The captains’ sign above the lockers of Lauren Stivrins and Nicklin Hames are staying, and now Kenzie Knuckles has one, too.
Those three players will be captains for the Huskers this season, coach John Cook announced during the Nebraska volleyball radio show on Tuesday.
Stivrins and Hames are captains for a third time, while Knuckles was chosen for the first time.
Some of the sports programs at Nebraska have been casual about team captains some years, but not Cook.
“It’s a really big deal for us, just like with football,†Cook said. “And we make it a really big deal, and they get these really cool captains things in their locker.â€
The captains regularly meet with Lindsay Peterson, who coordinates team travel and activities, to help make decisions and talk about concerns. Sometimes Cook meets with the captains to talk about the team, and uses the captains as a barometer for how the team is doing as it relates to training and matches.
This season the captains were chosen in part through a survey, where the players had to explain why they thought a certain teammate would be a good captain.
Stivrins was hesitant to still be a captain because she doesn’t know when she’ll be able to play in a match after having offseason back surgery, but her teammates thought otherwise.
Knuckles is a junior who started at libero for her first two seasons, but will likely be making a switch to defensive specialist this season. Freshman Lexi Rodriguez will likely be the starting libero.
“It’s a great story because Kenzie has switched positions and she’s done it like a champ, which gains a lot of respect,†Cook said. “And she’s done a great job of integrating our younger players and I think she’s spent a lot of time with them.â€
Putting things into perspective during a pandemic: Classes began at UNL on Monday, and Cook mentioned that many of the players haven’t attended in-person classes despite being at the school since May, or even a full year. Instead, their classes were online.
Nine of Nebraska’s 16 players have enrolled since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020.
“Over half of our team has never been to a class on campus until (Monday). They got to figure out where to go,†Cook said.
Changing with the times: Cook again told the story of how he had to adapt to a new generation of players over the past decade while coaching athletes who grew up having cell phones, social media accounts and the occasional overbearing parent.
The 22nd-year Husker head coach said that shift began in 2010, and since then Nebraska has won two national championships and four conference titles. He still can be fiery, but Cook works hard at forming relationships with the players.
“I had to make some adjustments, and I made those adjustments,†Cook said. “By the time I figured it out, about 2014, we’ve been on a hell of a run since then.â€
Chatting with Garth: Cook had an unexpected conversation with Garth Brooks when the country music legend was in Lincoln earlier this month to perform at Memorial Stadium.
Cook went to the stadium on Friday night when Brooks had a soundcheck that UNL students could attend. Cook was on the sixth floor of Memorial Stadium when Brooks came out of a dining room on his way down to the stage.
“Next thing I know here’s Garth and he goes, ‘Hey, how are you doing? I’m Garth Brooks,’†Cook said.
“He goes, ‘Hey, did you watch the Olympic volleyball?’ I go, ‘Well, yeah, we had three (former Huskers) on that team.â€
The chance meeting was a thrill for Cook.
“What an awesome guy. It was really cool,†he said.
Photos: Husker volleyball team showcased in Red-White Scrimmage
Nebraska's Nicklin Hames (1) sets the ball for teammate Lauren Stivrins during a match against Minnesota on Feb. 21. Both Hames and Stivrins were named captains for the 2021 season.