Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

Pat Sullivan era: 1975–76

Pat Sullivan was the first volleyball coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball team. She compiled an 83–21 record in the program's first two seasons of intercollegiate competition. Sullivan’s first season as head coach was shortly after the passing of Title IX by the United State’s Congress in 1972. In her first season, she led the team to a 34–8 record and an Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Regional Final. One year later, the team won a Big Eight Championship with a record of 49–13.

Terry Pettit era: 1977–1999

Terry Pettit was Nebraska's second coach from 1977 to 1999 with an overall record of 694–148. Originally from Indiana, Pettit was an English teacher who specialized in poetry and volleyball coach in North Carolina at Louisburg College. Paul Sanderford, head coach of the women's basketball team at the junior college, noticed an ad for a head coaching position at Nebraska and told Pettit about the opportunity.

In his 23 years as head coach, Pettit helped build the program into a national power. He led the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship. Under his guidance, the Cornhuskers appeared in 19 consecutive NCAA Tournaments including six semifinals and two second place finishes. As head coach, he led the team to Conference Championships in every year except 1977 and 1997. His list of honors includes AVCA Hall of Fame, USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award, USOC National Coach of the Year, AVCA National Coach of the Year, AVCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year, and AVCA District Coach of the Year.

Under Pettit, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln became one of the first schools to offer scholarships for women’s athletics. In 1978 Terri Kanouse and Shandi Pettine were the first players to receive full-scholarships for volleyball. Pettit offered Kanouse a scholarship after watching the St. Paul, Indiana native show her skills at a camp in Crown Point, Indiana. Three years later, the University allowed Pettit to offer 12 scholarships to volleyball athletes. Pettit coached 18 All-Americans and 36 AVCA All-Americans, the highest number of any school in the nation.

1995

Three talented seniors led the Huskers entering the 1995 season. After losing the second match of the season to then-No. 1 Stanford, they swept 22 consecutive opponents and the team reeled off 31 consecutive wins. The Huskers easily clinched the Big 8 conference title, and make short work of opponents in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament. Nebraska beat a determined Michigan State team in a tough match in the NCAA semifinals (Final Four) 3–2 putting them into the NCAA championship match against Texas. Texas won the first set of the match, but the Huskers battled back to win the next 3 sets, giving Nebraska their first ever NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship by defeating the future Big 12 foe in the final, 3–1.

The Huskers were led by Allison Weston who won many awards: Morgan Trophy Award, AVCA Co-National Player of the Year, Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year, AVCA First Team All-American, First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, All-Big Eight Player of the Year. Christy Johnson and Lisa Reitsma were both also AVCA First Team All-Americans.

John Cook era: 2000–present

John Cook succeeded Terry Pettit before the start of the 2000 season after a successful stint as the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers. Thus far, Cook has guided the Huskers to 3 NCAA National Championships in 2000, 2006, and 2015, a NCAA National Runner-up finish in 2005, 6 NCAA National Semifinal (Final Four) appearances in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2015 and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his years as coach. Cook was named the AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2005, the AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year in 1997 (Wisconsin), 2000, 2005, and 2008, as well as the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2001, 2005, and 2008. He was also awarded the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award in 2008. In his first eight years as head coach at Nebraska, he has guided the Huskers to a 250–16 overall record and a 32–6 NCAA tournament record.

Cook has coached three AVCA National Players of the Year – (Greichaly Cepero in 2000, Christina Houghtelling in 2005 and Sarah Pavan in 2006). Pavan also won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 2007 as the Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year.

2000

In his first year as the NU head coach, Cook guided the Huskers to their second NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. They started with a No. 11 preseason ranking. Nebraska went 20–0 in the Big 12. Nebraska defeated John Cook's former team, the Wisconsin Badgers, in five sets in the national title game, bringing home the first National Championship in the John Cook era. Capping off a 34–0 season, the Huskers became only the second team in NCAA history to finish a season undefeated since the beginning of the NCAA Tournament in 1981.

Sophomore Greichaly Cepero led the Huskers, becoming the AVCA National Player of the Year. She also won the Honda Award for Volleyball and became the Big 12 Player of the Year. Laura Pilakowski was also an AVCA First Team All-American and on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team.

2001–2005

Nebraska finished 20–0 in conference play in 2001 to lock up the Big 12 conference title and finished the regular season with only one loss, coming against Long Beach State. In the NCAA Tournament, the Huskers cruised through the first two rounds, obtained a NCAA regional semifinals win against Colorado St., setting up a hard fought, 3–2 win against Florida in the NCAA regional finals. Nebraska advanced to the NCAA National Semifinals (Final Four) for the second time in the under Cook, facing Stanford. The Huskers fell to Stanford 0–3 who ultimately went on to win the National Championship. The Huskers finished the season with a record of 31–2, and a ranking of No. 3 in the AVCA poll. Amber Holmquist was named as an AVCA First Team All American

Nebraska went 20–0 in conference play to wrap up the Big 12 conference title in '02. Nebraska entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 overall seed. The Huskers easily swept through the first two rounds of the tournament, and then swept Miami in the NCAA regional semifinals. In the NCAA regional finals, Nebraska fell 3–1 to No. 6 overall seed Hawaiʻi. Nebraska finished the season with a record of 31–2, and a final ranking of No. 5. Greichaly Cepero and Amber Holmquist were named as AVCA First Team All Americans.

In 2003 the Huskers went 17–3 in conference play to finish 2nd in conference play behind Kansas State. Nebraska was garnered the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska easily advanced through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament defeating Valparaiso and Dayton. In the NCAA regional semifinals, Nebraska ran into No. 8 seed UCLA and fell to the Bruins 3–1. The Huskers finished the season with a record of 28–5, and a final ranking of No. 13.

Nebraska earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2004 NCAA tournament. The Huskers advanced to the NCAA regional finals, falling to two-time defending NCAA champion Southern California in a five-game marathon. AVCA National Freshman of the Year, Sarah Pavan, led a trio of talented freshmen to a Big 12 conference title and the team's fourth 20–0 Big 12 conference record in the last five seasons. The Huskers finished the season with a record of 30–2, and a ranking of No. 5. Sarah Pavan and Melissa Elmer were named as AVCA First Team All Americans.

In 2005, after winning the Big 12 conference title with a 19–1 record, Nebraska was the No. 1 overall seed in the 2005 NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. After sweeping through the first two rounds, sweeping UCLA in the NCAA regional semifinals and Florida in the NCAA regional finals, Nebraska went on to sweep Santa Clara in the NCAA National Semifinals. An NCAA volleyball-record 13,252 tickets were pre-sold for the NCAA regionals at the Qwest Center in Omaha. The majority of these record ticket sales have been attributed to Nebraska volleyball fans. In the NCAA Championship match against Pacific-10 Conference champion Washington, Nebraska could not finish off with an NCAA title, despite being the overwhelming favorite. They lost to the No. 3 seeded Huskies in a somewhat stunning fashion, never finding a rhythm and losing 3–0. The season marked Nebraska's third trip to the Final Four under Cook. The Huskers ended the season the NCAA National Runner-Up with a record of 33–2, and a ranking of No. 2 in the AVCA poll. Sarah Pavan, Christina Houghtelling, and Melissa Elmer were all named as AVCA First Team All Americans.

2006

The Huskers once again went through the competition leading up to the NCAA tournament keeping their No. 1 ranking all season long, winning the Big 12 conference title, and losing only one match to Colorado. For the third consecutive year, Nebraska was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. They made it to their second consecutive Final Four, by accomplishing an amazing feat. In the NCAA regional final against Minnesota in Gainesville, Florida, Nebraska saw their opponent take a commanding 2–0 lead on them. Nebraska fought back to win the next three sets, thus making it the first time Nebraska ever won a NCAA regional title outside of the state of Nebraska, and also the first time they came from an 0–2 deficit to win the regional title. The Huskers entered the NCAA Championship match after defeating UCLA in four sets in the National Semifinals. On December 16, 2006, in the NCAA National Championship match, Nebraska played in front of a then-NCAA volleyball record crowd of 17,209 in Omaha, Nebraska at the Qwest Center against Pac-10 champion Stanford. Nebraska dropped the first set, but, like the NCAA Semifinal match, rebounded to win the next three sets to take home the second NCAA national championship in the John Cook era.

The Huskers swept 24 of their 33 opponents and only lost 14 sets all season. They led the nation in both kills (17.4) and assists (16.2) per game, the first time Nebraska has led the nation in either category. Nebraska became just the third team in NCAA history to be ranked No. 1 in the AVCA poll the entire season, joining UCLA (1992) and USC (2003), and became the first team to win a NCAA National Championship while hosting the finals since UCLA in 1991.

Junior Sarah Pavan finished the season as one of the most decorated in NCAA history, garnering numerous awards, including AVCA National Player of the Year, AVCA First Team All American, the Honda-Broderick Cup award, and the Big 12 Player of the Year & Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year, and the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. Jordan Larson also was named an AVCA First Team All American

2007–2009

In the first game of '07, the Huskers won the programs 1,000th game, sweeping Tennessee in the AVCA Showcase. Nebraska won their fourth consecutive Big 12 title, (sharing it with Texas) with a 19–1 Big 12 record. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, the Huskers were the overall No. 2 seed. After sweeping past first & second round competition, Nebraska was given a scare by unseeded Michigan State in the NCAA regional semifinals, finding themselves down 2 sets to 0 before rebounding to win the match. Their bid for consecutive NCAA titles was ended in the regional finals, losing to 10th seeded California. The Huskers finished the season with a 30–2 record, and a No. 5 ranking. Sarah Pavan became just the fourth player in NCAA history to garner AVCA First Team All-American honors all four years of her collegiate career and was also named the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. Pavan joined Texas softball pitcher Cat Osterman as the only athlete to repeat the award. Nebraska placed a national record 5 players on AVCA All America Teams (before the record was broken in 2008 by Penn St. with 6).

Nebraska won their fifth consecutive Big 12 title in 2008 sharing it with Texas for the second consecutive year with an 18–2 record. In the 2008 NCAA Tournament Nebraska was the No. 4 overall seed having a fairly easy time in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. After making short work of Michigan in the NCAA regional semifinals, the Huskers advanced to the NCAA regional finals facing No. 5 overall seed Washington in Seattle on their home court. After losing the first two sets, it looked as if Nebraska's season would end earlier than they wanted. That was, however, before Nebraska mounted one of the greatest comeback wins in the history of the NCAA tournament. In set 3, Nebraska rallied to easily take the set 25–17. In set 4, Nebraska looked well on its way to forcing a fifth set but it didn't turn out to be that easy as the Huskies trailed 22–21, and eventually tied the set at 23 and 24. However a Washington service error and a service ace from libero Kayla Banwarth gave the Huskers a 26–24 win in set 4, forcing a fifth set. In set 5, once again the Huskers looked doomed as they fell 9–3, but in a jaw-dropping run of epic proportions Nebraska went on to score 9 consecutive points to take the lead 12–9. Not giving up, the Huskies were able to tie the set at 13, before an attack error set up match point for the Huskers. Senior Jordan Larson ripped an ace paralyzing the Huskies and sending Nebraska into a frenzy at having completed one of the greatest comeback wins in both school and NCAA tournament history advancing the huskers to the Final Four at the Qwest Center in Omaha, the fifth Final Four appearance in the John Cook era. In the NCAA National Semifinals, Nebraska lost to No. 1 overall seed Penn State. Initially down 0–2, the Huskers rallied to deal the Nittany Lions their first 2 set losses of the season, snapping their NCAA record 111 consecutive set wins. In the 5th set, Penn State went on to win 15–11, and ultimately the National Championship over Stanford in straight sets.

The 2009 squad was one of the youngest for John Cook, with one senior on the squad. The Huskers dropped the season opener for the first time under John Cook against Michigan in the Runza/AVCA Showcase at Qwest Center. Later, UCLA came to Lincoln, winning in 5 sets to become the first team to defeat the Huskers on their home court since Florida A&M accomplished the feat in 2004. In the middle of the season, Nebraska hosted Iowa State, who defeated the Huskers for the first time in series history. The Huskers ended the regular season strong, not having dropped a set in November for the first time in program history. The Huskers hosted NCAA Tournament 1st and 2nd rounds as the number 10 seed. They swept through the opening rounds earning a berth to the Big 12 packed Omaha Regional, breaking Northern Iowa's 29 game win streak and becoming the only team to sweep them on the season. They swept a struggling Iowa State at the Quest Center and went on to play Texas in the regional final. The Huskers won the first set but could not keep the momentum. The Longhorns won the next three sets, earning their way to the national semifinals. Texas became the first team to beat the Huskers three times during a single season in the NCAA era.

2010–2014

The 2010 season marked the 12th year for head coach Tim Cook, finishing the season with a record of 30–3. The Huskers first loss of the season came during the August 29th game against #13 ranked Florida. They would find their second loss much later into the season, losing against #10 ranked Texas on October 27. Their final, season ending loss came at the hands of #11 ranked Washington on December 10, finishing the 2010 season leading the Big 12 with a record of 19–1.

The Huskers opened the 2011 season by defeating New Mexico State with a match score of 3–2. The Huskers would see their first loss of the season on September 2, when they fell to Colorado State with a score of 2–3. The Huskers would see another streak of wins until they were eventually defeated by Penn State on October 29 by a match score of 1–3. After a couple of wins against Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana, the Huskers would experience their first shut-out loss of the season when they lost to Purdue on November 12. The Huskers would go another two weeks until losing again, this time at the hands of Northwestern by a score of 3–1. The final loss of the Husker’s season would come on December 2, with a close loss to K-State by a score of 2–3. This would end the 2011 season for the Huskers, and it would become time to begin looking forward to August 2012.

The 2012 season began on August 24, 2012 when the Huskers defeated St. Louis with a match score of 3–0. The Huskers would continue on a string of successes until their first loss of the season on September 15, 2012. This would come at the hands of Iowa State, with a match score of 3–1. The Huskers would lose another game four days later, against Penn State, again with a match score of 3–1. The Huskers would then begin string of wins, beginning on September 22, and lasting a little over a month until their defeat against Ohio State with a score of 3–1. This would begin an unstable time in the Huskers season, who would suffer defeats on November 2, 3, and 16th against Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota respectively. The Huskers would then find success in their games following the Minnesota loss on the 16th, not suffering another defeat until their season-ending defeat against Oregon on December 8. It would be time for the Husker girls to begin looking forward to August 2013.

The 2013 season began on August 30, with a Husker win over ULM by a match score of 3–0. The Huskers would also suffer their first defeat of the season a day later when they played Auburn, losing by a score of 3–1. They would rally and receive six victories before encountering their next close loss to Texas on September 22 by a score of 2–3. It wouldn't be until October 12 that the Huskers saw the next loss on their record, falling to Michigan State by a score of 3–1. Nebraska would then be relatively successful during their span of games between October 18 until November 27, with the only two losses being at the hands of Purdue both times. The October 18th loss was by a score of 1–3, and the November 22nd loss was by a score of 0–3. The Huskers would approach the end of the season with another loss of Penn State on November 30, and the final, season ending loss to Texas on December 14 with a score of 0–3.

The 2014 season got off to a rough start for the huskers, not winning a game until their third game of the season against Dayton with a 3–0 shut out victory. The duration of the season would continue to be rough for the huskers, suffering defeats against Texas, Ohio State, Illinois and Wisconsin by October 31. The Huskers would overcome these defeats, however, and go on a winning streak until their defeat against Illinois a second time on November 26. The Huskers would move on towards the end of the season with a shut-out loss to Penn State, three wins, and then a season ending loss to BYU by a score of 0–3 on December 13 of 2014.

2015–2016

The 2015 championship team held a record of 32–4 in regular season and 17–3 in the Big Ten. The championship came from a sweep of the Texas Longhorns in Omaha, NE. Freshman Mikaela Foecke was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player with a match-high of 19 kills, making her just the third freshman to ever earn that honor. Junior Amber Rolfzen contributed 10 kills and 4 blocks. Sophomore Kelly Hunter, a setter, had 42 assists, while junior libero Justine Wong-Orantes had a match-high 17 digs. Kadie Rolfzen had the most Nebraska kills with 14, while also contributing 5 digs and 4 blocks. Coming into the match the Huskers were ranked 4th in the nation, while Texas was ranked 2nd.

For 2016, the Huskers moved forward to achieve their first conference title since 2011. Mid-season, the Huskers temporarily lost their number one ranking with their losses to Ohio State and Minnesota, but came back against Michigan on November 28, earning the team a spot in the NCAA tournament. On Friday, December 2, the Huskers beat New Hampshire 3-0, and then came back Saturday, defeating TCU with scores of 25-22, 25-12, and 25-16. Though the Huskers currently sit at no. 2, Friday, December 9 will still give the team a chance to beat no. 13 Penn State as they host their first regional since 2013. The team brought in a third win against the Nittany Lions, which advanced them to regional finals, where they faced Washington, whom they defeated 3-0.

That win launched the team into the Final 4, where they sought to win the NCAA title in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. In front of 16,670 fans in Columbus, Ohio, the 6th-highest attended volleyball game in NCAA history, Texas Longhorns women's volleyball swept Nebraska 3-0 to advance to the NCAA Championship game.

Home court advantage

The 4,030-seat Nebraska Coliseum provided the Nebraska volleyball program with an unmatched home-court advantage. Nebraska has had 17 undefeated seasons at home, compiling an all-time record of 481–31 (.939) under the Coliseum's roof. Only three times in 33 years of regular-season Big 8/Big 12 play has a conference opponent ever won in Lincoln. In 1991, the Huskers played their games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center while the building was being renovated and tailored specifically for volleyball. The Huskers have hosted an NCAA Tournament match every season since 1984 compiling a 52–4 playoff record in the building. Nebraska fans have been rewarded by seeing eight of the Huskers’ 11 NCAA regional championships won on their home court. The all-time home record over the 34 years is 511–36. The Huskers established an NCAA record with their 88th consecutive home win against Creighton University in 2009. The streak ended soon after at win number 90 when eighth-ranked UCLA stunned an NCAA regular season record crowd of 13,870. The record was later passed by now Big Ten rival Penn State in 2010.

Nebraska volleyball is one of most popular spectator sports in the state. In 2008, the AVCA's Kathy DeBoer described Nebraska as "the epicenter of volleyball fandom". The four largest-ever crowds to watch a volleyball match, and seven of the top ten largest, were in the state of Nebraska. This includes the largest crowd ever (17,561) in the 2015 NCAA National Championship between Nebraska and Texas, and the second-most all time (17,551) in the 2015 NCAA National Semifinals between Nebraska and Kansas.

The Coliseum

The Nebraska Coliseum was one of the few collegiate arenas designed specifically for volleyball. It is noted for its classical architecture, intimate setting with fans close to the floor, perpetually sold-out crowds, and deafening acoustics. At the Coliseum, the Huskers held the NCAA record for the most consecutive sellouts in a women's sport (the streak continues at the Devaney Center). The Nebraska Coliseum statistically proved to be one of the most difficult venues for visiting teams to win at in all of sports, has anecdotally been described as 'the arena that the volleyball gods would build', and has drawn comparisons to Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium due to its design, acoustics, and intimate atmosphere. It has also been the subject of a CBS Sports documentary.

The Bob Devaney Sports Center

In 2013, the Husker volleyball program moved into a renovated Bob Devaney Sports Center. Previously a basketball arena, it was transformed into a volleyball venue with seating for 7,907 and suites on one side of the court. The move to the new stadium did not threaten the Husker's sellout streak as it continues to be the longest in the history of NCAA women's sports. The Cornhuskers have led all of NCAA volleyball in attendance every year since moving to the Devaney Center with an average of 8,206 people per match in 2015.

Profitability

The home match sellouts have been profitable for NU; which was one of the goals for head coach John Cook. The profit for the 2013–14 season was $577,601 and for the 2014–15 season it was reported to be $451,065. These numbers were higher than previous seasons due to the increase in seating availability after the team moved to the newly renovated Devaney Sports Center – selling tickets ranging from $10 – $17- which nearly doubled the seating and increased profits by $156,609. A good portion of those profits were seen from the 100 courtside seats and five luxury boxes at the Devaney Center. With no financial support from tax-dollar, tuition, or student-fees, the team is self-sufficient and aids in helping the school's athletic program gain traction for new programs and recruitment and to the academic programs by sending money to enhance the education at the school.

The team consistently rivals Hawaii's volleyball team for annual net profits, attendance at matches, and winning streaks. However, net profits from the 2015 fiscal year show that NU made over five times the amount that the Hawaii team earned. While this seems to be a blowout for NU compared to the second highest profiting team, statistics show that the next five teams in ranking in for net worth all reported losses due to expenses required for recruiting, scholarships, team travel, officials, and staff are substantial. In the 2013–14 season, NU volleyball spent $2.39 million, totaling in at the third highest budget in the nation.

NCAA

Team

Individual

Big 12

Team

Individual

All-Americans

Nebraska has had 40 AVCA First-Team All-American selections.

NCAA tournament

The NCAA Volleyball Tournament started in 1981 and Nebraska has qualified for every tournament since 1982. From 1994 to 2010 the Huskers played in 17 consecutive NCAA Regionals, a streak that more than doubled any other program in the nation.