel a lot more comfortable." [0:40 onwards]

In 2021, Busboom Kelly was named the AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year and the AVCA Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016.

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